News and Trends

• Morgan named CEO at Baker & Taylor
  Thomas I. Morgan will assume the reins as chairman and CEO of wholesaler-distributor Baker & Taylor, effective today. Morgan previously was CEO of Hughes Supply Inc., where sales increased from $3 billion to $5.3 billion during his tenure. Home Media Magazine (7/2) , American City Business Journals/Charlotte (7/1)

• GE makes largest-ever gift to NYC schools
  General Electric has announced a five-year, $18 million grant to New York's public schools, the largest single corporate gift ever received by the school system. By carefully targeting its gifts in education and health care, GE is "one company that does philanthropy right," according to this analysis. CNNMoney.com/Fortune (7/1)

• Other News

• WinWholesale opens Winlectric branch in Oklahoma
  Modern Distribution Management (7/1)

• Weyerhaeuser opens high-tech mill in Washington
  The Daily News (Longview, Wash.) (7/1)

How Efficient Is Your Chargeback Management? As chargebacks become more complex and sophisticated, the modern distributor must automate and streamline their process to cut unnecessary costs and improve efficiency. Click here for a free white paper to learn more about how your company can avoid losing potential revenue in the chargeback process.

Best Practices

• If boss loses confidence in you, dust off that resume
  A database administrator who clearly has lost the faith of his boss is advised to update his resume and start networking for a new job. American City Business Journals (6/30)

• Board of directors can give corporate leaders much-needed guidance
  As many leaders of companies find, it can get lonely at the top, but having a board of directors can help tremendously in giving guidance and consultation. Typical responsibilities of a board include overseeing how the company does business, selecting and compensating the CEO and holding the CEO to task when necessary. CEO Strategist (6/30)

Sales

• Customers can be talked into buying extra values
  If you are sending customers away with only the items they requested, you are losing sales that could be had by up-selling. Up-selling is encouraging customers to spend more for additional features or packages with the purchase they already have made. Home Town Journal (Glen St. Mary, Fla.) (7/2)

Hot Topics

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

• Higher costs hurt Chinese factories (The Wall Street Journal)

• What your body says that your words don't (The Washington Post)

• Successfully branding private-label offerings (Modern Distribution Management)

• Avoid these interview faux pas (CNN)

• Valuable roles of wholesaler-distributors (Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.))

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

Small Business Manager

• Keep tight-budgeted consumers coming with incentives
  With most consumers cutting way back on their budgets during the tough economy, companies need to get creative in boosting brand loyalty. Incentives, such as the reward points soda companies put under bottle caps, can be highly successful in holding on to consumers when they have plenty of other choices. Manage Smarter (7/1)

Executive Life

• Heirs will gain if benefactors can live until 2009
  The federal estate-tax exclusion will increase from $2 million to $3.5 million on Jan. 1, 2009, a benefit to heirs of wealthy benefactors. The Wall Street Journal (7/2)

• Post-workout caffeine refuels muscles
  Consuming caffeine after a workout can help refuel depleted muscles. Researchers found that caffeine helps to replenish post-exercise muscles with glycogen, the primary fuel for muscles. The Economic Times (India) (7/2)

NAW Insider

• 2008 Employee Compensation Report: Available for immediate download
  As the U.S. economy continues to present challenges, distributors are reconsidering their staffing needs and how to attract and keep top performers. See how your compensation program compares to others. This report focuses on data from 1,704 distributors from across all lines of trade. It gives you the benchmarks and backup needed to budget employee pay and benefits with confidence.

• Use acclaimed industry trends report in your strategic planning
  There's no better resource to help with strategic planning during an economic downturn than Facing the Forces of Change®: Lead the Way in the Supply Chain This report provides practical insights into key trends impacting the distribution supply chain and is packed with specific action ideas and planning tools that you can use today to plan for growth and profitability.

Weekly Poll

• Do you offer customers incentives to hold on to their business?
  After voting once, check out the real-time poll results on NAW's All Access page as often as you'd like.

	Yes, especially in these economic times.
	No, if what our business offers is not enough, that is too bad.
	We have not before but might soon consider it.

Purchasing Manager Frisco International IMEX, LLC Farmers Branch, TX

SmartQuote

Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it." --Thomas Paine, author of "Common Sense"