AD Announces Innovative New Programs at 2015 North American Meeting

From September 30 to October 2, AD’s Electrical Supply Division, the largest industrial and construction products marketing group in North America, hosted another record breaking North American Meeting, with over 1,000 attendees. This event attracted 147 first time attendees and representatives from over 297 companies in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

The theme of this year’s meeting supported AD’s brand positioning: Together We Win. Elements of winning together were woven into all aspects of the meeting. AD announced several innovative new programs that will assist members to stay ahead of the curve and competitively win in the market: AD HR Services, Digital Demand Generation, and the eContent Service Program (for more on the eContent program, see “AD eCommerce Initiative to Help Independent Wholesale Distributors”). 

Jim Milne, President of AD Canada stated, “2015 is a very exciting year to be an AD Distributor in Canada. We are exceeding the most optimistic expectations in the Canadian market. I cannot say how amazing it is to see AD’s team of distributors and committed suppliers work together in a difficult market to dramatically improve our share position. From coast to coast we are gaining ground. Our team is currently running a number of promotions, like the AD Rewards National Ultimate Hockey Road Trip, as well as individual branch activities. Success is all about being committed and working together.

“AD is focused on the future, with their eContent initiative and Demand Generation pilots. Working together is evident, as all AD divisions benefited from AD’s Industrial division as being the trail blazer in getting the eContent initiative on its way to success. Thinking back, I can only imagine the struggle a smaller group would have putting together the resources for these initiatives. AD leads the way, perfecting and testing the data model, while the Canadian Board can concentrate on the intricacies of our market, like metric measurements and a bilingual environment. It is indeed a very exciting time to be a member of the AD team.”

During the meeting’s keynote address, delivered by Bill Weisberg, AD’s Chairman and CEO, he discussed the importance of AD independents working together. “When we combine our volume and intelligence with collaboration, we are an unstoppable force for good in this industry,” said Weisberg. “Going in alone is not the winning choice. But working together, as a US$31 billion team of great independent companies, we have the scale and we have the resources, to go toe to toe with anybody.”

Weisberg concluded, “We can stand idly by and permit the large and mighty to disadvantage us all in the marketplace. Or, we can choose to work together, to combine our talents and our resources, to defend our hard earned position, and to protect and grow the great businesses that we have built, for generations to come. Speaking on behalf of AD, WE choose to fight and win.” 

AD honoured their members and supplier partners during the Spirit of Independence Awards Banquet and announced a record number of nominations submitted this year. The following companies received these coveted AD awards:

• Canadian Member of the Year, Performance – Over $10M: Robertson Electric Wholesale Ltd. 

• Canadian Member of the Year, Performance – Under $10M: Harwell Electric Supply

• Member of the Year, Leadership: Bill Smith, President of Electrozad Company

• Canadian Supplier of the Year, Performance – Over $5M: Stelpro

• Canadian Supplier of the Year, Performance – Under $5M: Wheatland Tube Canada

Photos from the event can be found on AD’s Flickr Page: Click Here to View Photos