If you sometimes feel like me, that you’re facing nonstop disruption, you may not be imagining it. In particular, it’s a question that over the past few years I’ve asked myself as each year ended. 

Most owners dream of having a team that “acts like they own the place.” They want employees who think ahead, solve problems, and treat customers and costs with the same care the owner would. But in many companies, that mindset feels out of reach.

Increasing profits is a lofty goal, so attaining it requires deep collaboration across all arms of a distribution company.

Over the past several months, HARDI advocacy has maintained a strong and strategic presence across the states and in our nation’s capitol, promoting policies that reflect the needs of HVACR distributors and the contractor customers they serve.

Wholesale distributors in the plumbing, heating, cooling and piping (PHCP) industry operate in one of the most complex order fulfillment operations in the modern supply chain. 

The behavioral health sector is one of the fastest-growing segments in the healthcare construction industry. 

In today’s market, customers encounter products long before they ever touch them in a showroom.

Market volatility continues to shape the distribution landscape as we move through 2026. Pricing pressures, shifting demand, labor challenges, and broader economic uncertainty remain part of the day-to-day reality for independent distributors. 

The plumbing manufacturing industry faces considerable challenges. What’s at stake? Decades of proven water-efficiency standards that work.

We’re living in what economists and major news outlets are calling a “K-shaped economy,” a term you’ve likely seen in Bloomberg, Forbes, or CNN.