Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution Podcast

What does the next era of B2B e-commerce look like when buyers, bots, AI agents, and self-service expectations all collide? In this episode of Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution , Kevin Brown and Tom Burton welcome Jason Hein, Vice President of Academy at the B2B E-Commerce Association, for a sharp conversation on digital buying behavior, AI-powered customer intelligence, hybrid selling mod...

What happens when inflation pressure, tariff uncertainty, supply chain disruption, and AI platform strategy all hit wholesale distribution at the same time? In this episode of Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution , Kevin Brown and Tom Burton unpack the forces shaping distributors and manufacturers right now, from core inflation and the Strait of Hormuz to tariff refunds, B2B customer experien...

What Happens When AI, Supply Chains, and Economic Uncertainty Collide in Wholesale Distribution? As interest rates remain under scrutiny, supply chains face new disruptions, and artificial intelligence continues to reshape business operations, wholesale distribution leaders are being forced to make smarter decisions with less room for error. In this episode of Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribu...

Is the U.S. economy heading toward stability, or just navigating a new kind of volatility? In this episode of Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution , Kevin Brown and Tom Burton are joined by Taylor St. Germain, Senior Economist at ITR Economics, to unpack the forces reshaping wholesale distribution and manufacturing. From interest rate uncertainty and tariff refund chaos to AI adoption gaps an...

Is wholesale distribution entering its most disruptive era yet? In this episode of Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution , Kevin Brown, Tom Burton, and Mark  Gilham of Enable unpack the forces reshaping the B2B supply chain: inflation measurement debates, Federal Reserve strategy, tariff refund accounting risks, buying group consolidation, maritime trade choke points, and the growing influence...

A lot of business leaders talk about “uncertainty,” but on today's episode, we talk about exactly where it comes from and how it hits your P&L.  We start with real-world takeaways from the recent convention in Nashville and conversations with distribution technology leaders, then connect the Middle East conflict to the Strait of Hormuz and other global supply chain choke points that quiet...

What happens when interest rates stay elevated, global shipping lanes tighten, and AI hype collides with operational reality in wholesale distribution? In this episode of Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution , we break down the macroeconomic forces, supply chain risks, and AI driven transformation trends reshaping the distributor business model. From Federal Reserve policy and tariff pressure...

Is the wholesale distribution industry heading toward another economic reset, or a new era of AI-powered growth? In this episode of Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution , Kevin Brown and Tom Burton break down the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision, geopolitical volatility in the Strait of Hormuz, tariff refund uncertainty, Amazon’s China-to-U.S. logistics expansion, and the rising cost...

Is AI actually transforming wholesale distribution, or are we just managing our businesses with better dashboards? In Episode of Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution , Kevin Brown and Tom Burton unpack the real story behind AI enablement, tariff refund chaos, Iran and oil market volatility, Amazon Business strategy, Fed rate policy, industrial M&A, and robotics. This episode connects geop...

What happens to wholesale distribution when geopolitics, tariffs, inflation, and AI all collide at once? In this episode of Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution , Kevin Brown and Tom Burton sit down with Alex Chausovsky, Founder of 3DM Consulting, to unpack how Middle East conflict, energy volatility, tariff policy, and artificial intelligence are reshaping the economic landscape for distribu...

What happens to wholesale distribution when geopolitical tension, tariff policy, fuel inflation, and artificial intelligence collide at the same time? In this episode of Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution , Kevin Brown and Tom Burton sit down with Steve Levy, VP of Enterprise Architecture at Infor, to unpack how macroeconomic volatility, global supply chain risk, AI governance, and enterpri...

Is volatility the new normal for wholesale distribution and manufacturing? In this episode of Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution , Kevin Brown and Tom Burton are joined by Nelson Valderrama, founder of Intuilize, to break down inflation uncertainty, supply chain disruption, AI adoption strategy, and a major HVAC acquisition that could reshape the industry. This conversation explores how dis...

