News and Trends

• Target to open its own food-distribution center
  Target Corp. will open its first company-owned perishable food distribution center in Lake City, Fla., enabling the company to ship a variety of frozen, fresh and refrigerated produce products to Southeast stores. The facility will be operated in partnership with Supervalu Inc. and is slated to open in 2008. American City Business Journals/Minneapolis/St. Paul (1/31)

• Grainger expands catalog offerings
  Grainger has released its facilities maintenance product catalog for 2007, and its total number of items is up about 20% over last year's listings. The company has also enhanced its Web site's search and selection tools. "We bolstered our offering in several key categories including plumbing, material handling, fasteners and security products and today we're excited to announce that we are poised to serve even more of our customers' needs," said the company's senior vice president of supply chain management. Progressive Distributor (2/2)

• Daylight-saving time could hit snags this year
  It might not be Y2K, but Congress' decision to move daylight-saving time from April to March this year is likely to affect numerous computer systems that have been preset to change the hour on the traditional date. Many people aren't even aware of the change, but it could affect everything from security systems that log the time of critical events to takeoff times for pilots and synchronized international communications components. The Washington Post (2/1)

• Other News

• Arrow Electronics president, CEO named Brown-Forman director
  American City Business Journals/Louisville (1/31)

Best Practices

• Protect workers from cold-weather injuries
  The winter chill is well underway, and it's important to keep workers who are exposed to the elements safe from cold-induced ailments, including trench foot, frostbite and hypothermia. Make a list of precautions, including learning symptoms of the conditions above, eating warm foods and wearing weather-appropriate attire, and make it available to all your employees. Occupational Hazards (2/1)

• Most dress codes are in place for a reason
  Follow the handbook and listen to your boss's suggestions when it comes to the office dress code, says one Washington Post columnist, even if it doesn't fit your personal style. However, if you feel the suggestions are a form of discrimination, you should report them to an employment lawyer. The Washington Post (1/28)

More than 60% of back orders are cancelled. How can you ensure that you have product available to avoid back orders in the first place? Learn what other distributors are doing to upgrade their supply chain in this free whitepaper.

Sales

• Don't quote customers blind prices
  Be sure to compare the benefit and problem-solving capabilities of your product or service relative to the cost when discussing price with your prospect. Price-shock shouldn't be a problem if clients understand what they paying for. Manage Smarter (1/29)

Hot Topics

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

• Report: Trucker turnover costs millions (DC Velocity)

• HD Supply reaches distribution deal with Resin Systems (Industrial Distribution)

• Best way to make a sale is face-to-face time (Manage Smarter)

• Let employees know what they're worth (American City Business Journals)

• Grainger's numbers show good year in 2006 (Industrial Distribution)

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

Small Business Manager

• Reward employees with memorable perks
  Tangible rewards and paid group activities may serve small-business owners as better employee motivators than cash bonuses to show workers they're appreciated, according to some experts. Often less expensive than forgettable monetary rewards, some popular treats include spa days and travel perks. The New York Times (2/1)

Executive Life

• Consumers downplay conspicuous electronics
  Homeowners have been spending big bucks to blend their home-theater systems inconspicuously with the rest of their homes, buying devices such as the Artcoustic speaker system, which allows consumers to print images onto the thin speakers. The current trend of hiding electronics seems to be spurring the next generation of devices, experts say. The Wall Street Journal (2/1)

• Most airports keep operating through severe winter storms
  Most airlines and airports are able to continue operating through snowstorms as long as they do not allow snow to accumulate. In December, severe storms forced Denver International Airport to shut down twice, but those incidents were unusual. The airport is vulnerable because of its location on the prairies east of Denver. ABC News (1/29)

NAW Insider

• Are you interested in driving higher margins?
  Price for Success: A Practical Guide for Improving Margins in Wholesale Distribution by NAW/DREF provides strategies, tactics and case studies to help executives, sales managers and pricing managers build a pricing foundation for improved margin management and long-term profitability.

• Order NEW Facing the Forces of Change report now!
  Facing the Forces of Change: Lead the Way in the Supply Chain, eighth edition in acclaimed series by NAW's Distribution Research and Education Foundation, is ready for ordering. This all-new report is packed with trends, action ideas and thought-provoking questions for your management team. Every distribution executive should read this book. Order now!

Weekly Poll

• Does your company or office have a strict dress code?
  After voting once, check out the real-time poll results on NAW's All Access page as often as you'd like.

	Very conservative and traditional
	General guidelines but reasonable
	Every day is a casual Friday

Director of Information Technology APA Search Tampa, FL Sales - Account Manager Johnstone Supply Orlando/Tampa Bay/Ocala/Gainesville, Florida Outside Sales Representative Grimco, Inc. Baltimore, MD National Sales Manager W&O Supply, Inc. Jacksonville, FL

SmartQuote

If you don't think like a winner, you're not going to be a winner." --Zak Kustok, former college quarterback