The distribution industry is at an inflection point. Tariffs, labor shortages, and margin pressure are reshaping how companies compete, while AI adoption in distribution is changing how work gets done. The challenge is no longer whether to adopt AI, but how to implement it in a way that delivers immediate results and builds lasting competitive advantage.
In this article, Jason Sullivan, Founder and CEO of Distro, shares insights on how distribution leaders can drive successful AI adoption. Drawing from real-world implementations across the industry, Sullivan explains why the right technology partner and strong executive leadership are both essential to turning AI from a promising tool into a transformative force.
AI Adoption in Distribution: How Leadership and the Right Partner Drive Lasting Change
By Jason Sullivan, Founder & CEO, Distro
Across distribution, leaders are seeing firsthand how quickly and profoundly AI is reshaping the world of distribution. The change is unlike anything this industry has experienced before. The world around it is shifting just as quickly, from tariffs to labor shortages, and now distribution stands on the edge of a genuine industrial transformation powered by AI.
Margins are tighter, teams are leaner, customers expect quotes in minutes instead of hours. Across companies of every size, leaders are asking the same question: how to bring AI into the organization in a way that delivers quick wins now and lasting strength over time.
The defining challenge for the near future is how leaders drive change – and make it last.
AI That Fits Naturally Into Distribution
Before diving into change leadership, it helps to ground the conversation in what AI is already doing for distributors. The newest generation, known as agentic AI, goes beyond providing insight: it takes action. It follows up on quotes, fills in missing specs, checks availability, and updates the ERP automatically, all within defined guardrails.
The most effective implementations enhance how people work instead of forcing them to work differently. Quoting is where that impact shows up most clearly. Before AI, a single quote might take an hour of manual work and still risk errors. Now, that same process, from a quick one-off quote to a detailed takeoff, happens in under two minutes. The system gathers data, checks stock, fills gaps, and surfaces upsell opportunities on its own.
For sales reps working at the counter, inside sales, or outside sales, the impact is immediate. Quotes are faster, accuracy improves, and customers get consistent answers the first time. With agentic AI working behind the scenes, teams spend less time searching for information and more time building relationships and winning business.
Executives who implement these tools effectively do more than install new software, they redefine how their organizations compete. When AI becomes an everyday part of quoting, pricing, and service, every salesperson begins to perform like the company’s best salesperson. That is the kind of transformation only strong leadership can sustain.
Why the Right Partner Matters
No leader drives transformation alone. Implementing AI across distribution requires alignment between people, process, and technology, and that starts with the right partner.
A true AI partner does more than deliver technology. They help leadership guide change from day one. They work alongside your team to frame the “why,” build trust, and create a clear rollout plan that fits your organization’s culture and workflows.
Experience across distributors shows that adoption only sticks when people understand how AI helps them win. Faster quotes, fewer mistakes, and more confident conversations with customers make the value clear. When leaders reinforce those wins, AI stops feeling like a project and becomes part of how the business runs.
The role of senior leadership is to set that tone early. When executives communicate a clear vision, celebrate visible progress, and connect AI outcomes to customer and employee success, transformation takes hold. That alignment between leadership, partner, and purpose is what turns new technology into lasting competitive advantage.
Driving Change That Lasts
AI only succeeds when great technology meets great leadership. Without both, adoption stalls. Technology provides the foundation, but leadership is what gives it direction and momentum.
Leaders who succeed treat AI adoption as an organizational shift, not an IT rollout. They make it clear what success looks like, they set expectations early, and they stay visible throughout the process.
They don’t delegate it to others, they own it.
That ownership shows up in how they communicate, train, and celebrate progress. They bring teams into the process early, identify internal champions to lead by example, and highlight real stories of success. Every milestone reinforces that AI is not replacing people, it amplifies them.
In successful deployments, this process is deliberate. Teams begin with guided onboarding and role-based training that show exactly how AI fits into daily work. From there, leadership takes the baton, tracking progress through clear metrics such as quoting speed, accuracy, and order hit rate, and celebrating those wins publicly.
For executives, sustaining momentum becomes the real challenge. When leaders remain visible, measure results, and connect progress to business outcomes, AI becomes part of the organization’s identity, not just its toolkit.
Turning Adoption Into Advantage
Rolling out AI is only the first step. The real work begins after launch, when leadership focuses on sustaining adoption and improving it over time.
Leaders who see lasting results keep AI visible in everyday conversations. They make it part of every team meeting, share quick wins, and use real metrics to show progress. Over time, those signals begin to shift how people think. What once felt new becomes routine, and AI becomes a normal part of how work is done.
That kind of momentum does not happen by accident. It takes steady leadership and a committed partner to keep it moving. Successful implementations maintain this partnership long after launch by tracking engagement, ensuring alignment, and keeping training current as platforms evolve.
Ongoing support gives leaders confidence that the system is improving with them, not adding more to their plate.
When that happens, performance accelerates, work feels easier, and people begin to trust the tools in front of them. That’s the moment when change becomes culture.
Leading the Future of Distribution
Technology does not lead people. People lead people.
The distributors gaining the most ground with AI are those who move early and lead with purpose. They do not wait for perfect conditions. They set a clear direction, communicate the “why,” and make sure their teams see progress in real time.
Early adoption matters, but only when it is backed by strong leadership. The companies that combine great technology with consistent communication, trust, and accountability are the ones turning AI into a lasting competitive advantage.
That is how the next generation of distributors will pull ahead: by acting early, leading with clarity, and helping their teams grow with the technology instead of chasing it later.
Jason Sullivan is the Founder and CEO of Distro, the AI Revenue Platform for distributor sales teams and manufacturers’ reps. Distro automates quoting, from one-offs to complex takeoffs, empowering sales teams to sell faster and more profitably while driving fast adoption with measurable impact.
Closing Thoughts:
The distribution landscape is changing faster than ever, and the companies that lead with purpose, act early, and invest in the right partnerships are the ones building sustainable competitive advantages. AI adoption in distribution is not just another technology upgrade. When paired with strong leadership and the right implementation partner, it becomes a catalyst for growth, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
For distributors ready to explore how AI can transform their operations, the time to move is now. The question is not whether AI will reshape distribution, but who will lead the change.
About Distro
Distro is the AI Revenue Platform for distributor sales teams and manufacturers’ reps. The platform automates quoting, from simple one-offs to complex takeoffs, helping sales teams sell faster and more profitably while driving measurable adoption and impact. Learn more at www.distro.app.
