Inside the Business
Working alongside distributor leaders and teams on real pricing, inventory, operational, analytical, and leadership challenges.
Consulting & Advisory →ABOUT DR. COLIN DEES
Built in Distribution.
Proven in Leadership.
Focused on What's Next.
Colin Dees has spent more than two decades learning wholesale distribution from the inside out—then continued building on that experience through executive leadership, consulting, research, university teaching, and industry education.
WHERE IT STARTED
Before the Boardroom,
There Was the Business.
Colin's perspective on distribution wasn't formed from the outside looking in.
His career began as an HVAC technician before moving into wholesale distribution, where he learned the business through frontline operations and progressively broader leadership responsibilities.
Over the years, that meant understanding what happens at the counter, in the warehouse, in purchasing, across branches, inside the ERP, and eventually at the executive level—where all of those decisions come together.
A CAREER IN DISTRIBUTION
Experience Across the Business.
Perspective Across the Organization.
01
HVAC Technician
Started close to the customer and the product, gaining a practical understanding of the industry distributors serve.
02
Distribution Operations
Built experience across the day-to-day realities of serving customers, managing inventory, and running distribution operations.
03
Executive Leadership
Advanced into senior distribution leadership with responsibility for complex operations, teams, systems, inventory, and business performance.
04
Dees Consulting
Founded Dees Consulting to help distributors improve profitability, pricing, inventory, purchasing, operations, analytics, and leadership.
05
Research & Ph.D.
Added academic rigor to decades of practical experience through doctoral research at Clemson University.
06
Educator & Speaker
Today, brings that combined perspective into university classrooms, industry training, national conferences, and distributor leadership teams.
THE PERSPECTIVE TODAY
Executive Experience.
Academic Rigor.
Still Close to the Work.
Colin earned his Ph.D. in Construction Science & Management from Clemson University after building a long career in distribution leadership. Today, he teaches Production and Operations Management at Appalachian State University while continuing to consult with wholesale distributors across the country.
That combination matters. The academic work sharpens the thinking. Teaching requires complex ideas to be made clear. Consulting keeps the perspective grounded in the problems distributors are solving right now.
Rather than choosing between theory and experience, Colin brings both—and keeps the business at the center.
A GUIDING PRINCIPLE
Business First.
Systems Second.
Technology is an important part of modern distribution. But technology isn't the objective. A stronger business is.
Colin's fluency across major distribution ERP platforms allows him to work deep inside the data, processes, and operating mechanics of a distributor without approaching the business as an IT project.
The question is always the same: how can the people, processes, information, and systems work together to improve performance?
ONE PERSPECTIVE. MULTIPLE ROLES.
The Work Reinforces the Work.
Developing Understanding
Teaching operations and management concepts in ways that connect analytical thinking with the realities of how organizations operate.
Across the Industry
Bringing practical distribution education to associations, conferences, leadership teams, and industry audiences.
Speaking & Training →WHAT DRIVES THE WORK
Keep Learning.
Keep Improving.
Keep Moving Forward.
Distribution continues to change. Technology changes. Customer expectations change. Markets change. The fundamentals of good leadership and sound business decisions remain—but the best leaders never stop learning.
That belief has shaped Colin's own career and the way he works with clients, students, and industry audiences today.
WORK WITH COLIN
Let's Talk About
What's Next.
Whether the need is consulting, leadership development, training, or a keynote for your next industry event, I'd enjoy learning more about what you're working on.
Start a Conversation →