Anne Vranicic, the President of Valin Corporation, joins the Driven by DCKAP podcast this week to speak with Karthik Chidambaram about her 22 year journey with Valin, what she’s learned during her time at the company, how the company navigated the dot com crisis, their strategy with mergers and acquisitions over the years, what they’re doing to stay ahead of the curve in digital transformation, and much more.

With her extensive experience having worked at all levels in distribution, as well as her driving passion for the industry, Anne has taken the reins to help guide the company even further into the future as technology continues to rapidly advance, and to further Valin’s long standing reputation as the leading provider of technical solutions for the technology, energy, life sciences, natural resources, and transportation industries.

In the latest episode of the Driven by DCKAP podcast, Karthik speaks with Scott Sinning, the Founder and CEO of Pricing for Distributors. Scott was formerly the VP of Pricing Strategy at Graybar Electric, has over 30 years of experience working in wholesale distribution, and he is a frequent speaker and writer on distributor industry pricing topics.

During this in depth conversation, Karthik and Scott explore the difficult topic of pricing in distribution, where we learn about the importance of cultivating an effective pricing strategy, how to improve sales and increase the bottom line, and much more.

With its ability to analyze vast amounts of data and identify important trends and patterns, to allow the most informed decisions and personalize the customer experience, artificial intelligence has the potential to transform the entire B2B sales process, making it more efficient and effective, leading to increased sales and profits.

Innovation greatly drives success in today’s business world, and the use of AI is revolutionizing the way companies approach distribution. In this episode of Driven by DCKAP, Karthik is joined by Mike Marks, Founding Partner of Indian River Consulting Group, Senior Research Fellow at NAW, and faculty member at Purdue's University of Innovative Distribution. Their engaging conversation spans the topics of transformative AI innovations, how AI can help increase sales opportunities, where distributors should invest in the future, and much more.

In the latest episode of Driven by DCKAP, Karthik is joined by Mark Dancer, CEO at Network for Business Innovation and a distinguished NAW Fellow. They discuss Mark’s background, including his influence through Mark Dancer on Flourishing Business, his partnership with NAW, his vision for Innovate to Dominate, the process of writing, how to gain influence, and the growing need for innovation in distribution.

Tune in to gain valuable insights on the importance of innovation as a tool for growth, the impact of influential writing and more.

In this episode of Driven by DCKAP, Karthik Chidambaram speaks candidly with Muliadi Jeo, Chief Technology Officer at Sirclo, to find out more about his decades long journey in eCommerce, his motivations, and what drives him to succeed.

During their conversation, we learn more about Muliadi’s career journey, building a successful business, the e-commerce market in Indonesia, his love of gadgets and vision on future technology, and much more.

Success is the main objective for many business owners, careers climbers, and even in our personal lives. But what does strategizing for success in business look like? What is the purpose of having a well defined strategy, and why do we need it?

In this episode of Driven by DCKAP, Karthik Chidambaram, Founder & CEO of DCKAP, sits down with Ian Heller, Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer of Distribution Strategy Group to talk about the importance and effectiveness of strategy, and how execution is even more important than having a well defined strategy.

Tune in to find out more about Ian’s business model, how he defines strategy and helps distribution businesses navigate the road to the future, how his background helps fuel his drive for success, and more.

This week, our special guests open up about the sometimes difficult to navigate dynamics of running a family business in the distribution industry. While so many companies are going through mergers and acquisitions, as new generations move away from the traditional takeover of the business, some companies like Spruce Industries are doubling down, as the newer generations are taking the reins and leading the company into the future successfully. 

In this episode of Driven by DCKAP, Karthik Chidambaram, Founder & CEO of DCKAP, speaks with Hank Josephs and his two sons, Daniel Josephs and Michael Josephs - respectively the President, CEO and CFO of Spruce Industries. They discuss the challenges and advantages of running a family business, what to do and what not to do, including how to successfully navigate the difficult roads, the importance of keeping open communication, and the best way to steer the company into the future.

In this episode of Driven by DCKAP, we’re excited to have Brendan Breen, the CEO of ISA (Industrial Supply Association) as our guest, where we learn about his in-depth experience and dedication to educating and supporting the industrial distribution industry. 

Karthik Chidambaram, Founder & CEO of DCKAP, speaks one on one with Brendan about his work-life experience and career journey, how he came to lead ISA, what this organization stands for, and why it’s important for distributors to be members. 

Tune in to better understand how to be driven in leadership, the importance of partnership and strategy, and the great value in what a leading channel association can bring to the table.