What happens when rising oil prices, Section 301 tariff investigations, AI adoption gaps, cybersecurity risks, and Amazon’s one-hour delivery model collide? In this episode of Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution , Kevin Brown and Tom Burton break down the macroeconomic signals, AI governance shifts, supply chain volatility, and B2B e-commerce disruption reshaping wholesale distribution and m...

Is wholesale distribution prepared for $100 oil, stalled interest rate cuts, and the accelerating AI race between the U.S. and China? In Episode of Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution , Kevin Brown and Tom Burton break down the economic signals shaping manufacturers and distributors right now, from inflation data and Fed policy uncertainty to tariff refund chaos and AI governance risks. What...

What happens when tariffs collide with AI, oil volatility, margin erosion, and agentic commerce,  all in the same week? In Episode of Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution , Kevin Brown and Tom Burton break down the accelerating news cycle impacting manufacturers, wholesale distributors, and the global supply chain. From the latest job report and Federal Reserve signals to tariff refund chaos,...

What happens when Supreme Court tariff rulings collide with AI governance, agentic commerce, and the future of wholesale distribution? In this episode of Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution , Kevin Brown, Tom Burton, and Nick Pericle unpack the legal shockwaves from the IEEPA tariff decision, the 150 day Section 122 pivot, and what it really means for distributors, manufacturers, and B2B buy...

What happens when the Supreme Court strikes down the legal foundation behind sweeping U.S. tariffs? In this episode of Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution , Kevin Brown and Tom Burton break down the 6–3 SCOTUS ruling overturning tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and what it means for distributors, manufacturers, contractors, and the global supply c...

What happens if tariffs reshape the U.S. deficit, AI runs procurement, and humanoid robots stock your warehouse, all at the same time? In this episode of Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution , Kevin Brown and Tom Burton break down the Supreme Court tariff ruling uncertainty, rising GDP versus “vibecession” sentiment, AI-driven commerce protocols, Amazon’s data marketplace strategy, robotics i...

What happens when intuition, AI, tariffs, and leadership collide in wholesale distribution? In this episode of Around the Horn Podcast , Kevin Brown and Tom Burton are joined by Mike Hockett of Modern Distribution Management to unpack the biggest forces shaping distribution leaders right now, from trade policy and infrastructure risk to AI governance and executive decision-making under uncertainty...

What happens when wholesale distribution collides with tariffs, AI acceleration, and rising customer expectations? In this episode of Around The Horn Podcast , Kevin Brown and Tom Burton unpack the most important forces shaping wholesale distribution today, from policy shifts and economic signals to e-commerce, automation, and leadership in an AI driven world. This conversation goes beyond headlin...

What happens when economic uncertainty, tariffs, AI agents, and cybersecurity risks collide inside wholesale distribution? In this episode of Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution , Kevin Brown and Tom Burton break down the signals beneath the noise and explain what manufacturers and distributors should actually be paying attention to right now. From inflation ambiguity and tariff authority to...

What happens when artificial intelligence stops being an experiment and starts reshaping leadership, sales, marketing, and the global economy in real time? In this episode of Around the Horn Podcast, Kevin Brown and Tom Burton unpack how AI, tariffs, interest rates, and workforce disruption are colliding across wholesale distribution and manufacturing. From executive decision making and anti fragi...

What happens when some of the most influential thinkers in wholesale distribution get into one room and debate the future of the industry, the rise of AI, human centered leadership, and the coming wave of agentic systems? In this powerful year end roundtable, the Around The Horn panel returns for its third annual state of the industry conversation, featuring Mike Marks, Ian Heller, Dirk Beveridge,...

What happens when economic volatility, tariff pressure, AI disruption, and shifting distributor behavior all collide in the same quarter? In this episode, Kevin and Tom unpack a whirlwind week inside wholesale distribution, revealing how new data, emerging AI workflows, and tariff rulings are reshaping strategy across the channel. Listeners gain a front-row view into the real conversations shaping...

What happens to wholesale distribution when tariffs rise, interest rates stay high, and customers expect more with less friction?  In this episode of Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution from LeadSmart Channel Cloud, Kevin Brown and Tom Burton sit down with Modern Distribution Management editor and market analyst Mike Hockett to unpack the data behind the headlines and what it means for reven...