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.
That Infor stretch is also where the teaching started. He authored and presented Distribution 101 and 102 globally, to every business development rep and account manager selling into the distribution industry, and worked alongside sales professionals in pre-sales and demos on what actually happens in a warehouse.
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, and Distribution 101 and 102 authored and delivered to global sales teams at Infor. 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.