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Tech, Service, And The Co-op Edge: Marianne Thompson | Sponsored by Do it Best Group
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I sit down with Do it Best’s Executive Vice President of Transformation and Integration, Marianne Thompson, live from a packed Market floor to unpack how vision-led change, AI, and co-op scale help independents out-execute giants. From last minute 2x4 runs to smarter planograms, service remains the moat while data becomes the drawbridge.
Topics we cover:
• Why transformation beats simple integration
• Aligning teams on vision, why, and roles
• Lessons from 38 years across store ops and supplier sales
• First principles thinking in a traditional industry
• AI for customer insight, personalization, and voice agents
• Faster, more accurate blueprint takeoffs
• Competing with big-box tech and pro focus
• Co-op leverage: e-comm, Toolbox, marketing, merchandising
• Flexible planograms tuned to local demand
• Storytelling as a growth engine for independents
• Advice to a younger leader: follow passion, embrace grit
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite podcast platforms or YouTube and follow the Grit Blueprint podcast to catch more stories and insights from the building industry.
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👉 What Is Grit Blueprint?
Grit Blueprint is a media and growth company for the building industry. We help ambitious businesses in the building materials and construction industries grow through visibility, storytelling media, and smart systems.
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Chapters
1. Vision Behind The Integration (00:00:00)
2. Live From Market: Energy And Momentum (00:01:53)
3. Marianne’s 38-Year Path In Building (00:03:24)
4. From Store Ops To Sales: Thinking Like Owners (00:06:17)
5. Change Pain, Vision, And Communication (00:08:12)
6. Innovation Demands And Tech Adoption (00:10:40)
7. AI For Insights, Service, And Personalization (00:12:40)
8. Competing With Big-Box Titans (00:15:40)
9. Co-op Scale, Flexibility, And Speed (00:17:35)
10. Member Stories And Localized Merchandising (00:19:35)
11. Toolbox, E-comm, And What’s Next (00:21:30)
12. Advice To 25-Year-Old Marianne And Closing (00:22:55)
80 episodes
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