ABOUT
Will Quinn — The Distribution Guy® — writes and speaks about distribution, warehouse operations, and leadership. Marine Corps veteran, adjunct professor at Elmhurst University, and author of Modern Warehouse Management and Steel-Toed Leadership. Twenty-five years across industrial supply, wholesale distribution, 3PL, and enterprise software.
THE WORK
The career started in the Marine Corps and moved onto a Coca-Cola dock in 2004. Since then: Coca-Cola Enterprises, WEG Electric, MSC Industrial Supply, Cintas, Capstone Logistics, Grainger, HD Supply, and Graybar — plus four years at Infor as the distribution industry expert who made sure strategy and content reflected how distributors actually operate.
The through-line is the same everywhere: walk the dock, watch the picks, follow the freight. Dashboards tell you something is wrong. The floor tells you why.
WHAT I'VE MANAGED
Facilities from 150,000 to 1M+ square feet
Teams of 150+ direct and indirect reports
Union and non-union workforces
P&Ls up to $22M annually
450,000+ SKUs across SAP WMS and ERP environments
RESULTS THAT MATTER
MSC Industrial Supply — rebuilt inventory management and consolidated two facilities into 80,000 sq ft without compromising integrity.
MSC Industrial Supply — tote storage reconfiguration and pick path redesign, driving a 21% lift in overall operational efficiency.
Capstone Logistics — $40,000 per week in labor savings across two 1M sq ft facilities, plus a recovered 3PL customer relationship.
Grainger — standardized work instructions and compliance protocols across 450,000+ SKUs valued at $200M in SAP WMS.
MSC Industrial Supply — fulfillment workflow redesign moved the cutoff from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
Cintas — conveyor system overhaul, returns department relocation cutting travel time 80%, and ergonomic gains of 25%.
CAREER
Operating roles across industrial distribution, 3PL, beverage, uniform services, and electrical distribution — with four years on the technology side at Infor.
EDUCATION
CERTIFICATIONS & RECOGNITION
BEYOND THE FLOOR
80+ articles published across trade and international press, including Modern Distribution Management, Distribution Strategy Group, Industrial Supply Magazine, Inbound Logistics, and Supply HT. Graduate-level Warehouse and Transportation Management taught at Elmhurst University. Regular guest on the distribution industry's leading podcasts.
Modern Warehouse Management: Steel-Toed Leadership That Drives Performance is the book that didn't exist when the career started — direct, tactical, and written for the people who actually run the building.
FIND WILL
LinkedIn
Amazon Author Page
Distribution Strategy Group
Published Articles
LET'S TALK
If you're planning an event, producing a podcast, or working on a story about distribution and leadership, this is the fastest way to reach me.