The news that — Midwest distributors Republic Companies, an HVAC and electrical distributor and T.F. Ehrhart, a HVACR distributor caught our attention this week. On a personal note, I have seen the bright red Republic Trucks pass the electrical distributor competitor I worked for too many times to count. A shout out to whomever decided to outfit to Republic Trucks with a … [Read more...] about Merger between Republic Companies and T.F. Ehrhart continues the “Channel Drift” Trend
Distributor News
Tariff talk – Tips on how to prepare for wherever the talks end up
We have been writing, crossing out, rewriting on the impact of tariff battles between the US, Canada, Mexico and China. We had a number of articles ready to publish then had to hit the stop button to react to another announced change. Late last week it was "Let's get ready to rumble" and now the cage match tariff talk has gone back into a 30-day negotiation talk period at … [Read more...] about Tariff talk – Tips on how to prepare for wherever the talks end up
Distributor Spotlight: Johnstone Supply Orion Group – Part 2
In Part One of our Distributor Spotlight series, we started to share the Johnstone Supply Orion Group (JSOG) Story. The original intent was to edit the article, but the information was so interesting that we decided to share is unedited which meant it needed to be told in two parts. Distributor Spotlight: Johnstone Supply Orion Group - Part 1 - HVACR Trends In Part One - … [Read more...] about Distributor Spotlight: Johnstone Supply Orion Group – Part 2
Distributor Spotlight: Johnstone Supply Orion Group – Part 1
I have been writing a Distributor series for/with Modern Distribution Management this past year where we profile large public distributors (WATSO, Ferguson, WESCO, Fastenal, and MSC Industrial). We write about the available information they release publicly to the market. That has been a fun experience taking a deep dive into the public side, but the independent distribution … [Read more...] about Distributor Spotlight: Johnstone Supply Orion Group – Part 1
Update : Auer Steel continuing to partner with end customers to recruit future associates
The Auer Steel and Heating Supply Company team continues to create programs that matter for their end customers and the channel. In September, we first started featuring Auer Steel's work (led by Jon Hirsch) to bring that next generation of HVACR professionals into the industry. They as a HVACR distributor are one of the most active advocates promoting the benefits of the … [Read more...] about Update : Auer Steel continuing to partner with end customers to recruit future associates
Ferguson Annual Report Analysis … HVACR and Plumbing Dual Trade focus continues
A few weeks back my colleague David Gordon wrote a column on Ferguson's Q4 numbers. Ferguson added to that release with additional information that was contained in their full annual report. I wanted to see what the Ferguson Annual report had to share to our recent analysis in HVACRtrends, and the distributor series on Ferguson that I wrote for MDM. Did anything major … [Read more...] about Ferguson Annual Report Analysis … HVACR and Plumbing Dual Trade focus continues
Auer Steel, investing for customer and the next generation’s success
As I was going through my story idea notebook on what to write for this week's column, I saw a LinkedIn notification on a posting from Jon Hirsch. I started following Jon's work as Director of Business Development for Auer Steel & Heating Supply Company (HVACR distributor with locations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and North Dakota) about a year ago. What jumped … [Read more...] about Auer Steel, investing for customer and the next generation’s success
Ferguson Q4 Earnings Report … Preparing for Increased HVAC Focus
Last week Ferguson shared their FY Q4 earnings and held their analyst call. While not “focused” on the HVACR market, Ferguson is growing in this space and sees opportunity to increase their influence and, more importantly, gain share in the market … and they have the war chest available to make the investments and “buy-in.” From the Ferguson earnings call (words in italics are … [Read more...] about Ferguson Q4 Earnings Report … Preparing for Increased HVAC Focus
Capitalize on the Data Center Boom: AI for HVAC Distributors
The data center market, as many know, continues to boom. According to recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, almost 33% of the new construction office spend in May was by data centers! There are data center industry reports of 100 data centers scheduled to be built for the next 10 years ... and this may be conservative. The driver of the need for all of this … [Read more...] about Capitalize on the Data Center Boom: AI for HVAC Distributors
Observations from Watsco Q1. Slow but Improving
With Q1 complete, Watsco shared their earnings report. We took a quick read-through to identify highlights and what some areas could mean and could mean for you. The following is taken from a transcript of the call: (and italics are my commentary) “Softer market conditions” with the caveat that Q1 is historically the slow season. Seeing “improved sales trends in … [Read more...] about Observations from Watsco Q1. Slow but Improving
