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Unlocking the Power of AI: A Case Study with Millcraft
May 8, 2024, 9 PT/12 ET
Can AI truly make a real-world difference, today, in a mid-sized distribution company? The answer is yes and Millcraft is one company who did it by focusing on adopting the latest technology and recruiting and training a workforce that understands how to use it. Among other solutions the company has implemented AI tools for order automation that has increased touchless ordering to 60%.
Join us on the Wholesale Change Show with hosts Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein, Ph.D. when we’ll welcome our guest Travis Mlakar, president of Millcraft. Learn how Travis incorporated AI to make a significant difference, freeing up employee time to focus on what is truly valuable to the customer. Travis will also discuss the next steps for the company. Using advanced analytics along with AI, Travis will be optimizing cross selling, supply, and other areas for ready for advancement.
Our Guest
Travis Mlakar, Millcraft Paper Company
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About our guest:
Travis Mlakar
President, Millcraft Paper Company
Travis Mlakar is the president of The Millcraft Paper Company. Founded in Cleveland in 1920, Millcraft is a fourth-generation, family-owned, wholesale merchant serving companies engaged in graphic communications including printers, publishers, corporate marketing departments, retailers, apparel decorating companies, craft beverage producers and more.
Travis joined the company in 2002, serving in a number of different capacities until becoming president in 2008. Over the last ten years Millcraft has more than tripled in revenue driven by 7 primary acquisitions and organic growth driven through diversification. The company currently has 19 locations primarily serving customers based in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia.
In addition to his work with Millcraft, Travis has served in a variety of volunteer positions including the board of The Centers for Families and Children; the advisory board of Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital; strategic advisor for Resilience Capital; a board member of one of the largest commercial printers in the country; Chairman of the National Paper Trade Association; and Chairman of Two Sides North America – a global initiative to promote the sustainability of the Graphics Communications Industry.
About our hosts:
Ian G. Heller
Founder & Senior Partner, Distribution Strategy Group
Ian Heller is Founder & Senior Partner at Distribution Strategy Group, and has more than 30 years of experience executing marketing and e-business strategy in the wholesale distribution industry. He has written and spoken extensively on the impact of digital disruption on distributors.
Jonathan Bein, Ph.D.
Managing Partner, Distribution Strategy Group
Jonathan Bein, Ph.D. has worked with many distributors to make their marketing a profit center. He has developed and applied analytic approaches for customer segmentation, customer lifecycle management, positioning and messaging, pricing, and channel strategy for distributors.