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The first experience Matt Kitchens had at a STAFDA Convention and Trade Show was 2007 in Nashville, Tennessee. Coming out of the 2025 Phoenix show, he’ll be serving as 2026 STAFDA president and leading the association, primarily by listening to the members.
“I believe effective leadership starts with listening, understanding the needs, challenges, and opportunities from the perspective of members, vendors, and the broader industry,” Matt says. “It’s about building trust, making informed decisions, and creating an environment where collaboration drives results.”
Throughout his career, his leadership style has been more hands-on and relationship focused.
“I lead by example, communicate openly, and work to empower others so we can collectively achieve our goals,” he says. “As STAFDA president, I intend to foster transparency, encourage fresh ideas, and keep the organization focused on delivering tangible value for all members.”
One of his top priorities is to make STAFDA a true selling show again.
“Many vendors still use STAFDA as a platform to introduce new products, but rarely offer promotional buys,” Matt says. “I believe exclusive value buys at STAFDA create a win-win for both distributors and manufacturers, driving sales, strengthening relationships, and adding value to attending the show.”
He’s already working with STAFDA leadership on the idea of developing a published brochure for the 2026 show in Anaheim that would feature all the available deals.
“It’s good for the manufacturers, because they need to say, hey, we didn’t just show up and meet some of our top distributors, we’re coming home with PO’s,” he says.
Sales was always in Matt’s blood. His father, a global cable salesperson, always told Matt that he could go the math route, meaning studying to become an engineer, an accountant or something of that nature. He would then counter and suggest that sales is what would be good for Matt.
“My dad was always selling me on this,” Matt says. “He’s like but if you’re going to do it, you need to sell something you love.”
With that in mind, his options were simple having grown up in a farming community, he either wanted to sell tools, welders or guns.
While attending Arizona State University for a degree in sales and marketing, Matt got an internship with Stanley Black and Decker. Ironically, he was initially disappointed, until he learned that the DeWalt tools he was familiar with were through them.
“Before I even graduated, they offered me a job,” Matt says.
Starting in Las Vegas in a field marketing role, he relocated to the northwest calling on Home Depot’s and continued to advance to a manager position, overseeing the Northwest field marketing team before eventually landing the industrial sales position in Seattle. Matt was set to take over for Alan Hammond, who had been in the role for 20 years.
The distributors were extremely nervous that he would come in, be there for a year and vanish.
“Everybody was really friendly to me, and wanted me to stay, so I went in there and I crushed it,” Matt says.
At the time, Black and Decker was developing a training position that would cover the West Coast. Matt took the position, which would be a turning point in his career.
“Prior to being in that position, I had never gone to STAFDA because you had to be a regional sales manager to attend,” Matt says.
Arriving at the DeWalt booth at the 2007 show, he quickly realized that all the sales managers in the booth knew extraordinarily little about the new products that he had just been trained in. Taking the initiative, Matt started taking customers through the booth and introducing them to the new products.
“In less than two days, I was able to walk the top DeWalt distributors on the West Coast through all the new products in our booth, something that would have taken me months to accomplish otherwise,” Matt says. “Over the years, customers began waiting specifically for me to finish with others so I could personally guide them through the booth. That efficiency, connection, and industry collaboration is what continues to inspire me.”
From the first show and beyond, he met several STAFDA board members who would encourage him to join the board.
“You look at all the relationships that I have within the industry, and I met almost every single person the first two days at that 2007 STAFDA show,” Matt says.
Eventually Craig asked Matt to join the team at California Service Tool.
“It’s fast paced and things are always changing, but at the end of the day this is a relationship business and I love that,” he says.
Coming onto the distribution side of the industry, it didn’t take long for his friends and contacts to encourage him to be on the STAFDA board.
“STAFDA offers training programs, market trend insights, and business tools that help members stay competitive,” Matt says. “STAFDA also delivers value by connecting distributors, manufacturers, and rep agents through networking opportunities, education, and industry resources.”
He notes that the annual convention and trade show provide a platform for discovering new products, building relationships, and negotiating exclusive deals.
Admittedly, the consolidation of distributors and vendors brings both opportunities and challenges for everyone in the industry.
“Years ago, when Milwaukee Tool and Makita chose to stop distributing through Lowe’s, it shook the market,” Matt says. “Today, when you walk into a White Cap, you may not see the brands you’ve always associated with their name. In some markets, a single acquisition can remove a manufacturer’s presence overnight.”
However, he notes that when acquisitions don’t work out, entrepreneurs often step in. These are the distributors who are starting from a garage or a van and just need that connection with suppliers.
“Where are they going to do that? STAFDA,” Matt says. “That’s the future of STAFDA. We’ve just got to get all these little guys to know that we exist, and to come to these shows to start making those connections with the manufacturers.”
He says as the consolidations continue, the manufacturers are going to be drooling to set up a guy that has one truck and is making deliveries on jobsites.
“STAFDA provides that platform, giving new and growing businesses direct access to the products, relationships, and industry knowledge they need to succeed,” Matt says. “That’s my message to all of us, all the big manufacturers that have chosen not to be there, you guys are missing out.”
This article originally appeared in the October/November 2025 issue of Contractor Supply magazine. Copyright 2025, Direct Business Media.
CONTRACTOR SUPPLY MAGAZINE
The October/November 2025 issue of Contractor Supply magazine is here!
Our cover story, The Power of Fusion, California Service Tool demonstrates how it has found a way to fuse together its relationships with customers and vendors.
Learn the story of 2026 STAFDA President Matt Kitchens and get the full line up for the 2025 STAFDA Convention and Trade Show Section and also in this issue are Industry Updates.
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