DPA Buying Conference: Building Distributor/Supplier Relationships

The annual DPA (Distributor Partners of America) Buying Conference recently took place in Orlando, FL. DPA celebrated its 25th anniversary at this year’s Buying Conference. Shown are DPA distributors and suppliers participating in one of many rotation sessions.

By Harrell Kerkhoff, Maintenance Sales News Editor

It’s one-on-one, face-to-face, distributor and supplier. It can be described as networking to a higher degree, is often informative and can be profitable. It’s called a “rotation session” and is an important part of the annual DPA (Distributor Partners of America) Buying Conference, which was recently held at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate, in Orlando, FL.

At each of the multiple rotation sessions during a two-day span this year, representatives of DPA-member distributorships sat down at assigned supplier tables with principals of various DPA suppliers. There were three rotation session rooms for three specific DPA supplier categories: Janitorial/Sanitary, Safety, and Industrial. Distributors were allowed to schedule meetings with all three types of suppliers if they wished.

Each rotation session meeting between specific distributorship and supplier representatives took place for approximately 15 minutes, after which all distributors were instructed to move to the next assigned supplier table on their list.

The objective of the rotation sessions is for DPA-member distributors and suppliers to both get something important out of their meetings, whether these relationships are new or pre-existing.

The DPA Buying Group, which celebrated its 25^th anniversary at this year’s Buying Conference, is a member-driven marketing and procurement group of independent distributors and national suppliers in the Janitorial/Sanitary, Safety Equipment & Clothing, Industrial, Packaging and Restoration industries.

DPA distributor members work with the group’s preferred supplier partners for mutual sales and growth opportunities. The mission of the DPA Buying Group is dedicated to increasing the sales and profits of member distributors and suppliers. According to DPA, its member-driven marketing and networking organization enables profitable business relationships, industry awareness, and lifelong friendships.

DPA has grown over the past quarter century to 1,400-plus members. Current leadership includes DPA CEO Zachary T. Haines and DPA President Jeff Tishko.

DPA was started in 2000 by Haines’ father, Tom Haines, who visioned an organization that helped independent — and often smaller — distributors better compete within the jan/san marketplace. Zac Haines eventually took over for his retiring father and continued the focus of better connecting distributors with suppliers for the betterment of both entities. Consequently, DPA has expanded its reach over the years, and now includes a greater swath of suppliers involving not only jan/san, but also safety, industrial, packaging and restoration-related products.

“In response, this year’s DPA Buying Conference included three separate halls and a little over 150 independent distributor companies that were given the opportunity to meet with suppliers from three different product categories,” Zac Haines said, during the conference. “We maintain the purity and specificity within each of those segments, but they’re all under the DPA umbrella.

“At DPA, we have taken the buying group concept and, like spokes attached to a wheel, branched into different industries. The result is that DPA-member distributors are better able to expand and grow their businesses into new areas, involving new revenue streams — all in an effort to better compete with larger competitors within the jan/san and other business segments.”

Listed benefits to DPA distributor membership include no costs or membership dues. Also, DPA rebates begin the day a distributorship is accepted into the group. DPA distributors receive rebates (CJD’s) on all eligible purchases with DPA’s preferred suppliers. They also receive exclusive promotions packed with deals and savings. DPA suppliers also offer special pricing, lower buying minimums and better freight policies. Also provided is Free Product and Professional Development through DPA University, a one-stop platform for extensive product training and professional development courses. This resource is free to all DPA Buying Group members and their employees. Distributors can customize individual “learning tracks” for their team members and track their completion results.

The DPA Buying Conference also includes specific show specials for distributors to take advantage of with suppliers, and the opportunity to participate in a “Distributor Roundtable” event. It’s during this program distributors can discuss various business-related topics among themselves for future growth opportunities.

“One of our key objectives, as an organization, is to help our member distributors better compete, thrive and grow in today’s current state of industry consolidations,” Zac Haines said.

Listed benefits to DPA suppliers include direct access to over 1,400 independent DPA distributors, as well as increased marketing and exposure opportunities as DPA will communicate a member supplier’s new product announcements, press releases and special deals to the entire DPA membership and specialized market segments. In addition, DPA offers special promotional opportunities three times a year for supplier benefits. Finally, the buying group extends across several different industries allowing supplier companies to grow into new markets.

DPA limits supplier membership in each product category. That results in more distributors converting their purchases to the preferred suppliers within the DPA Buying Group. DPA has also invested in an online product training platform for suppliers through DPA University.

