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Thomas and Joan Read Center for Distribution Research & Education

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You are here: Home / About Us / Faculty, Staff, & Speakers / Dr. Barry Lawrence

Dr. Barry Lawrence

Dr. Barry Lawrence

Program Coordinator of Industrial Distribution,
Director of Thomas and Joan Read Center for Distribution Research and Education,
Leonard and Valerie Bruce Chair Professor in Industrial Distribution

Email: barry.lawrence@tamu.edu
Phone: (979) 571-5513

Educational Background
PhD Information and Operations Management, Texas A&M University
MBA Southwest Texas State University
BBA in Finance, University of Texas

Research Interests
Supply Chain Management
Distributor Profitability
Inventory and Asset Management Optimization
E-business Implementation
Leadership and Strategy
Industrial Distribution Systems
Global Supply Chain Throughput
Distribution Process

About
Dr. Barry Lawrence is the Program Coordinator of the Industrial Distribution Program, and Director of the Thomas and Joan Read Center for Distribution Research and Education, the organization that hosts the Global Supply Chain Laboratory (GSCL) and the Talent Incubator Program at Texas A&M University. He is also a Fellow of the NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence. Dr. Lawrence holds the Leonard and Valerie Bruce Endowed Chair as a Professor in the Industrial Distribution Program at Texas A&M, and he is involved in graduate, undergraduate, and professional continuing education teaching activities; funded research projects; journal publications; and industry presentations. His teaching activities focus on global distribution, supply-chain management, and optimizing
profitability. Dr. Lawrence is a frequent speaker for distribution associations and private firms on a wide range of topics, including inventory asset management, customer stratification, pricing, sales and marketing, optimizing distributor profitability, supplier alignment, leadership and strategy formulation, and other relevant areas.

Dr. Lawrence has worked on many large industry projects, generating millions of dollars in funding for the university and its students. Some of his major research consortia include Information Systems for Supply Chain Integration, ERP Benchmarking and Standardization, Pricing Optimization, Optimizing Distributor Profitability, Sales and Marketing Optimization, México-Texas Trade Corridor, Optimizing Growth and Market Share, Optimizing Channel Compensation, Value Added Services and Digitizing the Sales Process. His other important initiatives include the GSCL, Council for Research on Distributor Best Practices, and the Talent Incubator Program.

Dr. Lawrence holds a Ph.D. in Information and Operations Management from Texas A&M University, an MBA from Southwest Texas State University, and a BBA in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Lawrence has more than 35 years of industry experience in sales and distribution. He has written ten books on distributor competitiveness and is author of best-selling NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence books:

  • Sales and Marketing Optimization: Developing Competitive Value Propositions in Distribution
  • Customer Stratification: Best Practices for Boosting Profitability
  • Optimizing Distributor Profitability: Best Practices to a Stronger Bottom Line
  • Pricing Optimization: Striking the Right Balance for Margin Advantage
  • Optimizing Human Capital Development: A Distributor’s Guide to Building Sustainable Competitive Advantage Through Talent Strategy 
  • Driving Profitable Growth: A Distributor’s Playbook to Generate-Manage and Sustain Competitive Advantage
  • Unlock the Power of Inventory Analytics: Aligning Working Capital to Customer Experience to Maximize your Bottom Line
  • Optimizing Channel Profitability: A Playbook to Align Manufacturer–Distributor–Customer Relationships

all of which detail wholesale distribution best practices, implementation, and shareholder value.

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Thomas & Joan Read Center for Distribution Research and Education

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