Episode 12: Building Culture on Both Sides of an Acquisition

This episode features Anne Vranicic, President of Valin Corporation. Anne started at Valin as an intern and spent more than two decades working her way through the company before being asked to lead it, a role she says she never set out to pursue. NAW CEO Eric Hoplin talks with Anne about what she learned from her father, longtime Valin leader Joe Nettemeyer, why she hesitated before saying yes, and how Valin has kept its identity since being acquired by Graybar in 2023. They also talk about why culture matters as much as financials in any acquisition, how Valin got into e-commerce back in 1999, and Anne’s advice for women who want to lead in distribution. In this episode: Starting as an intern and growing with the company for more than 20 years Leadership lessons from her father and Valin’s “don’t look back” culture Stepping into the president’s role during Valin’s acquisition by Graybar Why cultural due diligence is as important as financial due diligence How to integrate an acquired company quickly by having people solve hard problems together Valin’s early start in e-commerce and how to get employees to adopt new technology Anne’s advice for women in distribution, and why your title is not your identity Her work with the NAW Institute on responsible AI adoption Subscribe to Distributors Deliver for more conversations with the most dynamic leaders in the distribution industry. Learn more about Valin - https://valinonline.com/