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Brian Paul Drab

Partner and equity research analyst at William Blair & Company L.L.C.

Brian Paul Drab is a Partner and equity research analyst at William Blair & Company L.L.C., where he co-leads the industrials group and specializes in advanced manufacturing and industrial technology companies. He has covered names such as Zebra Technologies and a range of 3D-printing and industrial technology firms, building a long-tenured track record over roughly 15 years of following the sector. Drab joined William Blair in 2006 after beginning his career as a mechanical engineer at Motorola, and he has since become a senior voice on industrial technology and additive manufacturing in public markets. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Brian Paul Drab's questions to DONALDSON Co (DCI) leadership

Question · Q1 2026

Brian Paul Drab sought more detail on the forecast for accelerated growth in the industrial outlook, given its 1.5% growth in Q1. He also inquired about the drivers and long-term secular outlook for the disk drive business, including its revenue significance. Finally, he asked about the data center opportunity's material impact on Donaldson's business, particularly for industrial products like Torit dust collectors.

Answer

CFO Brad Pogalz attributed the industrial acceleration to timing issues in defense (supplier issues, project timing) and PowerGen projects in queue, expecting sales volume and profitability to build up. COO Richard Lewis explained that disk drive growth is driven by evolving technology (HAMR), share gains, and market upturn from AI/cloud storage, expecting continued strength this year and moderate growth thereafter. CFO Brad Pogalz added that disk drive is a couple percent of total Donaldson sales. COO Richard Lewis further clarified that data centers impact both Life Science and Industrial segments through power generation, microelectronics, disk drive, and new liquid cooling opportunities using food & beverage products, with less impact on dust collection.

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