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NAW SmartBrief
April 20, 2007
 

News and Trends

Johnstone Supply nears completion of new distribution center
Johnstone Supply, a large distributor of HVACR parts, will expand its reach with a new distribution facility in the Jacksonville area of Florida. Construction on the 120,000-square-foot facility is under way, and it should be operational next month. The new center will widen Johnstone's supply net and link its southern supply depots together. Reed/ACP Construction Data (4/16)

Analysis: Develop strategies for sustaining growth
Huge growth in the U.S. wholesale distribution industry may increase competition among industrial products, pharmaceuticals and plumbing/HVAC distributors. Much of this growth results from inflated prices in the current market, including the price of steel mill products, oil and building materials like lumber. Through careful monitoring and preparation, distributors may be able to sustain this high growth even when prices naturally level out. Progressive Distributor (4/1)

More companies face medical marijuana in the workplace
As the use of medical marijuana expands to more states, employers are faced with ethical and liability challenges of having workers who use marijuana on the job. Even in places where marijuana use is permitted for medical purposes, some companies fire workers who test positive for the drug, and some have faced legal action due to company rules that conflict with state laws. USA TODAY (4/16)

Other News

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Best Practices

Praise beneficial in the workplace
You needn't lavish gifts and rewards on employees to make them feel appreciated, but bosses who offer at least a "thank you" to employees are likely to see better, more productive results. "People will work harder and more enthusiastically for an appreciative boss, and companies that praise topnotch performance are more profitable than those that don't," says columnist Anne Fisher. CNNMoney.com/Fortune (4/12)

How to reduce costs to stay competitive
Most companies could find ways to easily cut expenses if they would just take the time to look for them. Slimming down excessive inventories, analyzing shipping costs and focusing on employee retention are just a few ways to watch the budget and save money, which in turn enables a business to better compete. DC Velocity (4/2007)

Sales

How can social networking aid your business?
Social media comes in two basic categories: blogs, videocasts and podcasts that sit on a site and wait to be viewed; and social networking sites like MySpace, YouTube, Second Life and Gather, where people interact with each other. Social media is good for marketing but can also be tricky because of negative opinions surrounding some sites. The business-minded should use social media to attract their target audience and participate socially to increase usage. Entrepreneur (4/2007)

Small Business Manager

Retain top employees at your small business
Small businesses that can't compete with huge corporations for employees can still attain first-rate workers. A Gallup Organization manager suggests offering larger commissions to balance out smaller salaries. Rewards and incentives also measure attractively even against larger salaries offered by bigger businesses; for example, a huge incentive for many employees is the ability to work from home. CNNMoney.com/Fortune Small Business (4/17)

Executive Life

Debunking common food myths
Toast has just as many calories as bread and eating snacks at night does not have any more impact on weight gain than snacks at any other time of day, says a nutritionist, who contests other food myths. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (free registration) (4/18)

Picture-in-picture technology comes to cell phones
Samsung has added picture-in-picture capabilities to its SCH-B710 cell phone. The phone, which also features a rotating screen, receives video broadcast over its digital multimedia broadcast network. The Register (U.K.) (4/19)

NAW Insider

How do you insure part of a set?

The Hartford offers Pairs and Sets coverage that can make a wholesaler-distributor "whole" after suffering a covered loss to a pair or set. Read the full text article.

Elevate your organization to the next level of performance

The NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence and Deloitte Consulting have released Driving Growth and Shareholder Value: The Distribution Value Map. Known as the DVM, this extraordinary mapping tool helps distribution executives make crucial strategic and operational improvements through a systematic approach to higher efficiency, greater profitability, and added value to distributors and their customers. Use it to reenergize existing programs or jump-start new initiatives.

Weekly Poll

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