Zac Haines added that DPA is in a growth mode. As a result, the organization recently moved into a new facility within its longtime home city of Cincinnati, OH. DPA also continues to maintain its finance office in Naples, FL.

“I think the fact that we’ve made it for 25 years shows that there is a need for distributors to join together and associate within our buying group. DPA also provides a tremendous value for suppliers,” Zac Haines said. “Despite living in today’s digital age, there also remains a need and desire to meet face to face, shake hands, talk to people, and explore possibilities to solve problems. That is where the value of our Buying Conference comes into play.

“I feel there will always be a need for independent distributors to take care of local supply and local demand. There are also larger distributorships that are shedding some of their smaller accounts, to the advantage of local independent distributors.”

DPA President Jeff Tishko agrees. Along with his DPA duties, Tishko is Vice President of Business Development/Co-Owner of Colker Janitorial Supplies, an independent distributorship located in Pittsburgh, PA.

“DPA has grown exponentially from a handful of distributors 25 years ago and has now expanded into different categories, helping today’s members seek out new business opportunities and revenue streams,” Tishko said. “Many distributors now overlap their product offerings to take advantage of various business segments. DPA helps them make that transition possible.

“The DPA Buying Conference is beneficial as well, providing distributors and suppliers with great business opportunities. It’s also good to visit with people from around the country, learn about new products, and find out how different companies are tackling problems and taking advantage of certain changes found in various market segments. That includes coming opportunities through advanced robotics and AI.”

In recognizing technology’s importance for the future, the keynote speaker at this year’s DPA Buying Conference was Benj Cohen, of Proton.ai., who discussed “Artificial Intelligence in Distribution.”

Another well attended event during the DPA Buying Conference was its Dinner and Welcome Party, held at the Eagles Edge Golf Venue, on the grounds of the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate. Attendees were treated to a buffet dinner, unlimited swings on a driving range, and heard from guest speaker and world-famous golf instructor David Leadbetter.

Distributors, Suppliers Take Advantage Of DPA Programs

The best programs in the world for any buying group are useless unless its members believe in their worth and participate. At DPA, it appears many distributor and supplier members see the value of coming together to make the most of each business opportunity presented through the buying group.

Among the original DPA members is David Champagne, Vice President and Founder of Beacon Distributors, Inc., located in Harrisville, RI. The company received a DPA JanSan Founders Award during this year’s Buying Conference and remains a big supporter of DPA.

“The relationships I’ve built through DPA — not only with vendors but with other distributors over the years — have been invaluable,” Champagne said. “It’s also great to share business ideas with people who aren’t your direct competitors. That has allowed me to see what is working well for them that I may try to duplicate.”

As an original member, Champagne has witnessed the growth of DPA over the years, including its Buying Conference.

“It (the conference) has become bigger in terms of the number of vendors within jan/san, but also by adding different supplier categories which has been very beneficial for my company,” he said. “Our distributorship started by mainly providing jan/san supplies. Now, 30 percent of our business is focused on safety products. Being a DPA member has opened a lot of doors for my company as it pertains to added safety-related accounts.

“Let’s face it, consolidation continues in every industry for both our customers, our vendors and our competitors. However, I feel there will always be a need for independent distributors who can provide the service level that many customers want. It helps to be part of a buying group where relationship building takes place and where we, as distributors, can meet with different suppliers to perhaps build stronger relationships in the future.”

Another distributorship taking part at this year’s DPA Buying Conference was District Safety Products Inc., located in Sterling, VA. The company was represented at the conference by Joseph Williams Sr., and his son, Joseph Williams II.

“My father started the company in 1996 as a distributor of safety supplies and immediately expanded into the jan/san segment, mainly due to the demand of current customers also looking for janitorial supplies,” Joseph Williams II said. “Today, I would say we are split 50/50 between jan/san and safety. A lot of our clients represent the federal government, transportation and municipalities. In addition to our safety supplies, many of those clients are asking for more jan/san-related products such as cleaning chemicals and equipment. Demand for such items really started to grow during the COVID pandemic.

“My dad started our company’s membership with DPA many years ago. His objective was to get in touch with a greater number of manufacturers. DPA has allowed our company to meet that goal,” Williams II said. “We can network with 50 or so manufacturers at this conference, which would otherwise take us years to complete. And, many of the people we are meeting with are decision makers within their companies.”

Also attending the DPA Buying Conference was MASCO, a distributor of packaging and janitorial supplies in Springfield, IL. The company had several representatives at the event according to MASCO General Manager Jeff Dillman.

