Over the past year, MDM Editor Lindsay Konzak and Associate Editor Jenel Stelton-Holtmeier spoke with several distribution executives to find out what keeps them awake at night. The question was part of “7 Minutes With …” executive interviews, a regular feature on MDM’s free monthly Executive Briefing webcast available at www.mdm.com/executivebriefing. The first year of programming is now available on DVD at www.mdm.com/ExecutiveBriefingDVD.

This article provides a summary of how distribution executives at large and small companies including HD Supply, MSC Industrial Supply, Airgas and Lawson Products answered.

Over the past year, the economy has dominated headlines, and uncertainty continues to be the main message. But for most of the 12 distribution executives who participated in MDM’s 7 Minutes With… audio interview feature in the past year, the top issue wasn’t the economy; it was …