Don Davis

Why This Matters to Distributors: AI is already improving sales, inventory management, receivables and warehouse operations. At DSG’s Applied AI for Distributors Conference on June 23 in Rosemont, Illinois, Distribution Strategy Group co-founder Jonathan Bein said distributors that adopt AI early could gain a meaningful cost and productivity advantage, while those that wait risk losing market share to faster, more efficient competitors.

Muted new home construction is keeping a lid on growth for distributors of HVAC products, and the expected interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve Bank is unlikely to provide a short-term boost. Sales increased 6.8% in July compared to June and 3.3% compared to July 2024, according to the monthly Trends report of the Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) trade association.

Once again, our dealmaker in chief has demonstrated that he has no idea how international trade relations work. To expand on his three dolls instead of thirty analogy, the purpose of tariffs is to encourage domestic production and create jobs. But there are almost no U.S. doll makers since it is easier and cheaper to import. And no company is going to build a new doll manufacturing facility from scratch. As a result, the doll store owners will sell only 10% of their normal volume.