Allie Copeland, Chief Transformation Officer at ADI Global, joins Aaron Sheehan to break down what transformation looks like in wholesale distribution. From merging companies and overhauling tech to building a customer-first culture, Allie shares how ADI keeps progress moving, even when change never ends.

Episode highlights:

00:00 – Introduction: Meet Allie Copeland & ADI

02:15 – What Does a Chief Transformation Officer Do?

04:50 – Why Transformation Never Really Ends

09:15 – Turning Strategy into Action

12:54 – Upgrading Tech: From Mainframe to Microservices

18:25 – Planning for Agility, Not Just Stability

21:45 – “Even Better Together”: Customer-First M&A

25:15 – Decision-Making: When Changes Help (or Hurt) Customers

27:24 – Real Feedback: NPS, Surveys, and Store Pilots

29:30 – How Distribution is Evolving Beyond Inventory

34:32 – Culture Change: Project Avengers & Rebel Alliance

40:13 – Radical Transparency & Leading Through Uncertainty

42:35 – Leadership Lessons & Advice for Transformation

46:25 – Book Recs & Closing Thoughts

Resources mentioned:

• The Singularity Is Nearer by Ray Kurzweil

• Apple in China by Patrick McGee

This episode tackles the real reasons manufacturers and distributors stay stuck: old systems, patchwork processes, and business habits that don’t change overnight. Jason Greenwood and Aaron Sheehan dig into what goes wrong in B2B projects, how leaders can spot roadblocks early, and why honest internal conversations matter more than buying the latest software.

Key Highlights

5:00 Why B2B companies still run on spreadsheets and ancient ERPs

9:00 Shadow IT in B2B operations

11:03 Field reps aging out, digital-native buyers moving in – how it’s reshaping expectations

13:05 The real question companies ask: Should we replace the ERP or launch eCommerce first?

15:23 Customers force the issue: “We’ll switch suppliers if you don’t make it easier”

17:05 How Jason breaks the customer base into three digital adoption buckets

19:16 Manual ordering habits (screenshots, PDFs)

23:20 When eCommerce is dismissed as ‘just for small customers’ and why that’s wrong

32:00 How eCommerce automation solves pain points beyond the transactional workflow

Resources Mentioned

• Digital Services Layer (DSL): Jason’s concept for all the non-transactional digital capabilities customers expect.
• OroCommerce's AI SmartOrder: An AI-powered tool for processing unstructured purchase orders and enabling digital self-service.
• Upcoming Movie: A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
• Top Gun: Maverick
• B2B eCommerce World 2025 in Scottsdale, AZ

Kyler Nixon, Co-Founder of Forward Studios, joins the show to unpack what most distributors and B2B eCommerce teams get wrong about email marketing and how to turn it into a growth channel. Drawing on first-hand lessons as a Chief Revenue Officer, Kyler breaks down how to capture more revenue, why most companies leave money on the table, and what practical steps move the needle in B2B email.

Episode highlights:

00:30 – Intro: Kyler’s path from agency owner to B2B eCommerce

03:00 – What distributors get wrong about email marketing (and how Kyler found the gap)

05:42 – Planning and forecasting in distribution: What signals Kyler actually tracked

09:45 – Why the “endless aisle” is a trap for most distributors

11:40 – First growth levers: growing the sales team, fixing SEO, improving UX

16:33 – The lost revenue of not capturing email

22:40 – Personalization in B2B email: beyond “Hi, Bob”

23:50 – Simple segmentation that works: inside vs. outside the buying window

25:52 – Kyler’s 3-part B2B email marketing framework explained

32:10 – What the B2B Commerce Association adds for practitioners

37:23 – Kyler’s podcast and TV recommendations

Resources Mentioned:

How I Built This (podcast by Guy Raz)

Wisdom from the Top (podcast by Guy Raz)

Survivor (reality TV show)

B2B Commerce Association

The 2025 B2B Buyer Perspectives Report