COLUMBUS, OH — Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) announced the hiring of Zachary Perge as the organization’s first vice president of distribution strategies. Perge comes to HARDI from Deloitte Consulting, where he was senior consultant, consumer M&A division. Perge was the integration lead for a $38 billion merger of two semiconductor companies, developed a $30-$50 million cost reduction program for a Fortune 500 consumer company, and generated over $46 million in new projects for Deloitte during his time there. Prior to Deloitte, Perge led trade marketing for Hain Celestial, a global consumer products company with 20 retail brands, and was the channel and customer marketing manager for Unilever.

 Since implementing its current strategic plan in 2019, HARDI has grown its content and market intelligence capabilities resulting in several successful research projects for HARDI members and HARDI’s Education & Research Foundation. In his new role as vice president of distribution strategies, Perge and his consulting experience will oversee growing these capabilities and further advancing HARDI’s abilities to help distributor and supplier manufacturer members enhance their distribution performance, profitability, and capabilities.

 “It’s rare for trade associations to add talent of Zach’s caliber to their teams and I’m thankful for the vision and boldness of HARDI’s Board of Directors and professional team to not only produce and implement such a tremendous strategic plan, but also commit and invest so fully to its success in serving and advancing our members’ businesses,” said HARDI CEO, Talbot Gee. “I’m excited to see how Zach and our Team Leader of Market Intelligence Tim Fisher team up to raise the bar in the quality and value of the content we provide our members, including HARDI’s ability to help distributor and supplier members alike solve their most difficult challenges. This is yet another expression of our laser focus on our mission of making wholesale distributors the channel of choice for HVACR manufacturers and contractors.”

“I look forward to contributing to the best-in-class services that HARDI offers to its members. I am committed to helping them achieve their goals, conquering the business challenges of today, and working with members to exceed the expectations of those who rely on them,” said Perge.