FEDA NEWS & VIEWS
VISION FORWARD
Building Successful and Enduring Dealerships
T e FEDA conference will showcase how foodservice equipment and supplies distributors are adding services and capabilities to meet the rising expectations of operators, while preparing their businesses to withstand a changing market.
Foodservice equipment and
supplies dealers, like distributors in many other industries, have been around since the early 1900s. As some of the longest lasting businesses in the United States, they have the distinction of having
successfully adapted to shifting economic environments, unsteady labor markets, technological advancements, and other upheavals. Through each disruption, the vast majority of
this
industry’s dealers have not only survived — they’ve leveraged those moments of change to reach broader markets and bring in new customers. Over more
than a century of
lower costs in the supply chain. These collaborative efforts show that dealers and suppliers understand how the industry is changing and that they are ready to meet problems head-on, just as they have for the past century. That problem-solving mindset will continue with
evolution, dealers have continued to refi ne their business models, developing innovations that add value and make them more indispensable than ever in today’s uncertain market. While the specifi cs of how disruption might occur are unpredictable, it’s clear areas like the supply chain are vulnerable to future agitations such as geopolitical instability, trade fragmentation and demographic shifts. In response, dealers are preparing for the next shake- up by mapping out new operational strategies that will reinforce their competitiveness over the next 20 years. This tenacity in the face of change and resilience
“FEDA strongly encourages all dealers to attend the conference and engage in these vital conversations...”
the Dealer Focus presentation on Supply Chains 2040. Chad Autry, associate dean of faculty and research at the University of Tennessee’s Haslam School of Business, will share the latest distribution supply chain research. I’m excited to announce he will be joined by a new FEDA partner, the Dorn Group, which will outline possible execution strategies for our supply chain based on this research. Together, they will discuss the specifi c ways dealers are already positioning themselves to compete in a more complex future industry. On the fi nal day of the conference, economy
digital inflection expert point: technologies Erik
Brynjolfsson will explore another emerging disruptive
such
how as
exemplifi es the theme of the 2025 FEDA Executive Leadership Conference: Building Successful and Enduring Enterprises. This concept will be refl ected in conference presentations, beginning with the State of the Industry reports, in which dealers and suppliers will detail the ways each group is incorporating signifi cant new value into various aspects of their operations, some with remarkably impactful results for operators. Both groups will also highlight how they are identifying ways to work together — really for the fi rst time — to improve effi ciency and
artifi cial intelligence are reshaping how distributors do business and interact with customers. The Tech Talks presentations that follow will showcase even more ways dealers and suppliers are using technology to add capability and operate more effectively, for example, by automating their enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. FEDA encourages
all dealers to attend the
conference and engage in these vital conversations — both in the scheduled sessions and through the one-on-one interactions woven throughout the event. These discussions will deliver the practical insights and actionable strategies dealers need not only to adapt to a volatile business environment but to build companies that last — and lead — well into the future.
Tracy Mulqueen is the chief executive officer of FEDA.
8 FEDA News & Views
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