Don’t miss out
on the future
If you want to succeed with AI, you need a roadmap. Applied AI for Distributors will give you the insights and tools you’ll need to craft it.
The blueprint for competitive advantage in distribution’s AI revolution
Join industry leaders and experts for actionable strategies tailored to distributors. Gain practical tools, real-world examples, and a clear plan to integrate AI into your operations. Don’t just adapt to the future—lead it.
8 KEY takeaways
For you and your team
You’ll leave with actionable strategies, direct access to industry leaders, and a clear vision of how AI can transform your business today. Our intensively curated program delivers:
AI-powered pricing strategies that protect margins
AI tools specifically built for distribution challenges
Step-by-step frameworks for evaluating and deploying AI solutions
Direct access to technology leaders who understand distribution
Conversion of customer data into predictive insights that drive sales
Automation of routine tasks to free your team for strategic work
Personalized customer experiences that boost loyalty and spend
Optimization of inventory and supply chain decisions with predictive analytics
If you don’t have a plan yet for AI, take the first step and join other executives at Applied AI for Distributors.
If you’re already on the path, use Applied AI for Distributors to go deeper. You won’t find a greater collection of resources focused on AI for distribution companies in one place.
June 24–26, 2025
Marriott Chicago O’Hare
Chicago, IL
Unlike theoretical discussions about AI’s future, this event focuses on capabilities you can implement now to drive immediate results. You’ll connect with technology providers, industry experts, and peers who are actively transforming distribution through AI.
Meet Our Presenters
Trent Gillespie, CEO
Stellis AI
Learn More
With over 25 years of experience in technology leadership, Trent Gillespie demystifies and harnesses the power of generative AI to help organizations drive growth and unlock new opportunities for innovation.
In today’s fast-paced business environment, leveraging generative AI isn’t just a trend—it’s a game changer. AI is causing business leaders to face the largest disruption of their careers, but few have the knowledge or experience to navigate the challenge successfully.
Trent Gillespie helps simplify and demystify the complex, dynamic landscape of AI. Drawing from decades of experience in tech innovation and hands-on application of AI, Trent shares invaluable insights and actionable strategies that can be put in place immediately. Audiences walk away from his keynotes empowered to turn AI potential into prosperity.
With a global perspective on AI and technology, Trent’s journey encompasses years of unrivaled expertise and transformative insights. His leadership prowess is epitomized by his near-decade as a Senior Technology Leader at Amazon. There, he championed Amazon’s worldwide growth across every business and geography, masterminded Alexa’s global privacy and compliance blueprint, and steered the revolutionary Last Mile Technology—the backbone of Amazon’s delivery mechanism. Today, Trent is CEO of the VC-funded startup Stellis.AI, helping organizations of all sizes and types adapt to the AI revolution, and harness its power to drive growth. Trent stands as a beacon in the AI landscape, offering transformative keynotes and training sessions that empower businesses to catalyze prosperity.
Benj Cohen, CEO and Founder
Proton AI
Learn More
Benj Cohen is the founder and CEO of Proton.ai, the leading AI-powered CRM for distributors. His mission is to help distributors sell smarter and grow faster. Benj’s journey started at Benco Dental, his family’s distribution business founded in 1930. With a deep understanding of distributors’ needs, he founded Proton.ai while studying data science at Harvard.
A recognized voice on AI and modern sales in distribution, Benj has been featured in MDM, DSG, and Industrial Supply Magazine. In 2022, his company secured a $20 million Series A led by Felicis Ventures. The following year, he became the first leader in distribution to earn a spot on Forbes 30 Under 30.
Janet Zelenka, Board Member, Former CFO/CIO
Stericycle and Essendant
Learn More
Janet is a Board member and Audit Committee Chair for private companies and most recently served and both CFO and CIO for Stericycle, a public company in the regulated healthcare waste industry. She combines her collaborative and transparent leadership style with her unique synthesis of finance and IT expertise to drive shareholder value. She is a respected and engaging thought leader who speaks on profitability, cash generation, artificial intelligence, IT, data, and governance.
In 2023, Janet was named to 2023 Crain’s Chicago Business Notable Leaders in Finance List and was awarded the 2023 Bronze Stevie Award for Technology Executive of the Year. In 2022 Janet won the 2022 Chicago Enterprise CIO of the Year ORBIE Award, the Chicago SIM CIO+ of the Year Award and was a finalist for the Chicago FEI CFO Public Company Award.
Kristen Thom, SVP of Customer Experience
White Cup
Noelle Russell, Founder and Chief AI Officer
AI Leadership Institute
Learn More
With a profound passion for technology and its potential to transform business and society, Noelle Russell has dedicated her career to helping organizations uncover the possibilities artificial intelligence presents to their businesses, and guiding them through the intricacies of AI adoption. In her daily work Russell advises companies across industries on how to integrate emerging technologies — including AI, Web3, and the Cloud — into their operations and workplace strategies. She is an award-winning technologist with an entrepreneurial spirit who has led innovative tech teams at Accenture, NPR, Microsoft, IBM, AWS, and Amazon Alexa, and is among the world’s leading voices on data and AI literacy.
Among her accolades, Russell has recently been honored with the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional award for Artificial Intelligence, as well as VentureBeat’s Women in AI Responsibility and Ethics award. In 2023, she was named one of DCA Live’s “New Power Women of DC Tech” and one of the Association of Latino Professionals for America’s “Latinas to Watch.”
Don’t take it from us—here’s
what attendees have to say:
“The content that’s being curated and presented here during the event has been outstanding. DSG has done a really nice job of listening to the audience and really crafting an agenda that hits on a lot of those points that distributors are thinking about.”
Sign Up today!
Applied AI for Distributors 2024 will take place June 24–26, in person at the Marriott Chicago O’Hare — just a short drive from downtown, and an even shorter drive from O’Hare International Airport (ORD).