Before companies can conquer cybersecurity, they need to know what risks exist. The first of this article series outlines the evolving landscape of cyber threats and what distributors should be aware of.
Strategy
Article
How Motion Found its North Star, and Where it’s Headed
Derived from COO Joe Limbaugh’s fireside session at MDM’s 2023 SHIFT Conference, we dive into Motion’s 5-year and ongoing organizational transformation.
One year after plumbing distributor Hajoca took majority ownership of HVACR distributor GA Larson, we chat with the latter’s chairman on that relationship and the path forward.
Human Resources
Article
STAFDA Channel Chat, Pt. 3: The Battle for Talent
Mike Hockett extracts commentary from a panel discussion between STAFDA distributors, manufacturers and rep agents on what they voiced as their biggest challenge: talent management.
Mergers & Acquisitions
Article
MDM’s 2023 M&A Recap: A Mega Year in Dealmaking Activity
The previous two years were strong for M&A activity in distribution, but 2023 was on a whole other level. We dive into 2023’s dealmaking figures here.
Market Analysis
Article
STAFDA Channel Chat, Pt. 2: Industry Trends & Challenges
Mike Hockett extracts commentary from a panel discussion between STAFDA distributors, manufacturers and rep agents.
Cybersecurity
Article
Cybersecurity Threats Take Top Billing to End 2023
Mike Hockett provides a look where distribution cybersecurity is at year-end 2023, and why data breaches in this industry are more common than you may assume.
Facilities Maintenance (MRO)
Article
STAFDA Channel Chat, Pt. 1: eCommerce & Marketing Opportunities, Pitfalls
Mike Hockett extracts eCommerce commentary from a panel discussion between STAFDA distributors, manufacturers and rep agents.
Cybersecurity
Article
Henry Schein Hackers Say They’ve Cost Distributor $500M+ in Lost Revenue
The ransomware group that hit Henry Schein’s systems twice so far — affecting data for nearly 30,000 people — says it’s planning a third attack.
Economic Trends
Article
December Data: Most Distributors’ 2024 Expectations Improve
The data gave more fuel to a “soft landing” consensus for economic conditions next year.
Human Resources
Article
Your Talent Strategy Goes Far Beyond HR
Amid a sea change in employer-to-employee power dynamics, distributors have had to be much more strategic with their hiring and retention practices. We gather key takeaways on this front from Alex Chausovsky.
Economic Trends
Article
2024 is Your Investment Year, and 2019 is Never Coming Back: Takeaways from Alan Beaulieu
As a primer for 2024, Mike Hockett condenses ITR Economics’ Alan Beaulieu’s latest industry keynote presentation into seven key points.

