An all-star lineup of speakers.

Abhi Singh, a seasoned professional in the construction supply industry, began his career from the ground up, working on construction sites during his high school years. From shoveling gravel at the base of cinder block walls, his passion for the industry took hold. After a brief stint in door-to-door telecom sales, which he did not excel in, Abhi seized the opportunity to join the Ferguson Enterprises Trainee Program, laying the foundation for an extraordinary journey.

With over 25 years of experience, Abhi has held key leadership positions at renowned distributors, including Hughes Supply, White Cap, Hajoca, A.H. Harris, Harvey, Mid-Am, and New South Construction Supply. In 2010, he successfully built his own business, Atlantic Supply, which he sold in 2012.

In 2023, Abhi decided to share the invaluable lessons he learned throughout his career and founded LMS Strategies with a mission to help clients achieve the “Art of the Possible.” We specialize in enhancing leadership performance through executive coaching, sales training, motivational speaking, and M&A advisory. Our focus is on delivering long-term results, firmly believing that sustainable success requires a culture of leadership excellence, strategic customer selection, and a genuine commitment to people development.

Connect with Abhi on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhi-singh-aa97a044/

Adam Echter is a Partner with Simon-Kucher and leads the Global Industrials Sector. Adam’s career is marked by a deep commitment to enhancing sales excellence, business model innovation, and strategic pricing across various industries. With a rich background in sales development—from grassroots outside sales to the comprehensive restructuring and empowerment of sales teams—his expertise has impacted industrial companies with revenues ranging from $100 million to several billion dollars.

Such experience and success have led to recognition as one of “The Top 25 Strategy Consultants and Leaders of 2023” by the Consulting Report. An author of note, Adam co-authored “Beating Inflation” alongside Dr. Hermann Simon, a best-selling author and co-founder of Simon-Kucher. This work underscores his thought leadership in the field of pricing during economically volatile times. Moreover, his contribution to the speaker circuit has delivered valuable insights through the Professional Pricing Society, Chief Executive Group, Private Equity International and various industry/academic forums.

Adam holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University at Buffalo and an MBA in finance from the University of Rochester’s Simon School of Business. Notably, his commitment to education and mentorship led him back to the Simon School of Business to help develop the first comprehensive pricing degree formally recognized by any MBA program.

Distributor profitability luminary Dr. Al Bates takes the stage for his thought-provoking and insightful talk on three myths distributors often believe will lead to improved profits but don’t. Using his vast experience working with distributors for decades, Dr. Bates will address these myths and tell you how to avoid them and give you ideas you can take home to drive real profits: 1. Sales solves almost all problems. 2. Technology (like AI) will lower payroll costs. 3. Lowering Inventory and Accounts Receivable is key to profit. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from one of the world’s most knowledgeable distribution profit gurus. 

Brooks Hamilton is the founder of Hamilton AI Strategy Advisors, which helps large enterprises build and implement AI strategies. With a deep understanding of both AI technology and business operations, his company is positioned to help organizations navigate the rapidly evolving AI landscape. Previously, Brooks held executive positions at Zilliant, where he worked with dozens of leading distributors to design and deploy AI sales, pricing, and revenue management applications.

Gregory Smith is an accomplished executive and entrepreneur with a strong track record of driving business growth and strategic innovation. Currently, he is the Electrical Channel Sales Leader at JM Eagle, developing and implementing strategies to expand market presence and strengthen distributor partnerships in the electrical distribution sector.

As the founder of G Group Holdings and Patternology, Gregory has demonstrated visionary leadership at the intersection of technology, data analytics, and business strategy. He has successfully led ventures in mergers and acquisitions, strategic pricing, and process optimization, driving significant growth and profitability. At Patternology, Gregory’s AI and data analytics expertise has revolutionized how businesses optimize product sell groups, establishing the company as a leader in its field.

A recognized thought leader and mentor, Gregory is committed to inspiring the next generation of business leaders. His collaborative approach and dedication to excellence have made him a trusted advisor in the industry, and he continually drives transformative change and sustainable growth.

Janet is the Chief Information Officer and Executive Vice President and CFO for Stericycle (NASDAQ: SRCL). Before joining Stericycle, Janet spent 15 years with Essendant Inc., where she served in various roles, including CFO, CIO and Senior Vice President of Business Integration.
Janet recently won the 2022 Chicago CIO of the Year ORBIE Award (Enterprise) and the 2022 CIO+ Award from The Executives’ Club of Chicago, SIM Chicago and AITP Chicago.
Janet was named to the 2023 Crain’s Chicago Business Notable Leaders in Finance list. The list recognizes financial leaders in the Chicago area, who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership skills in navigating today’s most pressing business challenges and overseeing new frontiers. She is also a member of the Advisory Board of Chicago CIO, part of the National InspireCIO Leadership Network.

Mike is the Founding Partner of the Indian River Consulting Group and a Research Fellow with the NAW Institute of Distribution Excellence. In his early career he came up through sales and ran a large electronics component distributor and did significant M&A activity in the eighties. He is well known in the distribution industry for his candor and no BS speaking style. Their work in sales transformation is well known and their distribution clients range from privately held firms to multi-billion dollar global firms.

Randy MacLean is a renowned expert in profit analytics, transforming how distributors and manufacturers approach cost management and profitability. As the founder and president of WayPoint Analytics, Randy has spent over fifteen years developing advanced tools and strategies to help companies better understand their financial performance. WayPoint’s detailed cost and profit analysis solutions empower businesses to make data-driven decisions that significantly enhance their bottom lines.

Randy is also the acclaimed author of the “Profit-Driven” series, including Profit-Driven Analysis & Practices, Profit-Driven Business Strategy, Profit-Driven Sales Commissions, Profit-Driven Customer Service and Using Analytics to Manage Profit. These books provide essential guidance for executives and managers, offering practical roadmaps to optimizing profits through smart analytics and strategic pricing.

His innovative profit models have made him a trusted advisor to leading distributors, enabling them to focus on their most profitable customers and services. Randy remains a sought-after speaker and consultant, committed to advancing profit analytics. Visit www.waypointanalytics.net for more information.

Scott Sinning is a former Vice President of Pricing Strategy at Graybar and has decades of experience in wholesale distribution. He founded Pricing for Distributors to help clients gain the capabilities needed to improve their pricing results. His proven approach helps clients capture quick wins and sustained margin improvements. He can also independently assist with evaluating or implementing software solutions for pricing and rebates. You can reach him at scott@pricingfordistributors.com or visit www.pricingfordistributors.com.

Will is a Partner and the Head of Chemicals/Construction at Simon-Kucher. He is also the Head of the Atlanta office, where he focuses on serving B2B companies in a variety of areas, including sales and pricing transformations, to unlock better growth. Through Will’s years of consulting experience in the US, he has carried out many transformational efforts, including implementing new go-to-market and sales force strategies, defining future-state pricing analytics functions, and designing future-state sales and sales operations functions. Specifically, his experience includes sales organization redesign, territory optimization, sales process redesign, and sales compensation system overhaul. Will received undergraduate degrees in biomedical engineering and economics from the University of Virginia, then returned to earn his MBA from the university’s Darden Graduate School of Business.