PPB June 2021

Tough Times, Stronger Companies Getting through 2020 was a challenge, but distributors are roaring back. by Tina Berres Filipski T he challenges of the past year have tested the mettle for all industry companies regardless of size, location or markets served. Some companies barely scraped by while others had their best year yet. While 2020 distributor sales reported a 19-percent loss over 2019, without sales of personal protective equipment (PPE) the loss would, undoubtedly, have been much greater. Business owners did what was best for their companies, whether that was changing their business model, innovating their processes, investing and retooling, or tapping into markets where demand was fueled by the pandemic and its related fallout. In these interviews, leaders of seven distributor companies reveal how the events of 2020 impacted their businesses, what they did to restart sales and how the year-end looks—so far. What Distributor Principals Are Saying About Sales | FEATURE | JUNE 2021 | 43