DCKAP Summit ’22
After a two-year pause: The DCKAP Summit is back and bigger than ever before.
The DCKAP Summit exists to give a platform for leading voices and experts in the industry. It is a means of shedding light on pressing issues in distribution and a way of offering organizations a gateway to bridging their current scenario to where they want to be.
DCKAP SUMMIT '22
A CONFERENCE ON GROWTH TALENT COMPETITION
With two years of online events (and one hybrid) behind us, we’re excited to actually meet all the attendees at this in-person-only event! There’s only so much networking one can do while in half-formals/half-pajamas, after all.
Why Should You Attend?
As a Distributor
The DCKAP Summit is geared for distributors – overcoming challenges, finding opportunities, and learning how to best navigate them. Discover game-changing insights from industry experts and set your business apart from the competition. Get connected to the right solutions that will help take your business to the next level.
Agency/Technology Partner
As an event that spotlights relevant issues in distribution, leverage the opportunity to illustrate how best your organization can help navigate those hurdles. Expand your network while establishing how you fit in the distributor ecosystem.
DCKAP Customer
Aside from it being a great opportunity to meet up, our event goes beyond delivering information you already know. We’re focusing on fresh strategies and innovative ideas that can help you flourish. This is one more way we hope to contribute to your business’s success and profitability.
FEATURED SPEAKER
Duncan Wardle
Former Head of Innovation and Creativity at Disney
As Head of Innovation & Creativity at Disney, Duncan helped teams at Disney Parks, Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar, Imagineering and Animation to innovate, creating magical new storylines and amazing experiences for consumers around the globe.
He now brings his Disney experience to audiences around the world, delivering a series of keynotes, masterclasses and ideation forums, that help people capture unlikely connections, leading to both disruptive thinking and revolutionary ideas.
He is a multiple TEDx speaker and frequent contributor to Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, and Forbes, and he teaches Innovation and Creativity Masterclasses at Yale and Harvard Universities. Duncan holds the American Citizen Award presented at the White House, an Honorary Doctorate from Edinburgh University, and the Duke of Edinburgh Award, presented by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth.
ALL SPEAKERS
President at Rigid Hitch Inc.
J.R. Tapper
With over three decades of experience in the distribution industry, J.R. Tapper is the President of Rigid Hitch, a family-owned manufacturer and warehouse distributor of trailer hitches, towing accessories, trailer parts, and truck accessories.
Former Head of Innovation and Creativity at Disney
Duncan Wardle
As Head of Innovation & Creativity at Disney, Duncan helped teams at Disney Parks, Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar, Imagineering and Animation to innovate, creating magical new storylines and amazing experiences for consumers around the globe.
Global Director, Account Services & eCommerce Operations at 3M
Kathi Mishek
As a kid, I would organize my neighborhood friends into teams for games, my toys into color segments (or functions). Technical operations is my happy place, and I love working for a global and complex company, in an industrial market in need of change.
Vice President, Channel Sales at BigCommerce
Sachin Wadhawan
Sachin is passionate about growing Partner Ecosystems and leads the Headless, B2B, and Back-office partner strategy at BigCommerce. He has gained a unique perspective from a wide range of industry experiences in Nonprofit technology, Healthcare, Ad Tech, Content Marketing, Video platform, and eCommerce. He has contributed to both technical and business development roles and has become a well-respected Technology Solutions leader in the industry.
Director, B2B Strategic Partnerships at BigCommerce
Alec Berkley
Alec is an Ecommerce veteran who started his career at a digital agency, then co-founded BundleB2B which was later acquired by BigCommerce. Alec is currently focused on optimizing BigCommerce’s connectivity into industry leading back-office business systems to help manufacturers & distributors sell more online & improve business processes.
Partner Marketing Manager at Klevu
Rainey Bailey
Up and coming eCommerce alliance maker, Rainey Bailey is a charismatic sales and marketing leader that is enjoying immediate success as she builds her reputation in the industry.
Director of Ecommerce and Digital Development at SRS Distribution
Lijesh Shetty
Lijesh is currently leading eCommerce implementation and Digital Development for two of the major brands at SRS Distribution. Lijesh has a lot of experience leading, designing and building large scale ecommerce and mobile applications during his two decades of technology career. He is also an avid reader and loves learning.
