News and Trends

• Small distributors find success, growth
  A growing number of small and medium-size distribution companies that handle the logistics of getting foreign goods to the American marketplace are at the forefront of technology and social trends, according to The New York Times, and business is growing. "We handled fewer than 200 containers a month in 2000, and today we handle 2,500 containers a month," said William H. Butler, Weber Distribution president and CEO. The New York Times (9/20)

• Waveless technology improves order processing efficiency
  Wave-based order processing is dated, says the director of optimizing technology at supply chain consultancy firm Fortna. New waveless technology improves distribution center productivity by enabling a continuous flow so workloads are balanced, and it saves managers the time of having to plan work around the waves. DC Velocity (9/2007)

• Opening internships to baby boomers can benefit business
  Baby boomers who are quitting the jobs they don't like are looking at internships as a way to break into new fields. So far, employers who could be taking advantage of the enthusiasm and experience these baby boomers offer have not changed their opinion that internships are for younger people, according to an article in The Christian Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor (9/19)

• Other News

• Arrow enters distribution agreement with Empower Technologies
  TradingMarkets.com/RTT News (9/18)

• Blog: SAP's online software offering "just a toe in the water"
  Wall Street & Technology (9/19)

	Live Webcast: Private Label Success Join IBM for a complimentary live web conference as distribution industry expert, Dr. Adam Fein, moderates a panel of guest distributors sharing their personal experiences on how they leveraged the private label trend to increase profitability through integrating supply and demand operations--Thursday, October 4 at 1PM ET.
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Best Practices

• Small businesses can use Web tools to make a splash
  New Internet technologies can offer low-cost marketing and communications tools for small or new companies to build higher profiles. Webcasts and blogs are two important tools that are already used by more than 400,000 SMBs, and about 260,000 more are using podcasts, found a study from AMI Partners. BusinessWeek (9/3)

• Consider various factors in strategic plan development
  Employees from all areas of a business should be included in the process for successful implementation of a strategic plan, and accountability will keep the plan together, a consultant says. In setting goals, make sure achievable objectives are set and avoid mistakes such as taking a "dart board" approach that offers no specific means for getting started. CEO Strategist (9/11)

	Good help is hard to find. NAW SmartBrief to the rescue! You won't reach a more targeted, qualified audience in the wholesale distribution industry. Get started now and post your open positions in NAW SmartBrief.
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Sales

• Persuasive sales presentations require thought, preparation
  Successful salespeople need to refine their skills in making powerful and persuasive sales presentations. Such presentations require studying the customers in addition to the product or service and taking the time to consider which issues to address. DaveKahle.com (9/11)

Hot Topics

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

• Praxair to raise prices on some products (Industrial Distribution)

• Southwest keeps open seating, changes boarding procedure (Houston Chronicle)

• Study: Americans most productive, work more hours (Baseline)

• Signs that your employee recognition program needs a makeover (American City Business Journals)

• Home Depot closes Landscape Supply (The New York Times)

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

Small Business Manager

• SMB owners sometimes work in most unlikely places
  The co-owner of a 12-employee asphalt restoration firm with $1.2 million in revenues in 2006 works out of a small space -- her bedroom's walk-in closet. When the company, Atlantic Infra-red, turned a profit after four years in business, the owners, who had run the business out of their home, had California Closets come in and renovate the 40-square-foot closet to fit a desk and shelves. "But I don't care," says Marilyn Grabowski, "it's cheap! Why waste money on office rental?" CNNMoney.com/Fortune Small Business (9/20)

Executive Life

• Activists hold "strand-in" on the National Mall
  Activists, including leader Kate Hanni, created a mock airplane fuselage on the Mall in Washington on Wednesday, invited "passengers" to sit inside, and piped in the sounds of a baby crying. The simulation was meant to approximate the passenger experience of a long-delayed flight. CNN (9/19) , The New York Times (9/20)

• "60 Minutes" makes audio podcast accessible via iTunes
  A free audio podcast of CBS newsmagazine "60 Minutes" will be available on CBSNews.com and also on iTunes. "'60 Minutes' is perfect for this kind of audio podcasting. Our broadcast has always been built on solid story telling, with or without the pictures," the show's executive producer, Jeff Fager, said. Broadcasting & Cable (9/20)

NAW Insider

• NAW's Billion Dollar Company CEO Roundtable
  NAW's Billion Dollar Company CEO Roundtable, Chicago, Oct. 9 to 10, joins CEOs from wholesale distribution companies with sales $1 billion and above to network and learn. Topics are based on responses from the CEO community addressing specific needs of the group, including Building a Platform for the Future, Brand Building/Sourcing/Private Labels and the Multigenerational Workforce. Get details and register here.

• Save 35% when you order DVM
  The NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence and Deloitte Consulting offer Driving Growth and Shareholder Value: The Distribution Value Map™. Known as DVM, this extraordinary mapping tool helps distributors make crucial strategic and operational improvements through a systematic approach to higher efficiency, greater profitability, and added value. Reenergize existing programs or jump-start new initiatives with DVM. Order and save 35%!

Weekly Poll

• Would you work out of a closet to save your small business money?
  After voting once, check out the real-time poll results on NAW's All Access page as often as you'd like.

	I currently work out of a closet or similar space.
	I would consider it.
	I do not think so.
	I do not own a small business.

Credit Manager Gustave A. Larson Company Pewaukee, Wisconsin Branch Manager SCP Distributors, LLC/POOLCORP West Nyack, NY Territory Manager Behler-Young West Michigan

SmartQuote

The things you fear are undefeatable not by their nature but by your approach." --Jewel, singer-songwriter