Matthew Brown is the Senior Vice President of Sales and brings more than 30 years of sales experience, primarily at Lawson and Kent Automotive (now a division of the Company), to the management team.

Mr. Brown joined Lawson as part of the Premier/Kent Automotive acquisition in 2001, having served as Director of Sales for Kent Automotive. Since joining Lawson as Regional Sales Director, Mr. Brown was promoted several times and is now responsible for the Lawson Products’ sales organization, including Kent Automotive and strategic and government sales in North America. In this role, Mr. Brown is responsible for driving sales through productivity efforts, channel expansion, customer service and relationships as well as expansion of the sales force. Mr. Brown commenced his career at Kent Automotive in 1998 as a District Sales Manager. Earlier roles include District Sales Manager at Unitog from 1994 to 1998 and Sales Representative at State Chemical from 1989 to 1994.

Mr. Brown earned a Bachelor of Science in Business, with emphasis in business and finance, from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management.

J. Bryan King, CFA was elected to the Board of Directors in 2017 and currently serves as the Chairman of the Board. He is a Principal of Luther King Capital Management Corporation (“LKCM”), an SEC-registered investment adviser with approximately $25.7 billion of assets under management as of March 31, 2022, and Founder and Managing Partner of LKCM Capital Group and LKCM Headwater Investments, the private capital investment group of LKCM. On April 27, 2022, the Board of Directors of the Company appointed Mr. King to serve as President and Chief Executive Officer of Distribution Solutions Group effective May 1, 2022, which is in addition to his role as Chairman of the Board of the Company. Mr. King has acted as an investment manager responsible for lower middle market investments in public and private companies since 1994. Those private capital focused partnerships manage in excess of $2 billion of flexible capital focused on long-term investment strategies to drive shareholder value through building more profitable and durable businesses. The investment team and their affiliates represent approximately 30% of the capital in the partnerships, and outside capital is predominantly limited to taxable investors with prior significant experience building businesses similar to those in which LKCM invests. In 2003, Mr. King established the LKCM Distribution Holdings advisory board of operating partners, key limited partners, and relevant thought leaders to support LKCM Capital Group and its affiliates’ investment activities in value-added distribution and related service offerings. In specialty distribution, Mr. King has Chaired and/or been the Managing Partner with direct controlling oversight of Distribution Solutions Group, TestEquity, Gexpro Services, Relevant Industrial Solutions, Critical Rental Solutions, Commercial Buildings Solution, Industrial Distribution Group (IDG), Rawson, and Golden State Medical Supply, and most recently added ERIKS North American assets, including Lewis-Goetz. He also has served in various capacities, including Chairman, on and alongside of many other boards of both public and private companies, as well as numerous not for profit and community organizations. Mr. King graduated from Princeton University, where he was a varsity athlete and today serves on the advisory board for the Princeton University Museum of Art. He also graduated from Harvard Business School, as well as Texas Christian University where he serves on the Executive Committee of Trustees, and chairs the Investment Committee with oversight over the Endowment, and previously chaired the Fiscal Affairs, and Audit and Risk Management committees. These professional experiences, along with Mr. King’s particular knowledge and expertise in finance and capital management, qualify him to serve as a Director.

I. Steven Edelson was elected to the Board of Directors in 2009. He has served as co-founder and now a non-Managing Director of International Facilities Group, a leading facilities development and management company, since June 1995. Mr. Edelson is the founding principal of IFG Development Group, which provides development advisory services, as well as acts in a development capacity in multiple areas of the real estate industry. Mr. Edelson also serves as Principal and Managing Director of The Mercantile Capital Group, a Chicago-based private equity investment firm. Mr. Edelson is a co founder of GFRB llc., a global distribution company that specializes in supply chain optimization. Mr. Edelson is a Director of Bionanosim a leading drug delivery and drug discovery company based in Israel. Mr. Edelson is also a member of the Board of Governors of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Mr. Edelson is a Trustee at the Truman Institute for Peace and is the proud recipient of the 2005 Ellis Island Congressional Medal of Honor. In 2014, Mr. Edelson became a NACD Board Leadership Fellow. These professional experiences, along with Mr. Edelson’s particular knowledge and experience in capital management, qualify him to serve as a Director.

Rick Pufpaf is the Senior Vice President, Corporate Secretary, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer.  Rick works closely with the executive leadership team and the Board of Directors, ensuring compliance with SEC guidelines, annual meeting requirements, board committee, and independent director requirements. He provides practical day-to-day advice and strategic legal guidance to business leaders on a variety of matters. Rick holds deep expertise in the areas of corporate governance, compliance, employment matters, and compensation and benefits. 

Mr. Pufpaf joined Lawson in 2011, and throughout the past 10 years, Rick has served as our Assistant General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, Assistant Corporate Secretary and Vice President, Compensation & Benefits. 

He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance from Loyola University Chicago and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.  
 

Ron Knutson is the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Lawson Products. He joined Lawson Products in 2009, bringing extensive financial expertise across public and private companies within the distribution, transportation and retail sectors.

Mr. Knutson directs all financial operations for Lawson Products, including internal and external Securities and Exchange Commission reporting, relationships with the banking and financial analyst communities, working directly with the Board on audit, finance and compensation related matters and overseeing the Company’s enterprise risk management process. During his tenure at Lawson, Mr. Knutson has driven many of the key strategic initiatives, including network optimization, ERP implementation and sales channel transformation to rebuild the financial strength of the Company. Earlier roles include Senior Vice President and CFO of Frozen Foods Express Industries, Vice President of Finance at Ace Hardware Corporation, CFO and Treasurer at Mascal Electric and Senior Manager at KPMG.

Mr. Knutson holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Illinois State University and is a Certified Public Accountant.