Associate Professor of Instruction at Texas A&M University
Bharani Nagarathnam
Dr. Bharani Nagarathnam is an Associate Professor of Instruction and Associate Director of Master of Industrial Distribution program at the Department of Engineering Technology & Industrial Distribution at Texas A&M University. He teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in Industrial Distribution.
Partnerships Manager, America's at Dotdigital
Damien Kennedy
Damien Kennedy has over 20 years of global business communications experience. He has architected stakeholder engagement solutions for mining, engineering and construction companies globally, and been in SAAS solutions partnerships for 10 years. As partnership manager at Dotdigital he works with system integrators to efficiently engage with stakeholders at all levels of the business working alongside CRM and ERP solutions
Office Manager at Koehler Rubber & Supply
Jenny Sagan
Jenny has been working in distribution for over 10 years in different fields and roles, giving her varied knowledge to lead her team at Koehler Rubber & Supply. Currently she provides the company with P21 system support, and overall operations management.
Co-Founder of Conveyance Solutions
Andrew Taylor
Andrew Taylor is co-founder of Conveyance Solutions. Working with distributors across North America, the Conveyance team provides implementation, support and customization of the Prophet 21 ERP system.
Solutions Engineer at DCKAP
Aaron Pallares
Aaron is a Solutions Engineer at DCKAP. He is always looking into the digital fabric of practices and models to better understand the psychology.
Integration Consultant at DCKAP
Justin Zaza
Justin Zaza is an Integration Specialist with DCKAP. He is a recent graduate of the Industrial Distribution program at Texas A&M University.
Services Practice Leader at DCKAP
Mohan Natarajan
With over a decade of experience in eCommerce implementations and offering business solutions for distributors, Mohan heads the eCommerce practices and delivery at DCKAP.
Customer Success Manager at DCKAP
Tim Diep
Tim has been with DCKAP for over a decade, with experience in sales, marketing, partnerships, and events. He’s now bringing those skills to his current role in customer success. Though not from a technical background he enjoys offering a user’s perspective and insights. A lover of sports, he is based out of Las Vegas, NV.
Partner Manager at DCKAP
Catherine Sulskis
Catherine works with the marketing team as the Partner Manager, bridging connections, finding ways to co-brand and co-market our solutions.
Founder & CEO at DCKAP
Karthik Chidambaram
Karthik Chidambaram bootstrapped the company from his small apartment in Chicago, Illinois.
SUMMIT HIGHLIGHTS
AGENDA
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Session Details
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8:00 AM - 9:00 AM PT
Registration and Breakfast
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9:00 AM - 9:10 AM PT
Crowd Warm-Up with MC
Justin Zaza, Integration Consultant at DCKAP
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9:10 AM - 9:25 AM PT
Welcome & Opening Note
Karthik Chidambaram, Founder & CEO at DCKAP
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9:25 AM - 9:50 AM PT
Carrying a 60 Year Legacy into The Digital Age
(Customer Interview)
J.R. Tapper, President at Rigid Hitch Inc
Karthik Chidambaram, Founder & CEO at DCKAP
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9:50 AM - 10:20 AM PT
Competing Online In A Post-Pandemic Era
Sachin Wadhawan, Vice President, Channel Sales at BigCommerce
Alec Berkley, Director, B2B Strategic Partnerships at Big Commerce
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10:20 AM - 10:40 AM PT
Growth Hinges on People: Aligning Your Growth and Talent Plans
Bharani Nagarathnam, Associate Professor of Instruction at Texas A&M University
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10:40 AM - 11:00 AM PT
Break
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11:00 AM - 12:00 PM PT
Bringing Creativity and Innovation to Your Growth Strategy in Distribution
Duncan Wardle, Former Head of Innovation and Creativity at Disney
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12:00 PM - 1:15 PM PT
Group Photo on Stage & Lunch
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Session Details
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1:15 PM - 1:35 PM PT
Where Distributors Stand In The Digital Revolution
Mohan Natarajan, Services Practice Leader at DCKAP
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1:35 PM - 1:55 PM PT
Exchanging Data: Improving Productivity And Sales Velocity With Next Gen Solutions (APIs)
Kathi Mishek, Global Director, Account Services & eCommerce Operations at 3M
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1:55 PM - 2:15 PM PT
Sustaining Customer Loyalty Through The eCommerce Experience
Rainey Bailey, Partner Marketing Manager at Klevu
