| January 10, 2007 | News for the wholesale distribution industry |
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- Airgas acquires refrigerant supplier
Industrial and specialty gas wholesaler-distributor Airgas has acquired CFC Refimax, a supplier of refrigerants. Refimax became a part of Airgas Specialty Products on Jan. 1. "This acquisition will advance our strategy to expand our refrigerants business and to broaden our product offerings and capabilities," Airgas Specialty Products President Chuck Broadus said. Progressive Distributor
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- Fed official: Rates won't drop despite encouraging news
Recent declines in the rate of inflation in major areas like food and energy are encouraging, Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Donald Kohn said Monday, but are not enough to ease the Fed's overall concerns about possible general inflation. Kohn warned that the new data doesn't necessarily reflect long-term trends, and that it's too soon to talk about lower interest rates. The Wall Street Journal
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The Fed has two jobs, and Bernanke says that's fine: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke defended the central bank's dual role of setting monetary policy and supervising the banking system. Bernanke told an industry gathering that there is no conflict between the two functions, and that he is "not aware of any evidence that monetary-policy decisions have been distorted because of the Fed's supervisory role." MarketWatch
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, The Wall Street Journal
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| | Wholesale Distributors Send More Invoices Per $ of Revenue
Many distributors now outsource their invoicing to reduce costs. Top invoicing services send via postal, email and fax and process / reconcile incoming payments. On-boarding over the web in less than a day with no upfront costs is critical for rapid ROI. Learn more with a Complimentary Study from analyst PayStream Advisors. Request a Brochure from an innovative vendor: Transcepta. | |
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- Make hiring easier by expanding applicant pool
Finding the right person with the right talents and skills to fill positions at work is a daunting task. Some employers are looking to the perfectly qualified, yet untapped, pool of physical, mental or otherwise disabled workers. "Recruiting and hiring people with disabilities really isn't much different than recruiting and hiring people without disabilities," says the vice president of Human Capital for Goodwill Industries. "The issues ... are the same for everyone." American City Business Journals/San Antonio
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- Companies add elder-care benefits
Benefits for employees that are responsible for caring for their aging parents or family members is becoming more important as baby boomers age. Employers can provide such benefits at relatively low cost, and it helps attract and retain employees, says one human resources vice president. The Hartford Courant (Conn.)
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- Supply chain execs must deal with M&A-associated problems
Supply chain executives are facing problems and negative kickbacks as companies delve into mergers and acquisitions. More than 65% of executives surveyed on the subject by Accenture said that activities associated with M&As cause disruptions in product launches, and more than half saw issues with filling orders. Forbes
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- Keep your eye on the prize
A big part of achieving goals is knowing exactly what you want to accomplish and keeping your eye on that goal. Losing sight of the finish line may cause lack of motivation and make giving up more likely. Selling Power (free registration)
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| Small Business Manager | | |
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- Analysis: Small businesses begin to embrace convergence
To enable fixed-mobile convergence services, businesses need a broadband connection, Wi-Fi network access, dual-mode devices and either the use of unlicensed mobile access or session initiation protocol, according to this writer. The decision to deploy FMC hinges on cost-saving analysis. Silicon.com
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| The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS)
TheLadders.com SeekWeek 2007
Learn From Experts; Make Your Move
Week-long free webinar series featuring practical information about job search best practices and perspectives on recruiting by top recruiting experts. January 8-12, 2007. 12 noon EST. Register now SeekWeek 2007. (Archives available on demand)
Interested in learning more about advertising in NAW SmartBrief? Contact Henry Murphey at (202) 737-5500 ext. 245 or hmurphey@smartbrief.com
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| Executive Life | | |
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- Major airlines may rival discounters on fare prices
Major airlines will price their fares aggressively to compete with discount carriers in 2007, some observers say. "I think the price wars are going to be started by the legacies, and the two of them are going to battle and the consumer is going to win in 2007," says Terry Trippler of myvacationpasssport.com. Others in the travel industry say increasing fuel prices will spur airlines to pass on higher costs to passengers. Orlando Sentinel (Fla.)
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, San Jose Mercury News (Calif.)
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- Curry cure-all
Curcumin, the active ingredient in the spice turmeric, may reduce the risk of arthritis, heart disease, Alzheimer's and cancer, according to studies. Turmeric is a staple in Indian curry spice. USA TODAY
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| NAW Insider | | |
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NAW and The Hartford
NAW has partnered with The Hartford to offer insurance expertise and comprehensive coverage tailored to the specific needs of wholesaler-distributors. The Hartford also offers expedited claims handling services and a countrywide network of loss control and risk management experts to help wholesaler-distributors protect their businesses and minimize loss costs. More information available here.
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Maximize your salesforce's productivity
Did you know that inside and outside salesforces are 30% to 40% of the typical distributor's operating expenses? Many distributors don't know that or how to measure sales productivity and whether they are becoming more or less productive. Let Restructuring the Distribution Sales Effort for Maximum Productivity guide you through the process from the traditional fully loaded salesforce cost structure to new salesforce models that promise higher profitability.
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Practice lean warehousing and eliminate wasted space and time
This is the first book to apply the "lean manufacturing theory" specifically to the world of warehousing. Lean Warehousing discusses the "why of getting lean" and shows you how to eliminate wasted space and time in a systematic approach, so you have a leaner warehouse operation tomorrow than you do today.
| Weekly Poll | | |
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Would you consider starting a business with your significant other?
After voting once, check out the real-time poll results on NAW's All Access page as often as you'd like.
 | Done it once and would do it again |
| It's a thought |
| Wouldn't even consider it |
| Been there, done that but didn't work |
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| Territory Manager-Philadelphia, PA | Manufacturers Reserve Supply | Southeastern, PA, Southwestern, NJ & Northern, DE |
| Commercial/Institutional Products & Service Consultant | A.W. Hastings | Enfield, CT |
| Industrial Marketing Specialist | Crescent Electric Supply Co. | East Dubuque, IL |
| Manager, Marketing Research and Analysis | Crescent Electric Supply Co. | East Dubuque, IL |
| VP Regional Manager | United Pipe & Supply Co., Inc. | Portland, Oregon |
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| SmartQuote | | |
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 | Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it."
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| | Recent NAW SmartBrief Issues:
- Monday, January 08, 2007
- Friday, January 05, 2007
- Wednesday, January 03, 2007
- Tuesday, January 02, 2007
- Friday, December 29, 2006
| | | Lead Editor: Jessica Strelitz
Contributing Editor: Ashley McMaster
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