On March 17, AD held its first-ever live virtual member meeting, welcoming more than 250 member distributors in its Industrial & Safety – U.S. division to the event.

The ‘AD Live’ virtual meeting was introduced the week prior after AD decided to shift its spring network meetings to virtual formats in order to minimize the risks associated with the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Marisol Fernandez, AD president of the Industrial & Safety-U.S. Division, moderated the event and guided members through an AD business update and interactive panel discussions on relevant and timely topics such as business continuity, financial planning, and employee health and safety. Joining Marisol on the panel were AD executive leaders, including Bill Weisberg, chairman and CEO; Drew Moyer, chief financial officer; Scott Renninger, chief investment officer; as well as David Ruggles, president of Martin Industrial Supply and chair of the AD Industrial & Safety-U.S. Divisional Board, among others. The event concluded with a live question and answer segment.

After attending the virtual meeting, Ruggles commented on the value of the event.

“I applaud AD for moving to the virtual format,” he said. “In the midst of COVID-19, we’re heading into uncertain, and in many ways unchartered territory. I believe now more than ever it’s so important to stay connected.”

Fernandez shared that in addition to the general session, AD Industrial & Safety-U.S. will be hosting virtual network meetings for its members.

“AD’s spring network meetings are an important time for AD member networks to get together,” she shared. “The AD community relies on best practice sharing and learning from each other throughout the year and we felt it was so important to facilitate that opportunity for our members during this time. We’re focused on employing continued efforts to keep our community closely connected.”

AD will be hosting live virtual member meetings for the PHCP, Electrical, and Gypsum Supply divisions in the coming weeks.