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2:15 PM - 2:35 PM PT
The Distributor’s Guide To Breaking Operational Silos
Aaron Pallares, Solutions Engineer at DCKAP
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2:35 PM - 2:55 PM PT
Break
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2:55 PM - 3:15 PM PT
Advancing Tech to Grow in Distribution
Lijesh Shetty, Director of Ecommerce and Digital Development at SRS Distribution
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3:15 PM - 3:45 PM PT
Leveraging the ecosystem for Growth and Learning from Competition
(Panel Discussion)
Damien Kennedy, Partnerships Manager Americas at Dotdigital
Andrew Taylor, Co-Founder at Conveyance Solutions
Jenny Sagan, Office Manager at Koehler Rubber & Supply
Tim Diep, Customer Success Manager at DCKAP
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3:45 PM - 3:50 PM PT
Closing Note
Catherine Sulskis, Partner Manager at DCKAP
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3:50 PM - 4:00 PM PT
Lucky Raffle Drawings
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4:00 PM - 5:00 PM PT
Post-Event Networking & Refreshments/Cocktails
Don't just take our word for it
HEAR IT FROM OUR PAST ATTENDEES
”It’s a wonderful opportunity to network with industrial distribution suppliers, a wonderful opportunity to learn from the experts about B2B Commerce and all the tools available to make our customers’ lives better.
”I’ve been really impressed with the speakers. I’ve learned a ton, not only about technical topics like private cloud but also how to build your best brand and make your brand your differentiator.
”The convention has been extremely helpful so far, I’ve been able to network with a lot of companies. I would be happy to come next year.
”They’re providing a lot of great tools & resources as well as [being great for] meeting new people, learning new things that you’ll be able to apply in the workplace, to have a nice seamless workflow.
”What we’re seeing is a lot of good participation from merchants and other suppliers that are here.
”It’s been great. We've seen a lot of great talks, met a lot of really great brands and app partners.
”Enjoying the show today put on by DCKAP. Lots of great presenters, incredible content, lots for our business to think about on how we’re going to progress moving forward.
”We’re having a great time at the Summit this year. I'm in marketing so I’m learning a lot about different ways to market our business - B2B.
”This roundup has been a great experience so far, the content has all been great. They’ve done a great job from the production to the content, to the sessions themselves.
”Today was filled with a whole lot of great conversations with merchants, and agencies, and it’s great to see a vibrant community.
A SAMPLE OF COMPANIES & DISTRIBUTORS ATTENDING SUMMIT 2022
THANKS TO OUR 2022 SPONSORS
Organizer
PLATINUM SPONSOR
BigCommerce (Nasdaq: BIGC) is a leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) ecommerce platform that empowers merchants of all sizes to build, innovate and grow their businesses online. As a leading open SaaS solution, BigCommerce provides merchants sophisticated enterprise-grade functionality, customization and performance with simplicity and ease-of-use. Tens of thousands of B2B and B2C companies across 150 countries and numerous industries use BigCommerce to create beautiful, engaging online stores.
GOLD SPONSOR
Klevu helps connect people to products they want to buy. Klevu’s discovery suite includes eCommerce personalization, AI and NLP-powered on-site Smart Search, Smart Category Merchandising and Smart Recommendations, powered by real-time buyer intent. Klevu discovery technology balances AI automation and strategic control, is quick and easy to install and compatible with all ecommerce platforms. Klevu powers thousands of ecommerce businesses worldwide and has offices in the UK, US, Sweden, Finland, Australia and India.
SILVER SPONSOR
Avalara, Inc. (NYSE: AVLR), a leading provider of cloud-based tax compliance automation solutions, helps businesses manage sales and use, excise, GST, VAT, communications, lodging, and other tax types, across the U.S and abroad.
SILVER SPONSOR
Content4Commerce is a global digital content production agency that works with manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and B2B service providers in their quest for tailored content solutions across all platforms.We deliver fully integrated digital creative, content and technology services that deliver obvious results!
SILVER SPONSOR
Dotdigital is a customer engagement platform that helps digital marketers and developers deliver communications across the customer journey. We harness the power of customer data, powering engagement, conversion, and loyalty for brands as they grow and scale. Customers love our easy-to-use platform that connects first party data across their systems, surfacing powerful insights and automating predictive cross-channel messages.
