ORLANDO, FL -- Twelve thousand attendees from around the country converged on the Orange County Convention Center March 15–17, 2026. The purpose of the event was to connect customers with MRO (maintenance, repair, and operations) products, solutions and safety industry experts.

The 12,000 that turned out included 6,400 customers and 2,800 Grainger team members with the company hosting 12 booths showcasing their thousands of products and services. Suppliers for Grainger also presented at 523 booths on the 450,000 square feet tradeshow floor.

The show now in its 19th year also offered 32 learning tracks, that were designed to dive into
the latest trends, advances and challenges shaping the MRO industry.

“Safety is a Steady Consideration Over the Last Few Years”

A standout learning track, The Safety & Sustainability: Trends, Strategies, and Solutions, offered seminars that recognized the importance of workplace safety noting that it is no longer optional but strategically imperative in elevating workplace safety culture.

The sessions included: Measuring Safety - A Systems and Culture based Approach, which was conducted by Wyatt Bradbury, principal of Health and Safety from Avetta and Jennifer McNelly, CEO, American Society of Safety Professionals, Doing Safety Differently: Wearables, HOP, and Building a Learning Culture from the Blue Line which was conducted by Tom West, vice president & Global Practice Leader for MakuSafe Wearable Tech.

“Safety has been a big part of the market especially the last five years,” said Sam Johnson, Group VP, Customer Solutions. “Our safety specialists are all certified.”

Compliance matters - Grainger offers the right product as far as the safety perspective.

Grainger representatives noted that the company offers services that can help every step of the way in the safety compliance process.

“The safety regulations are ever changing; there has been more of an uptick from customers needing products that meet the requirements,” said Johnson. “The customer might not know the new regulations, but Grainger makes sure the products are complaint.”

Grainger’s safety specialists are safety certified with a portion of them having previously worked for The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). They say they feel they are doing better work now because they are now on the front end, noting that when working with OSHA they are coming in after an incident has happened.

“A safety specialist can make sure they have the right product for the job at the beginning,” said Sean Foran, director, eCommerce Solutions.

Paige Robbins, SVP and president of Grainger Business Unit, pointed out that Grainger has something special for their customers.

“Our secret sauce is our culture, we are focused on the customer,” Robbins said.
Grainger makes it a point to hire specialists that already have safety expertise.

“It’s easier to hire them already with safety knowledge – it’s easier to teach them Grainger than safety,” said Foran.