Driven by DCKAP

DCKAP
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Conversations with industry experts, tech leaders and masters in e-commerce that reveal the secrets of their success, and the most important lessons they learned while creating an impact with their business.

  1. 1d ago

    Headless ERP, AI Agents, and the Future of Distribution with Epicor's Lance Hutt & George Olaru

    What does it look like when sales and solutions engineering operate as one unified force? In this episode, Lance Hutt, VP of Global Strategic Applications Sales, and George Olaru, VP of Solution Engineers, at Epicor — one of the world's leading ERP providers for manufacturers and distributors — bring the answers.The conversation covers how Epicor is fundamentally rethinking what an ERP platform can be. George breaks down headless ERP architecture and Epicor's Agent Foundry — a new AI-powered framework that allows companies to build custom agents and consume ERP data through their own preferred interfaces, without sacrificing governance or data security. Lance explores the growing portfolio of strategic applications — from EDI and inventory planning to connected worker software and CPQ — that companies like Anheuser-Busch and Johnson Controls are using to scale operations, many of them as standalone solutions outside of Epicor's ERP ecosystem entirely.Together, they dig into the consultative philosophy that drives Epicor's go-to-market strategy: the MEDDIC sales framework, the Customer Value Exchange Workshop, and why the best question a customer can ask isn't about features, it's about business challenges. For anyone in B2B distribution, manufacturing, or ERP-adjacent tech leadership, this is a practical look at how modern ERP strategy is evolving well beyond the system of record.

    Headless ERP, AI Agents, and the Future of Distribution with Epicor's Lance Hutt & George Olaru

  2. Jul 30

    The AI Shift Every Distributor Must Be Ready For with Jason Nyhus of Shopware

    What does AI actually mean for distributors and wholesalers — and what happens if you wait too long to find out?In this episode, Karthik sits down with Jason Nyhus, President of North America at Shopware, to unpack one of the most critical inflection points in B2B e-commerce. Jason brings 20+ years of industry experience and a front-row seat to how AI and agentic commerce are reshaping the e-commerce landscape faster than most distributors and wholesalers realize — and why the industry is at an existential fork in the road around it.From agentic commerce and Shopware's Digital Sales Room to why ERP integration is the air every distributor breathes, Jason breaks down what it takes to build a B2B commerce strategy that fits your business — not the other way around. Plus, what the fastest-growing e-commerce platform in North America is doing differently with AI, and why the underdog mentality is still driving it forward.

    The AI Shift Every Distributor Must Be Ready For with Jason Nyhus of Shopware

  3. Jul 9

    Servant Leadership Built Border States Into a $5B Powerhouse with President & CEO Jason Seger

    What does it take to build a $5 billion employee-owned company? For Border States President and CEO Jason Seger, the answer starts with one simple principle: care for people first.In this episode of Driven by DCKAP, Karthik sits down with Jason in Fargo, North Dakota to unpack the servant leadership philosophy behind one of the most unique companies in electrical distribution. From his early days as an intern in 1999 to leading 3,700 employee owners today, Jason shares the defining moments, the relationships, and the culture that have shaped Border States into what it is — and what's driving their ambition to grow from $5 billion to $10 billion.Jason gets candid about the moment early in his career that reframed everything — a late evening conversation with a mentor that made him realize a job could mean something far bigger than the work itself. He breaks down the servant leadership model that drives Border States' 95th percentile employee engagement, why vendor relationships deserve the same investment as customer ones, and how ambitious goal-setting shifts the thinking of an entire organization almost overnight. He also speaks honestly about work-life integration, bringing his family into the fabric of what he does, and why focusing on people first — whether employee owners, customers, or partners — is what ultimately drives the numbers.

    Servant Leadership Built Border States Into a $5B Powerhouse with President & CEO Jason Seger

  4. Jun 11

    The Relationship Advantage: Scaling Your Business Effectively with David Gordon

    In this episode, Karthik sits down with David Gordon to unpack the state of the electrical distribution industry — from data center growth and reshoring manufacturing to the business growth strategies helping distributors go from $25M to $75M in four years. He shares why people will always be the number one differentiator in distribution, why it's important to focus on customer relations above all, why e-commerce is a facilitator and not a driver, and where AI's real low-hanging fruit actually is.

    The Relationship Advantage: Scaling Your Business Effectively with David Gordon

  5. May 28

    Scaling Operations: Is Robotics the Future of Fulfillment? (with Brian Schlise, APR Supply)

    What does it take to lead a 100-year-old family business — and set it up for the next 100? Brian Schlise, President of APR Supply, joins Karthik Chidambaram on the podcast to share how a fourth-generation wholesale distribution company is embracing automation, succession planning, and bold leadership to stay ahead.Brian breaks down how APR Supply automated 50% of their warehouse operations with AutoStore and robotics, why their 2025 company theme was "be bold — fail fast," and how RFID technology could revolutionize the wholesale distribution industry. He also shares his philosophy on stewardship, what coaching 35 softball teams taught him about leading people, and why he believes industrial automation creates better jobs — not fewer.

    Scaling Operations: Is Robotics the Future of Fulfillment? (with Brian Schlise, APR Supply)

  6. May 14

    Build a Culture That Never Loses Customers with Field Fastener President Adam Derry

    Adam Derry, President of Field Fastener, grew up watching his father and uncle build a 12-person fastener company into a 400-person operation growing at 18% year over year. He wasn't sure he'd join. He did anyway — and in 2022, he stepped into the role of President. In this episode, Karthik Chidambaram sits down with Adam to talk about the real mechanics behind Field's growth: a culture-first operating model, 30 actionable behaviors called the Fieldamentals, and a mission to make sure every customer loves working with them. They also get into the harder stuff — family business governance, second-generation leadership, succession planning, and what it actually means to have higher expectations for family members than everyone else.

    Build a Culture That Never Loses Customers with Field Fastener President Adam Derry

  7. Apr 30

    Why This CEO Chose an ESOP Over Private Equity | JD Ewing of COE Distributing

    Why would a successful CEO choose an ESOP over private equity? In this episode of Driven by DCKAP, JD Ewing — CEO of COE Distributing — shares why he chose an employee ownership model over a private equity exit, and what that decision means for the future of his business and profitability.But the ESOP decision is only part of the story. JD took over his family's wholesale distribution business at 19 years old with just $225,000 in revenue, built it into a multimillion dollar company, sold it — and then watched the acquiring company go bankrupt. So he started over from scratch, this time alongside his wife Melanie. Today, COE Distributing stands as one of the most profitable independent office furniture distributors in the US — built twice, and better for it.

    Why This CEO Chose an ESOP Over Private Equity | JD Ewing of COE Distributing

  8. Apr 16

    Culture Over Spreadsheets | Inside DCKAP's Real Mission with Karthik Chidambaram

    What does it really mean to build a company that matters? In this special behind-the-scenes episode, DCKAP Founder and CEO Karthik Chidambaram steps away from the conference floor to share what actually drives him — and the heart behind everything DCKAP does. From handwriting letters in Tamil every Sunday to keep his mother tongue alive, to turning an empty office into a tuition-free coding school for students in Tamil Nadu, to sponsoring a book fair simply because reading transforms people — Karthik opens up about the initiatives that might never show up on a spreadsheet but define the very culture of DCKAP.

    Culture Over Spreadsheets | Inside DCKAP's Real Mission with Karthik Chidambaram
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Conversations with industry experts, tech leaders and masters in e-commerce that reveal the secrets of their success, and the most important lessons they learned while creating an impact with their business.

Information

  • Creator
    DCKAP
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    106
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © DCKAP
  • Show Website
    Driven by DCKAP