“The DPA Buying Conference is always a very good event for us, which is why we attend every year,” Dillman said. “We took a different approach this year in that we had two representatives concentrate on the safety supplies portion of the conference, while another two concentrated on the jan/san side.

“As a distributorship, we are finding ourselves with more safety supply opportunities. It’s therefore good to have an opportunity to connect with more people associated with such supplies.”

He noted there are many advantages for a distributorship to take part in a buying conference such as provided by DPA.

“It’s important manufacturers know that we, as a distributorship, exist. Unfortunately, if you are out of sight, as a company, you can also be out of mind,” Dillman explained. “It helps to be active on social media and take advantage of other opportunities, such as provided by the DPA Buying Conference.

“After the event, we (at MASCO) get together to discuss what we learned at the conference and how we can take advantage of that knowledge for future growth opportunities.”

A longtime distributor of safety supplies that also took part in the DPA Buying Conference was Clark-McKibben Safety Products, Inc., located in Erie, PA. Company representative Scott Hess took full advantage of the rotation sessions during the DPA event.

“It’s always nice to meet with the representatives of companies that we sell products for on a day-by-day basis, as well as meet people from other companies. There is still great value in face-to-face time with suppliers and other distributors,” Hess said. “I would say we had a successful buying conference experience this year, which will hopefully lead us into new territories with certain product lines.

“At Clark-McKibben, we view ourselves as the safety expert in our region, which our customers value. They look forward to working with a distributorship that is local and focuses on customer service. The majority of our customers work in manufacturing, but we also supply clients who are involved in construction, municipalities, healthcare, government agencies and fire departments.”

Several representatives of suppliers also had good things to report regarding their participation in the 2025 DPA Buying Conference.

“This was our second year with DPA and we enjoyed the opportunity to reconnect with people we met last year while also getting to visit with many new contacts,” Charlotte Products Strategic Account Manager Allen Halstead said. “We are now in the process of following up on those meetings.”

Charlotte Products Ltd. is a performance formulator and manufacturer of cleaning products, with manufacturing and warehousing facilities in Canada and the United States. The company is based in Peterborough, ON.

“We’re an independent chemical manufacturer that’s family and privately owned, which works well for us as DPA member distributors are also independent,” Halstead said. “We continue to look for distributor partners across the United States. The rotation sessions at the DPA Buying Conference provide great opportunities, allowing us to visit with new distributor representatives without having to travel to 50 to 60 locations. It saves our company a lot of time and money.”

Another supplier involved with DPA is Quantum JanSan, a division of Quantum Storage Systems. Located in Miami, FL, Quantum is one of the largest injection molding companies in the United States with 77 molding presses. It offers a selection of storage and organization products for the industrial, material handling, healthcare, hospitality, food service and hardware industries.

Leading the jan/san side of the business is Quantum JanSan Director of Sales Todd Strader, who explained the company will soon start producing round trash cans and slim jim-type containers of various sizes.

“As our company’s newest division, I have been brought in to introduce and market various products that we have available for the jan/san segment,” Strader said. “That includes one of the few American-made trash can lines available to distributors.”

Being a new supplier to the jan/san segment, Strader said his company’s participation in the DPA Buying Conference was invaluable.

“Not many people there knew about Quantum, so the experience was very positive,” Strader said. “I feel there were distributors at the conference who saw us as a new revenue stream. A main objective to an event like this is to help distributors find new things to sell.

“I was able to meet with 60-plus distributors during the DPA Buying Conference. It would have taken me a year to do so without that event.”

National Towelette, based in Bensalem, PA, was another participating supplier during the DPA Buying Conference. The company specializes in producing surface wipes used for such business segments as restaurants, gyms, schools, automotive and more. That includes disinfecting and sanitizing wipes.

“We primarily go to market with janitorial distributors and do overlap into the industrial safety marketplace,” National Towelette Vice President of Sales Bill Braile said. “The jan/san industry, however, is our bread and butter.”

He added the recent DPA Buying Conference was very successful for his company.

“We have found that the DPA distributor member is an ideal customer for us. We like for our distributor clients to roll up their sleeves and promote our products. In return, we feel we provide products that come with great margin growth,” Braile said. “We have done very well with that type of customer and have been attending the DPA Buying Conference for over 10 years.

“As a supplier of our size, we have limited resources when it comes to reaching potential clients. The DPA Buying Conference provides us with an audience who we are interested in doing business with on a continual basis. The value of that is just fantastic.”

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