News and Trends

• Report: Freight volume drops 4.5% in March
  Freight volume with for-hire trucks dropped 4.5% in March, according to the American Trucking Associations. "While the industry is desperate for some positive news, it is unfortunate that March's data suggests the industry has not hit bottom just yet," said Bob Costello, chief economist for the ATA. Freight tonnage fell 12.2% on a year-over-year basis for March. Fleet Owner (4/28)

• Survey: Johnson & Johnson America's most reputable company
  Johnson & Johnson tops the list of America's most respected companies, according to research and the consulting firm Reputation Institute. Kraft Foods and UPS took the second and third spots on the list of 153 major U.S. companies. Halliburton ranked last, with financial firm AIG just above it. Forbes (4/29)

• Study: Obama's cap-and-trade could cost $1,400 per U.S. household
  The Barack Obama cap-and-trade program to curb carbon emissions would cost the average American household $1,400 per year by 2020, according to a study by the Coalition for Affordable American Energy. "All consumers and businesses would face steep increases in energy costs, leading to a spike in the cost of goods and services throughout the U.S. economy," said Bruce Josten, executive vice president of government affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Reuters (4/28)

• Learn more: Read CRA International's detailed report on this topic. 

• Other News

• Arrow Electronics' first-quarter net income plummets 70% on weak demand
  The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model)/Dow Jones Newswires (4/29)

• Grainger promotes CEO James T. Ryan to chairman of the board
  Industrial Distribution online (4/29)

• C&S Wholesale bids for assets of bankrupt Bruno's Supermarkets
  The Birmingham News (Ala.) (4/29)

• Office Depot closes or relocates 108 stores in first quarter
  GlobeSt.com (4/29)

• Hot Rod publisher Source Interlink files for Chapter 11
  Bloomberg (4/28)

	Economic Stimulus Opportunities for Wholesale Distribution Dr. Adam Fein, distribution industry expert, presents an exclusive report that helps executives to understand this major piece of economic legislation and then take advantage of any private business benefits of the new spending. The report focuses on the provisions of the bill with the greatest relevance to wholesale distribution companies. Click to download your complimentary report.

Best Practices

• Businesses need to use dedicated sales-tax programs
  Businesses are better off investing in sales-tax software to help determine their liability, John Cummings writes. Dedicated-tax software can help reduce errors and manage exemptions. Business Finance/Big Fat Finance blog (4/29)

• Tips for fighting stalled growth
  About 15% of companies face stalled growth in any given year, Steve McKee reports, citing original research. McKee claims these delays in profit growth are a natural part of the business cycle, but many companies indulge in bad habits that prolong their downturns. McKee suggests employees of companies facing difficult numbers need to be calm and focus on their goals without losing their sense of commitment or their tempers. MarketingProfs (free registration) (4/28)

• Other News

• Swine flu: A new case for telecommuting
  The Washington Post (4/29)

Sales

• Allocate resources based on need and improve efficiency
  By analyzing customer needs, businesses can allocate their sales resources more effectively, Mike Emerson says. He argues some customers will require additional assistance making their selections, while others consistently will know what they need, meaning they need fewer sales resources to handle their account. By allocating resources to clients with more needs and pulling them off clients with fewer, businesses can reduce costs and run more efficiently. Modern Distribution Management/MDM Blog (4/28)

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by NAW SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Wolseley stockholders leave behind only 2% of rights issue (The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model))

• Inventory reductions could trigger economic recovery (The Washington Post)

• Cautious optimism in the air at industrial trade fair (Modern Distribution Management)

• Improve closing ratio in tough times by sticking to three principles (CEPro.com)

• Survey: Steel prices will continue to fall in second quarter (Purchasing.com)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

Small Business Manager

• How to think like a major CEO
  Small-business owners might gain some insight about how to focus their energy by looking at a New York Times article that shows a "brain map" of how Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd thinks. Translating the map into small-business concerns, operations and products become the internal focus, while competition and trends should be the external focus, writes Anita Campbell, executive editor of Small Business Trends. Small Business Trends (4/26)

Sponsored Content

Executive Life

• River cruises, sky nannies among top travel trends
  According to Travel + Leisure, the hottest travel trends for 2009 include medical tourism, river cruises, trips on vintage trains and "voluntourism." Also, more hotels are offering their guests wellness expertise, while at least one airline is offering passengers help with their children in the form of sky nannies. Travel + Leisure (5/2009)

• Amsterdam defined by canals, other affordable attractions
  Amsterdam's famed canals were built four centuries ago and long have offered visitors a unique view of the city. Along the canals, cobbled streets are teeming with walkers and bicyclists who get yet another view of Amsterdam. Many of the city's best features -- the canals, cobbled streets, Red Light district and open-air markets, to name a few -- are free. Meanwhile, museums, cafes and other attractions might not be free, but they're affordable. USA TODAY/The Associated Press (4/28)

NAW Insider

Weekly Poll

• How worried are you that swine flu will hurt your business?
  After voting once, check out the real-time poll results on NAW's All Access page as often as you'd like.

	Extremely.
	Very.
	Somewhat.
	A little.
	Not at all.

Sales Manager Dental Health Products, Inc New Franken, WI Bearing/OEM Sales Specialist AAXICO Home Based Territory Manager Behler-Young Traverse City, Michigan Chief Financial Officer HIS Company Inc. DBA HISCO Houston, TX

SmartQuote

Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." --Judy Garland, American actress and singer