AD Canada’s Industrial & Safety Division 2021 Spring Virtual Conference

Photo: AD Industrial & Safety-Canada Division.

AD Canada’s Industrial & Safety Division kicked off its 10-day 2021 Virtual Spring Conference Meeting in April, bringing together 90 members and 105 suppliers for over 1,700 one-on-one meetings aimed at fostering networking and growth.

AD Canada’s President Rob Dewar and AD Canada’s Industrial & Safety Division Chairman Scott Simpson provided insight into the organization’s business model and shared updates, including a perspective of the purchasing power of the division’s members, currently at $3 billion Canadian, which includes member purchases from AD suppliers in excess of $400 million Canadian.

“At AD Canada, we are passionate about forming and fostering valuable relationships in the industry to allow us to all work together with the dedicated mission of outperforming the market and staying ahead of the competition,” said Dewar. “Even during these unprecedented past 16 months, we were able to grow the Industrial & Safety-Canada Division substantially, and we can’t wait to see the growth that is in store for 2022 and beyond.”

The conference saw members and suppliers meet one-on-one to discuss common goals, brainstorm new ways to grow independent channels, and devise strategic ways to cultivate mutual business.

 “This past year has taught us many things, but above all, it’s proven that we are better together,” said Simpson. “While 2020 saw numerous businesses and industries become severely impacted in many ways, the AD membership, being the substantial, nimble alliance that it’s grown to be, outperformed the market and continued to lead the industry by maintaining open minds when it comes to supporting suppliers and bringing new products to the market. By having each other’s backs, it’s with great pride that we can say that many of us have weathered the storm quite well, and at AD, we are committed to driving the continued growth of our members and suppliers with sunnier days ahead.”