News and Trends

• Airgas acquires Gartech Refrigerant
  Airgas Inc. has purchased Gartech Refrigerant Reclamation Center Inc.'s assets and operations for an undisclosed price, the distributor of industrial, medical and specialty gases said. Airgas has integrated Gartech's operations into its specialty products division. Forbes/Associated Press (8/1)

• Study shows rising cost of complying with Sarbanes-Oxley
  A study by the law firm Foley & Lardner found that compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other associated costs were up an average of 9% last year for public companies with revenue above $1 billion. Although the additional costs may seem to make U.S. firms less competitive on a worldwide scale, Thomas E. Hartman, a Foley & Lardner partner, said he thought the act "has made U.S. companies more competitive by making their financial statements more reliable." InvestmentNews/Pensions & Investments (8/2)

• Other News

• Barnes' sales up in Q2, company says
  Modern Distribution Management (8/2)

• Parker Hannifin reports increased earnings in fiscal 2007
  Industrial Distribution (8/1)

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Best Practices

• Corporate education programs evolve
  Three essential aspects of corporate executive education programs include organized, strategy-based programs, top management involvement and continuous skill- and knowledge-building, an expert says. Best practice organizations today rarely offer general management curricula, and instead usually tie their lessons to targeted, real-world challenges. Fast Company (7/2007)

• Keep brand consistent to build, retain loyalty
  Brand images that shift too often and stray from their core niche are likely to lose loyalty. Even some highly prosperous brands have been guilty of changing their advertising too abruptly or too frequently and losing their recognizability as a result. Instead, choose a brand strategy that is consistent and representative of your product or service. Manage Smarter (8/2)

Sales

• Routine can ease sales tasks
  The multitasking involved in sales can be made easier by building a process and routine into the system, an expert says. Having the right set of tools for the job at hand also will improve efficiency. DaveKahle.com (7/10)

Hot Topics

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

• Value-added services add to the bottom line (Modern Distribution Management)

• HD Supply opens new Florida distribution center (Industrial Distribution)

• Special committee to mull IDG's "strategic alternatives" (Industrial Distribution)

• How to cope with difficult co-workers (CNN)

• Kaman expands with four new stores (Industrial Distribution)

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

Small Business Manager

• Family businesses challenged by succession planning
  Succession planning is one of the most difficult tasks a family business owner can face. Some tips for adequate preparation include carefully analyzing the skills and attitudes of each person at the company who is a candidate for leadership, and seeking professional, objective guidance. BusinessWeek (7/30)

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Executive Life

• GPS devices buggy, vulnerable to hackers
  The latest GPS devices come with MP3 players, photo viewing, phone features, real-time traffic and more -- but testing several new models found that these new features are less than perfect, writes The Washington Post's personal-technology columnist, Rob Pegoraro. Meanwhile, security experts have demonstrated that GPS systems are vulnerable to being remotely hijacked by hackers, who can feed them fictional traffic and detour information. The Washington Post (8/2) , France 24/Agence France-Presse (8/3)

• Study: Broccoli decreases prostate cancer risk
  The consumption of broccoli and cauliflower, which are known to have anti-cancer compounds, protects men from prostate cancer better than any other vegetable, a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found. The results follow several other studies that have established a link between reduced cancer risk and vegetable consumption. BBC (8/2)

NAW Insider

• SIRIUS Satellite Radio
  SIRIUS Satellite Radio is available in over 50 Hertz locations in the U.S. Tune in to over 120 channels of commercial free music from R&B to classical masterpieces; world-class news; and the best in entertainment, talk, comedy, traffic and weather. There's something for everyone! To enroll in the NAW/Hertz Business Account Program, visit NAW's Web site.

• NAW's Large Company CEO/COO Networking Roundtable
  NAW's Large Company CEO/COO Networking Roundtable, Chicago, Sept. 19 to 20, joins CEOs and COOs from wholesale distribution companies with sales $100 million and above to network and learn. Agenda topics are based on responses from the Executives community and address specific needs of the group, including Going Green, Driving Sales Beyond, Crisis Management, Today's Economy, and Ethics. Get more details and register here.

Weekly Poll

• Does your company offer executive education?
  After voting once, check out the real-time poll results on NAW's All Access page as often as you'd like.

	Yes, it does.
	No, it does not.
	It does not now but might in the future.

Sales and Marketing Manager Plumbing Market Border States Electric Supply Harlingen, Texas

SmartQuote

The truth that makes men free is for the most part the truth which men prefer not to hear." --Herbert Agar, Pulitzer Prize-winning author