Gary Brothers, President, D&H Distributing

By Elizabeth Dolski, CRN
November 13, 2006 9:00 AM ET

2006 TOP 25: 1-5 | 6-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25

D&H Distributing will celebrate its seventh consecutive year of steady, double-digit growth since Gary Brothers became president. That is no small accomplishment for a privately held company competing against rivals that can dip into the public equity markets.

Brothers, 62, cemented the Harrisburg, Pa.-based distributor's credentials as a major broadline distributor this year by taking on Lenovo in August after signing Cisco Systems last year. Attracting such tier-one vendors is certainly helping D&H move upmarket, bringing larger solution providers into the fold.

But it is the company's unique customer mix of small-business VARs, consumer-electronics stores and system builders that brought it to the party, along with a knack for pushing speciality solutions. The company expects sales to exceed $1.7 billion this year.

Brothers, a 33-year veteran of the family-owned business, who worked his way up from a salesman, insists it's not about signing vendors, but about keeping customers and employees happy and being consistent. His philosophy: "If it isn't broke, don't fix it."

Another secret to Brothers' success is his ability to deliver his customer-centric message to everyone in organization, according to Dan Schwab, vice president of marketing.

"He has the ability to communicate to every level," Schwab says. "He's worked his way up. ... He has the understanding that every person is part of the success of the company."

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