It's So Fun to Name Drop

There’s a special kind of delight most of us feel when we are privileged to know – and make known – someone important to us, whether you’re introducing your significant other, bragging on your son or daughter, or name-dropping your connection with someone famous. We take pride in being associated with others and we really love to share our big people news.

So it won’t surprise you that I sent at least a few dozen text messages, replete with photos, to my own network the first Sunday in January to announce the arrival of a new baby in my family. Being related to me naturally elevates the rank of this tiny infant to VIP status in my book, and I wanted everyone to know about him. There’s just something about sharing our people news with others that multiplies the joy.

Today, I have another exciting VIP-newsy announcement: Industrial Supply has a new columnist! Industry expert Dr. Bharani Nagarathnam from Texas A&M University joins us for the entire year with an engaging regular column, “Talent Matters,” that you’ll find on the last editorial page of every issue.

I met Bharani at the ISA show in 2024 and quickly learned he is a leading authority on industrial distribution. He is an associate professor at the university and is director of the Master of Industrial Distribution at their Industrial Distribution Program. With 25 years of experience in teaching, applied research, and business development, Bharani has worked on industry projects and programs for over 100 manufacturers and distributors.

And he’s certainly more than qualified to speak to the challenges surrounding talent issues. He is the co-founder of the school’s Talent Development Council and regularly works with distributors on talent acquisition, management, development, and retention practices.

As brilliant as this thought leader is, one thing I find so refreshing about Bharani is how down to earth and friendly he is. (Not unlike our other columnist, the renowned Frank Hurtte!) Most of the time when Bharani and I talk or email each other, he greets me with a “Howdy Kim.” Please don’t leave any issue of the magazine this year without giving Talent Matters a read – Bharani is a breath of fresh air with a good strong gale of solid advice.

While we’re on the topic of important subject matter and experts worth listening to, I’d like to direct your attention to a brand new Online Exclusive I prepared specifically for your benefit: “Industry Outlook – Three Experts Weigh In on ’25,” features insights from Chris Chidzik at AMT, Tim Fiore at the Institute for Supply Management, and Curtis Dubay from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. You can find it at: industrialsupplymagazine.com in the Management section of our Articles Archive. I’ll also feature this and some more original content in upcoming editions of our weekly e-newsletter, Industrial Supply Weekly. Please watch for it in your inbox.

That’s a wrap for this page. Have a great finish to Q1, and thanks for reading.