The MDM Podcast has been off for about a month, but we’re back with what I think is a great career reflection with one of the MRO supply sector’s most recognizable figures: Mike DeCata.

DeCata spent the first 18 years of his career at General Electric before spending the rest of it in distribution, with stops at Grainger, United Rentals and The Chefs Warehouse before serving as CEO of Lawson Products from 2012-2022.

Though “retired”, DeCata remains plugged into the channel by helping advise Lawson — now merged with TestEquity and GexPro Services under Distribution Solutions Group — and he’s been a NAW board member since 2018.

It was great to have him on the podcast to discuss what he misses most about being a CEO of a large industrial distributor (and what he doesn’t); what he’s most proud of during his time leading Lawson; the biggest changes in the channel he’s seen during his career; what accountability means for CEOs; top leadership lessons he’s picked up over the past four-plus decades; and what he’s keeping a close eye on today.

Listen to the podcast via the embedded audio above, and you can find all of our past episodes here.