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June 20, 2008 News for the wholesale distribution industry     News and Trends    Staples' Corporate Express acquisition deal gets EU's blessing The European Commission has approved Staples Inc.'s plan to purchase Corporate Express in a bid worth more than $3 billion. The bid was increased twice during Staples' efforts to make a deal for the Dutch office supplier. CNNMoney.com/Dow Jones Newswires (6/18) IDG shareholders OK merger Atlanta-based Industrial Distribution Group, an MRO distributor, has gotten the green light from stockholders for a deal under which the company will be acquired by a Luther King Capital Management affiliate. The deal is expected to close by the middle of next month. Modern Distribution Management (6/18) Other News Gordon Food constructs new distribution center in Wisconsin American City Business Journals/Milwaukee (6/17) 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  Companies step in to help workers as foreclosures increase With foreclosures soaring to all-time highs, employers in some areas are stepping in to help workers hold on to their homes. Small firms and large companies alike have stepped up to offer help such as interest-free loans or grants. Experts say such actions make good business sense because productivity tends to drop when workers are under financial pressure. CareerJournal (The Wall Street Journal) (6/17) Your Web site: The public face of your business The quality and professionalism of your Web site will reflect on that of your business. A columnist offers a critique of three company Web sites. BusinessWeek (6/9)   Sales  TransPromo an innovative combination of promotion, savings TransPromo is a new corporate buzzword referring to the combination of regular bills and statements and targeted marketing material using techniques including personalization and color. The goal of TransPromo is savings, and an example is the elimination of additional inserts in statement envelopes and instead placing the promotional material in the white spaces of the statement. MarketingProfs (free registration) (6/17)   Small Business Manager  Where to find growth in hard times Meet six small companies whose growth has put them in the FSB 100 -- and find out how they got there. CNNMoney.com (6/17)   Executive Life  Column: Poor investment choices hamper 401(k) accounts Saving more would help most people, but that isn't the only factor keeping 401(k) balances low, Gail MarksJarvis writes in a Chicago Tribune finance column. A recent study shows that most Americans aren't investing wisely, she reported. "With a little more investing savvy, the people in the study would be on course to have about 28 percent more wealth at retirement than they are now likely to have, if they have 20 years of investing to go," MarksJarvis said. Chicago Tribune (6/17) Short history of Europe's longtime brewing traditions Most U.S. beer brands are mere babies compared with some European brews that have been around since the 14th and 15th centuries. Het Anker, a brewery in Belgium, has records dating back to 1369 and continues making strong, hearty ales today. The Washington Post (6/18)   NAW Insider  After a flood Cleaning up a flood ravaged business -- one of the first steps toward recovery -- can be a difficult and disheartening task. It can also be dangerous. Get more information here. Save on overnight shipping with DHL ShipReady NAW and DHL have partnered to offer a unique delivery service from DHL Express. Members can ship anywhere in the continental U.S. for one flat rate with no weight limits, extra fees or fuel surcharges. Receive two free envelopes with your first order by visiting the ShipReady site and entering the promo code NAWSR07. Learn more about NAW -> Join NAW  |  Business Products  |  Publications  |  Meetings  |  Govt. Relations   Weekly Poll  Is your business planning to bring any of its offshore operations back to the U.S.? After voting once, check out the real-time poll results on NAW's All Access page as often as you'd like. Yes -- it makes better financial sense. No -- Our offshore operations work well. We actually are considering more offshore initiatives. We never sent any operations offshore. Vice President, Sales Liquidity Services Inc Fullerton, CA   SmartQuote  When someone is impatient and says, 'I haven't got all day,' I always wonder, How can that be? How can you not have all day?" --George Carlin American comedian     Subscriber Tools       Print friendly format | Web version | Search past news | Archive | Privacy policy Advertise Sales Associate:  Henry Murphey 202-737-5500 ext. 245 Download Media Kit Job Board:  Lee Vanderwerff 202-737-5500 ext. 248   Read more at SmartBrief.com A powerful Web site for SmartBrief readers including: Breaking News Industry Home Competitor News Readers' Choice Press Releases Search Archive Who's Hiring? Get this RSS Feed Publish your Press Release       Recent NAW SmartBrief Issues: Thursday, June 19, 2008 Wednesday, June 18, 2008 Monday, June 16, 2008 Friday, June 13, 2008 Thursday, June 12, 2008     Lead Editor:  Ashley McMaster Contributing Editor:  Nancy Melville | Robert Jones     Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005     © 1999-2009 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information