2016 AD North American Meeting Highlights Programs to Help
November 8, 2016
AD, the largest contractor and industrial products wholesale buying group in North America, recently hosted 1,000 attendees at the AD Electrical North American Meeting.
The event attracted 144 first time attendees and representatives from over 331 companies in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The theme of this year’s meeting was one motivational word, Ascend, which represents the journey AD shares with its members and suppliers, as individuals and companies to be the very best they can at work, at home and in their local communities. By sharing the inner drive for greatness and leveraging new AD programs, AD continues to help its members and suppliers grow their businesses.
Ed Crawford, President of AD Electrical US and Latin America, shared a personal story during the business meetings. “It’s not about the headwinds and challenges that we face, but what we do when we face them. In life, as in business, headwinds are not a possibility, they’re a certainty. Commodity prices may continue to decline, oil and natural gas remain a challenge, and industrial investment is weak at best. But through it all, AD members find a way. AD is here to help you navigate; to continue to help you grow, to prosper, and to gain market share.”
AD provides a variety of programs to help members grow and stay ahead of the curve: eCommerce Solutions, HR Services, Indirect Procurement, AD Rewards, energyFORCE, and Market Planning, to name a few.
“AD Canada continues to grow and gain market share in Canada,” shared Jim Milne, President, AD Canada. “It is exciting to see our distributor and supplier partners embrace and execute AD initiatives to prepare for the future and maximize their performance today” (for AD’s most recent results, see “ AD member sales up…”).
During the meeting’s keynote address delivered by Bill Weisberg, AD’s Chairman and CEO, Bill discussed how AD is investing more than ever before to ensure a strong future for our community of members, suppliers and AD associates. Weisberg also encouraged attendees to identify their purpose in life: “There’s one thing in particular that I believe passionately in as the secret to sustainable success — the secret to be able to really overcome the most difficult obstacles. That is to have a burning purpose, a reason to get to the top. You have to not just be driven. You have to be driven for a real purpose, and that purpose has to be greater than you, greater than even the specific goal that you’re setting out to accomplish. If you’ve got a purpose that other people can rally around alongside of you, then you’ve got a formula for great success.”
AD member sales up 6.3% to US$26.1 billion through first three quarters of 2016
The US$32 billion contractor and industrial products wholesale buying / marketing group reports that sales for all AD members, across all seven divisions and three countries grew by 6.3% in 2016 Q3 YTD to US$26.1 billion. This growth includes ongoing members, new members and losses due to consolidation. On a same store basis, the AD member sales grew 1%.
By country, AD Canada was up 6%; AD Mexico, up 25%. AD U.S. was flat. By industry, electrical was flat; plumbing, PVF & HVAC was flat; industrial and power transmission was down 5%; and building materials was up 16%.
Bill Weisberg, AD’s Chairman and CEO comments on the results: “There’s a saying that comes to mind for macro-economic conditions like these. ‘One of the better responses to scarcity is not to slice the pie thinner, rather it’s to figure out how to make more pies.’ AD is blessed to work with many of the most collaborative and creative independents and suppliers in this industry.”
Across all divisions and countries, member purchases from AD suppliers grew 7% and net distributions to AD members grew 12%.
AD is the largest contractor and industrial products wholesale buying group in North America. It provides independent distributors and manufacturers of construction and industrial products with support and resources that accelerate growth.
Find out more: www.adhq.com.
