UID Stands to Inspire and Educate Distributors
Industry Insights | NPTA | April 28, 2020
In a time of uncertainty, professionals in the paper distribution business continue to expand their knowledge base and innovate to improve operations. NPTA spoke with Brooke Lee, CEO of Anchor Paper Company, to discuss the immense value of attending UID as a means to advance as a company.
“This was my second time attending the UID. As a company leader, I really appreciate the opportunity to network with a variety of different distribution industries,” said Lee. “While it’s wonderful to share best-practices with similar paper and packaging distributors, there is insight to be gained across a spectrum of different industries. Regardless of what product is on the truck, we all share similar challenges and opportunities. There is a lot of benefit in collaborating.”
Across myriad sectors, there exists a pressing need to integrate technology into business workflows, which became the focus of many education sessions during the event.
“It felt like there was a targeted focus on utilizing technology in distribution at this year’s UID Conference. I took a few classes that focused on using technology in sales, and specifically on lead generation. It was interesting to learn what CRM and prospecting tools people are using, as well as how other companies are promoting themselves in vertical markets,” said Lee. “In another class, we talked about tech tools for connecting remote teams and regional distributors. The take-aways from this class was particularly timely in light of the COVID-19 pandemic that came quickly on the heels of the UID. Our Company has used some of those technologies discussed to stay connected.”
Lee went on to discuss the breadth of instructors from a variety of universities and how that nurtures an engaging educational environment at UID.
“I took a day-long course on negotiation where we got to team-up with other students in the class to participate in mock negotiations. It was a fun, interactive way to put the strategies we learned to use,” said Lee. “I took another session on M&A. This was particularly helpful for me as a business owner that is looking to expand our operation in the future. I absorbed a lot of information to bring back to the office and hit the ground running.”
Despite the shifting professional landscape at present, Lee remains steadfast in her belief that UID will remain an inarguable value for those in distribution.
“We live in a fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. Now, more than ever, Companies need to foster innovative thinking and more efficient ways of doing business,” said Lee. “We find value in coming together with forward-thinking people to share ideas that can improve our business. We get this opportunity at the UID, and it is a driving reason why we have sent employees to this conference every year for the past four years.”
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Brooke Lee is the CEO and the 4th generation family owner of Anchor Paper Company located in downtown St. Paul. She began working at Anchor in 2006 as a Purchasing agent. She spent her first seven years in various roles in the Fine Paper, Industrial & Packaging, Seed Solutions & Converting divisions. Since becoming the CEO in 2014, Brooke has been recognized by the National Association of Women Business Owners with an Achieve Award for leading a company into the fourth generation of business. She has been named to Minnesota Business Magazine's The (Real) Power 50 List, and she was a recent honoree of the Minneapolis Business Journal’s 2019 40 Under 40 list. She serves on numerous industry Boards to include the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Association of Independent Printing Paper Merchants (AIPPM). Additionally, she serves as a board member for Minnehaha Academy and for the non-profit organization, Spare Key.