AI is here. Now what? If you’re a distributor who’s struggling to answer, you’re in good company. Distributors as a whole are cautious about buying into broad-appeal solutions. But, they’re not Luddites. Instead, they want products that provide industry-focused context and bottom-line value. There’s no better ambassador for AI and how to successfully apply the tech to distribution than Ian Heller, co-founder and chief strategy officer of the Distribution Strategy Group, and host of the innovative Applied AI for Distributors 2026 summit.
There’s also no better way to toast the 200th episode of Distribution Talk than with this conversation between two longtime friends. Jason caught up with Ian to discuss the future of AI in distribution, the expanding use of agentic AI, and the exciting program of expert knowledge, topics, and implementation strategies scheduled for this year’s summit.
“One of the things I see at conferences is a lot of general speakers on AI,” observes Ian. “Some of the topics are fantastic––what are the greater implications on society, etc––but, what they don’t speak to is how do I run a distribution company and apply AI to it so that I get better business outcomes? That’s what this conference is about.” The Applied AI for Distributors summit doesn’t showcase hypothetical use cases. Instead, it features voices within distribution who are already applying AI solutions. One example is agentic AI, a semi- or fully autonomous “assistant” that can perform increasingly complex or multi-layered tasks. ”It’s not just answering your questions anymore,” says Ian. “It’s taking action on your behalf.”
Much of the summit’s finely calibrated programming reflects Ian’s background in distribution. He worked in warehouses as a teen, graduated to top positions at Grainger and White Cap before starting his consultancy. “I love distributors, and the people who work there are very customer- and service-oriented. They’re my kind of people!” says Ian.
While the summit focuses on distribution-specific topics, the roster also offers a good mix of general AI insights on cybersecurity, labor markets, and adjacent technologies. ”We vet the content, presenter, and presentation,” Ian explains. “These have to be educational. They can’t be sales pitches.”
AI is here. You should be, too!
Join the summit: Applied AI for Distributors 2026 – June 23-25 in Chicago.
QUOTES
“You’ll hear a lot of knocks against distributors, like how they are technologically behind the times, et cetera. But you know what? They make choices that work for their business, and I think they’re more interested in mature technologies that really worked and trying to impress everybody with being bleeding-edge adopters.”
“This is coming, and I mean, whether you like it or not, that’s the thing; it doesn’t matter. It’s coming, and if you don’t do it, your competitors are gonna be doing it.”
“I think it’s easier to predict what’s gonna happen than when, when it comes to technology.”
“We’re at the stage of our careers where you really like helping some of these entrepreneurs who are earlier in their careers make it.
“It’s just a different feel versus a traditional distribution conference because it’s so technology-forward.”
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
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Applied AI for Distributors 2026
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Distribution Talk is produced by The Distribution Team, a consulting services firm dedicated to helping wholesale distribution clients remove barriers to profitability, generate wealth, and achieve personal goals.
This episode was edited by The Creative Impostor Studios
Special thanks to our sponsors for this episode: Connected Peers, providing virtual communities for wholesale distributors; and INxSQL Distribution Software, an integrated distribution ERP software designed for the wholesale and distribution industry.
