Robert Laughlin

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Robert Laughlin

Group Vice President, Commercial and Manufacturing Sales
Grainger

Robert Laughlin was named Group Vice President, Commercial and Manufacturing Sales in May 2019.  In this expanded role, he leads the Manufacturing, Commercial, Field, and Inside Sales functions, as well as National Accounts, Consulting and Contract Enablement teams.   

Mr. Laughlin began his career with Grainger in 1989 and has since held various positions of increasing responsibility in the company’s Sales and Service areas.  He began his career in Customer Service before leading Government teams in Director, RSVP and Functional VP (FVP) capacities. Within Grainger’s Government Sales Organization, Mr. Laughlin was involved in securing critical government contracts as well as developing strategic coverage models for the organization.

After his roles in the Government functions, Mr. Laughlin moved on to VP for the Commercial and Manufacturing sales functions. In 2015 he was named VP of Sales Effectiveness leading the design and implementation of the customer relationship management program (SalesForce.com) across the business. In 2016, he was tasked with starting and building the newly created Field Sales team as VP, and in June 2017, he was named VP of the National Accounts function that includes Consulting and Contract Enablement. 

Mr. Laughlin is a graduate of Metropolitan State College in Denver, Colorado with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Science.  He is also a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Kellogg School of Management. 

Rob currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Chicago Children’s Museum in Chicago IL.  He is a licensed Commercial and Instrument rated pilot.  He is married with two daughters and currently resides in Kildeer, IL.

W.W. Grainger, Inc., with 2019 sales of $11.5 billion, is North America's leading broad line supplier of maintenance, repair and operating products, with operations also in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. For more information about the company, visit www.grainger.com/investor.