Applico is excited to have Dirk Van Dongen, former President & CEO of the National Association of Wholesaler Distributors, join our company as a Senior Advisor. For 41 years, Mr. Van Dongen was at the helm of this preeminent industry association helping distributors solve their toughest challenges. In his capacity as Senior Advisor, Dirk will carry forward that same mission through Applico's focus on disruptive tech business models entering the wholesale distribution industry.

"Marketplace business models have forged a new era of winners and losers in the retail industry and B2B distribution is the next frontier," said Alex Moazed, Applico Founder & CEO. "Dirk's leadership experience across all the distribution verticals will be invaluable to our efforts helping distributors to fight back against big tech and win."

As a Senior Advisor, Mr. Van Dongen will work with Applico's leadership to identify, execute and invest in digital and marketplace opportunities. He shared, "I want to work with Applico because it is uniquely positioned to help distributors turn the threat of marketplaces into an opportunity. The Applico team and I know that distributors have tremendous competitive advantages that, if leveraged properly, can unlock significant value creation through new, digital business models."

About Applico

Applico is the Platform Advisory and Investment firm to CEOs and Boards who are tired of the same old career consultants and bankers. Our clients choose Applico because we are tech operators who co-invest alongside our clients. Our founder-led operator and M&A teams act as an outsourced corporate development team to develop strategic alliances with tech startups. We deliver results with our own skin in the game.