“We are excited to welcome our new PT Division to the AD community,” said Jack Templin, president of AD’s industrial supply division shares. “We are creating this division along with our sister company, SupplyForce and a founding committee of leading independents. These companies are passionate about growing their businesses and securing a healthy future for independents and leading manufacturers. In the next few months we expect to be announcing several dozen Charter Members and Suppliers. We are confident that they will find a powerful home at AD.”

Initial founding committee members include Apex Industrial Automation, Baldwin Supply Co., Bearing Service, Inc., Eastern Industrial Automation, IBT Industrial Solutions, Purvis Industries, Troy Industrial Solutions and Van Meter, Inc.  

Joining AD on March 2 to lead the new division is Bill Childers, AD’s VP/managing director of power transmission. Childers joins AD with 43 years of experience in the industry. He is the former president of C&U Americas, a bearing manufacturer. Previously, Childers has worked as the VP of sales with various power transmission and bearings companies including Rexnord, NSK Corporation, Danaher Motion Group, Colfax and Emerson Power Transmission. He also served as VP of sales and marketing for Kaman Industrial Technologies, the third largest distributor of PT and Bearings where he was responsible for national accounts and supplier relations. 

 “Our Founding Members include some of the most respected Distributors in the industry,” Childers said. “The list of additional companies that have already committed is impressive. Combining the passion and success of these distributors and AD’s track record of delivering above market growth for its members and supplier partners will result in a huge win for the power transmission industry.”