FEDA News & Views

42 FEDA News & Views seeking to attract and retain businesses in order to maintain a vibrant local economy. I have talked with more than one chamber of commerce that does not categorize and identify distributors as members, let alone herald the strength of the distributors in their community as resources for helping existing operations run smoothly. "Distribution is an invisible industry," says Israel. "Technology innovation dominates, and logistics and local support stories are not cutting-edge. e problem is distributors don't know how to attract attention and tell their story." A PR campaign heralding distributor contributions to economic development might be a solution, but there is a another more practical approach. Distributor leaders can simply get involved. ey can reach out and volunteer their time and expertise to their local chamber of commerce SINCE ITS OPENING, THE GREAT LAKES CULINARY CENTER HAS HOSTED SEVERAL HIGH-END CHARITY EVENTS AND SOCIAL GALAS. and committees focused on economic development. Going further, local distributors could band together to develop statistics around contributions to economic growth, offer tours to visiting business executives, and programs that help companies build new facilities, relocate employees or develop new business. All of this is possible and in the wheelhouse of many distributor leaders. e benefits gained by building relationships and supporting the local economy can be a win-win for distributors and their customers, and one that is won by working in the real world, not online in cyberspace. Community Collaboration Can Disrupt Disruptors Distributors have a long-held reputation as local businesses with a deep understanding of business dynamics and demand requirements. Disruptors, like Amazon, are in many ways the polar opposite of a local business and are often credited with putting local businesses out of work. While it is undoubtably true that disruptive channels succeed only if they are offering new unmet customer needs, it is often overlooked that successfully responding to the challenge of disruption is not about copying the distruptor—nor is it about retrenching and competing through tradition as if the competitive environment has not changed. Rather, for distributors, competing successfully in the digital age will require a balance of serving customers online and, at the same time, reinventing what it means to be a local business. By looking for new ways to collaborate locally, distributors can start down the path toward creating innovations that will lead to a sustainable competitive advantage. ■

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