June 2 marks the first stop on the We Supply America summer tour during which Dirk Beveridge, founder of UnleashWD is visiting independent distribution businesses from varied lines of trade and producing an eight episode broadcast quality show that will stream online each Thursday in July and August.

Dirk and the video crew will visit the leadership team and employees of Great Lakes Hotel Supply Co. in Southfield, Michigan to film one of the eight episodes. The visit on June 2 will include tours of the facility, interviews of a cross section of employees, a lunch of appreciation, and a tour by Great Lakes Hotel Supply owner Marc Israel showcasing the renaissance of Detroit and the company’s role it reviving the city.

Other distributors that will be visited in June and featured in one of the eight episodes include the following:

• Porter Pipe in Addison, Illinois
• Wiseway Supply in Cincinnati, Ohio
• Indiana Oxygen in Indianapolis, Indiana
• Benco Dental in Pittston, Pennsylvania
• Hill & Markes in Amsterdam, New York
• Plus two others to be named in the next two weeks

A significant content sharing and social campaign will support the We Supply America tour throughout the June and during July and August as Beveridge will visit distributors across the country as the eight episodes air online.

During July and August, Beveridge plans to visit one to two distributors each day as he drives the We Supply America RV from location to location.

“I truly believe that there is a noble calling to distribution. The 30,000 plus distributors across this country provide so much more than the products on their shelves. They create six million jobs, economic vitality, local community support and so much more,” Beveridge said.  “It is important to tell the stories of those business that kept America supplied during the pandemic and now as we look to the other side.”

Over the holiday weekend, as Beveridge traveled to the Detroit area, thousands of distribution professionals have been following the tour and requesting We Supply America to visit their businesses.

“The very early response is heartwarming,” added Bethany Hepler, vice president of design for UnleashWD. “The story is resonating. As Julia Klein, chairwoman and CEO of C.H. Briggs posted, ‘distributors are the backbone of the American economy,’ and while Amazon and others get all the press, it’s time we elevate wholesalers and distributors in the business narrative.”

We Supply America is produced by UnleashWD and Dirk Beveridge. Corporate sponsors include Infor and Proton. Association and buying group supporters include VIPAR Heavy Duty, American Supply Association, National Association of Electrical Distributors, ISSA, and ISSA Show North America.