What happens when wholesale distribution collides with tariffs, AI acceleration, and rising customer expectations?

In this episode of Around The Horn Podcast, Kevin Brown and Tom Burton unpack the most important forces shaping wholesale distribution today, from policy shifts and economic signals to e-commerce, automation, and leadership in an AI driven world.

This conversation goes beyond headlines to explore what these changes really mean for distributors, manufacturers, and channel leaders who are navigating uncertainty while trying to build resilient, future ready organizations.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why tariffs are no longer a temporary disruption and how distributors are adjusting pricing, sourcing, and inventory strategies
• How AI is reshaping marketing, sales, and customer service and where most companies are still getting it wrong
• What the rise of B2B e commerce and next day delivery expectations means for margins, operations, and customer experience
• Why “higher value work” is becoming a core job requirement and not just a leadership slogan
• How automation, robotics, and reshoring are influencing long term workforce and supply chain decisions
  
  

Episode Highlights:

• 04:10 – Key takeaways from the NAW Executive Summit and why executive intuition still matters
• 11:45 – Tariffs, trade policy, and why most distributors now assume they are here to stay
• 22:30 – Interest rates, economic signals, and what the Fed’s direction means for wholesale demand
• 34:05 – How tariffs are quietly reshaping pricing behavior and product selection across distribution
• 45:40 – The Amazon effect, next day delivery expectations, and whether instant gratification is sustainable
• 58:20 – AI in marketing and sales and why more tools do not always equal more productivity
• 01:08:55 – Higher value work, skill development, and what AI first thinking really looks like in distribution
• 01:20:10 – Leadership, teams, and what high performance organizations can learn from endurance racing
  
  

Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Mentioned:

• AI first workflows in sales, marketing, and customer service
• Higher value work and skill developer mindset
• Agent assisted commerce and automation in B2B buying
• Robotics and reshoring as responses to labor and cost pressure
• Customer intelligence platforms and integrated CRM strategy
  
  

Closing Insight:

The future of wholesale distribution is not about reacting faster. It is about thinking differently. Leaders who combine industry expertise with AI capability and disciplined execution will be the ones who create durable advantage in a volatile market.

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What happens when economic uncertainty, tariffs, AI agents, and cybersecurity risks collide inside wholesale distribution?

In this episode of Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution, Kevin Brown and Tom Burton break down the signals beneath the noise and explain what manufacturers and distributors should actually be paying attention to right now.

From inflation ambiguity and tariff authority to AI-driven buying behavior and hidden margin opportunities, this conversation connects macroeconomic shifts to real operational decisions that impact growth, security, and profitability across the wholesale supply chain.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why economic uncertainty, not inflation alone, is the dominant concern for executives heading into 2026
• How tariffs, executive authority, and Supreme Court timing could reshape trade policy without dramatic disruption
• Where “trapped potential” hides inside distributor margin, pricing discipline, and product mix
• Why AI agents are changing how B2B buyers research, evaluate, and eventually purchase
• How cybersecurity threats now target supply chain ecosystems, not just individual companies

Episode Highlights:

• 03:10 – Why economic uncertainty matters more than headline inflation numbers
• 09:25 – Manufacturing signals, demand hesitation, and planning in the “gray zone” economy
• 16:40 – Tariffs, executive authority, and why the Supreme Court is likely to rule narrowly
• 26:05 – How distributors can uncover “trapped potential” through margin and pricing discipline
• 36:30 – AI-generated content vs real value creation in B2B marketing
• 46:15 – Agentic AI and how machine-to-machine buying is changing sales discovery
• 56:40 – Cybersecurity risk across distributors, vendors, and shared digital ecosystems

Tools, Frameworks, and Concepts Mentioned

• AI-enabled Customer Intelligence and Smart CRM platforms
• Agentic AI and multi-agent workflows
• Trapped potential and organic revenue growth
• Pricing discipline and margin visibility
• SOC 2 compliance and supply chain cybersecurity
• ERP, CRM, and data silo integration

Closing Insight:

Economic cycles come and go, but clarity comes from understanding where risk, margin, and opportunity actually live inside your business. The distributors who win next will not wait for certainty, they’ll build systems that adapt faster than change itself.

Leave a Review: Help us grow by sharing your thoughts on the show.

Learn more about the LeadSmart AI B2B Sales Platform: https://www.leadsmarttech.com/

Join the conversation each week on LinkedIn Live.

Want even more insight to the stories we discuss each week? Subscribe to the Around The Horn Newsletter.

You can also hear the podcast and other excellent content on our YouTube Channel.

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What happens when artificial intelligence stops being an experiment and starts reshaping leadership, sales, marketing, and the global economy in real time?

In this episode of Around the Horn Podcast, Kevin Brown and Tom Burton unpack how AI, tariffs, interest rates, and workforce disruption are colliding across wholesale distribution and manufacturing.

From executive decision making and anti fragile leadership to marketing for AI driven buyers and the rise of humanoid robotics, this conversation connects the dots between strategy, technology, and what distributors must do next to stay competitive.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why artificial intelligence is shifting from pilot projects to a core executive strategy in wholesale distribution
• How anti fragile leadership differs from resilience and why it matters in volatile economic cycles
• What “marketing to machines” means as AI replaces traditional search and attribution models
• How tariffs, interest rates, and global trade dynamics are influencing distributor growth strategies
• Why humanoid robotics and physical AI may disrupt warehouse and entry level roles faster than expected

Episode Highlights:

• 04:52 – Why AI must move from IT experiments to executive level strategy
• 14:08 – Anti fragile leadership versus resilience in volatile markets
• 25:41 – Tariffs, trade policy, and what distributors often misunderstand about global economics
• 38:19 – What “marketing to machines” means as AI replaces traditional buyer research
• 51:06 – Amazon’s physical retail expansion and signals for B2B distribution
• 1:03:22 – When account managers create friction instead of customer value
• 1:18:40 – How humanoid robotics and physical AI could reshape warehouses and labor
  
  

Meet the Hosts:

Kevin Brown and Tom Burton are lifelong friends and industry veterans who analyze the forces shaping wholesale distribution and manufacturing each week. As leaders at LeadSmart Technologies, they bring real world operator insight into AI, customer intelligence, sales strategy, and digital transformation.

Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Mentioned:

• AI orchestration and agentic systems
• Anti fragile leadership mindset
• Human centered culture as a competitive moat
• Marketing to machines and algorithm driven discovery
• Revenue Expander and white space identification in sales
• Physical AI and humanoid robotics in distribution operations

Closing Insight:

“The companies that win won’t just adapt to disruption. They’ll use it to grow stronger.”

Leave a Review: Help us grow by sharing your thoughts on the show.

Learn more about the LeadSmart AI B2B Sales Platform: https://www.leadsmarttech.com/

Join the conversation each week on LinkedIn Live.

Want even more insight to the stories we discuss each week? Subscribe to the Around The Horn Newsletter.

You can also hear the podcast and other excellent content on our YouTube Channel.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok.