An Inside Look at the Forces Reshaping Distribution

In delivering the State of the Industry Reports, CEOs Jameel Burkett and Aaron Brown will detail how distributors and manufacturers are responding to economic, supply chain, and digital transformation pressures.

By Tim O'Connor
Communications Manager and Editor

The pressure on equipment distributors has never been greater. Tariffs, labor shortages, and rising customer expectations are reshaping the industry — and no single company can navigate those forces alone. Issues involving freight handling, product information, transportation visibility, and customer communication often affect every stage of the supply chain. Through industry initiatives such as the FEDA Future of Distribution Council (FDC), distributors and manufacturers are working more closely than ever to strengthen communication, improve efficiency, and prepare for the future. The State of the Industry Reports at the 2026 FEDA Annual Executive Leadership Conference will provide an in-depth look at how this kind of collaboration sets the stage for long-term success.

Bringing together a distributor and manufacturer executive, the session will feature Jameel Burkett, president and CEO of Burkett Restaurant Equipment, and Aaron Brown, CEO of Refrigerated Solutions Group (RSG). Together, they will provide perspectives from their respective parts of the channel, sharing observations on the challenges companies are facing today and the strategies organizations are using to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving market. Attendees will walk away with a tighter grasp on how their peers are responding to operational challenges by investing in innovation and creating more effective partnerships throughout the supply chain. Those perspectives will also help frame the keynote address by Verne Harnish, whose 4D framework for addressing the critical areas of people, strategy, execution, and cash aligns closely with the pressures currently shaping the foodservice equipment and supplies industry.

For Burkett, that broader context is what makes sessions like this particularly valuable. “I’ve always found these sessions to provide a strong, high-level perspective on where the industry stands and where it’s headed,” he said of the State of the Industry. “Each speaker brings a unique viewpoint, and that diversity of perspective has been a valuable learning experience for me over the years.”

Burkett brings the viewpoint of a 20-year veteran of the foodservice equipment and supplies industry. After taking over his family’s business in Perrysburg, Ohio, in the early 2000s, he developed an intrapreneurial culture that emphasized technology adoption, team development, and a service-driven approach. His strategic vision has elevated Burkett Restaurant Equipment to the No. 45-ranked dealer on Foodservice Equipment & Supplies magazine’s 2026 Distribution Giants report, and his involvement with FEDA and other industry groups has earned him recognition as a consensus-driven leader committed to advancing the industry.

While Burkett offers the distributor perspective, Brown brings experience from the manufacturing side of the channel. His background spans global service operations, finance, and commercial strategy, lending an international outlook to the State of the Industry Reports. As CEO of RSG, the company behind the Norlake and Master-Bilt brands, he leads a manufacturer known for its innovation, operational excellence, and customer success. That combination of experience and vantage point makes Brown an ideal voice to break down how supply chain headwinds are influencing the industry and altering strategies.

Connecting the Dots
In addition to discussing the current state of the industry, Burkett and Brown will explore the broader trends shaping the future of foodservice equipment and supplies distribution. Topics are expected to include supply chain collaboration, transportation visibility, operational standardization, technology adoption, and the growing importance of accurate and accessible data across business systems. Through their presentations, Burkett and Brown will show how advancements in each of those areas are fundamental to reaching the next generation of operational capability.

“The pace of digital transformation is accelerating faster than many anticipated,” Burkett said. “Artificial intelligence, in particular, is poised to fundamentally reshape how our industry operates — from assistants and agents to fully digitized workflows. Organizations that embrace and adapt to these changes will have a meaningful advantage.”

It’s a sentiment that will resonate in other conference sessions, especially the fireside chat with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and the Tech Talks presentation. But many of the issues Burkett and Brown will discuss also closely align with the ongoing work of the FDC, which is tackling long-term challenges impacting the industry. Through multiple subcommittees and working groups, the council is advancing initiatives in areas such as freight damage reduction, product data consistency, transportation management systems, and future supply chain innovation.

Attendees looking to dig deeper into those topics will have the opportunity to do so during the conference’s industry roundtable sessions, where small groups of distributor and manufacturer executives can exchange ideas, compare approaches, and work through the shared challenges their organizations are facing.

The State of the Industry Reports will lead off the conference opening general session, setting the stage for the themes and topics that will permeate through the rest of the conference. By pairing a high-level overview of current market conditions with practical insights into how industry leaders are approaching operational improvement and long-term growth, attendees will be prepared to engage at a deeper level with their fellow conferencegoers — whether during the structured peer exchange sessions or over more casual conversation on the resort’s patio.

As distributors and manufacturers continue adapting to changing market conditions, the industry’s ability to collaborate, innovate, and share knowledge will remain critical. For distributors and manufacturers looking to better understand where the industry is headed, the State of the Industry Reports offer a valuable opportunity to hear directly from the leaders shaping that future.