WASHINGTON — Registration is open for the NAW 2019 Distribution Program for Rising Stars, June 17–21, at Ohio State University (OSU) in Columbus, Ohio.

The NAW Distribution Program for Rising Stars draws on the latest business best practices tailored to the distribution industry and delivered by award-winning faculty from OSU's Fisher College of Business, ranked fifth in the U.S. on the 2019 Best Business Schools for Supply Chain Management and Logistics list by U.S. News & World Report. Every faculty member has deep experience in teaching wholesale distribution industry rising stars. This one-week concentrated and high-energy learning experience is anchored with a case study built specifically for distribution leaders to ensure that they can apply all that they learned throughout the program.

“NAW and Ohio State University have been delivering distribution leadership principles for more than 60 years through the NAW Distribution Program for Rising Stars. In today’s talent-challenged environment, this unique program provides a great opportunity for distributors to invest in their workforce,” said Patricia A. Lilly, NAW’s chief thought leadership officer.

Performance leaders and key managers who are, or will be, assuming greater department, branch or corporate responsibility will benefit significantly from this comprehensive learning experience.

It's not the title of the employee but the role they play in a distribution organization that should drive the selection process for this program. Rising stars? Team members new to distribution?

Someone who has changed positions? This program will help these individuals to fully understand the essential aspects of running a distribution business — strategy, finance, supply chain management, sales and marketing, hiring and retention, team effectiveness, and driving growth.

Participants will return to their companies with the competence and confidence to deliver the performance their companies expect. This week in June is an exciting educational experience for anyone who wants to contribute to the success of his or her distribution company at an even higher level.

Participants will take a comprehensive look across the entire distribution business and cover all major areas, including:

• Sales management and value-added services;

• Market-focused strategic planning;

• Supply chain management;

• Alternatives and methods of strategic business analysis;

• Managing business relationships;

• Financial management;

• Human resources management; and

• Improving productivity and teamwork.

Each day the Fisher College of Business instructors will lead classroom discussion. Participants will be assigned to teams. In the evenings, the teams will gather for brainstorming sessions to work on the case study. The emphasis of the teamwork will be on original and creative idea generation, and the ultimate goal will be on real-world problem solving. The Program concludes with each team presenting to the other participants and faculty its remedies for the troubled distribution company featured in the case study.

In addition to the valuable classroom teaching and exercises, participants will network throughout the week with their peers from other lines of trade within distribution. Networking with wholesale distribution industry professionals from across the industry is considered by attendees as one of the greatest benefits of attending this highly interactive program. For more information, visit https://www.naw.org/risingstars19.

Publication date: 03/12/19