US businesses added just 113,000 new jobs in October, falling short of Wall Street Journal's forecast of 130,000, as signs grow of a potential slowdown in the labor market, payroll provider ADP's latest monthly survey shows. "While the labor market has slowed, it's still enough to support strong consumer spending," said ADP Chief Economist Nela Richardson.

Sysco reported quarterly net sales of $19.6 billion for its most recent quarter ending Sept. 30, a 2.6% increase from a year earlier, with adjusted operating profits up more than 10% year-over-year to $541.6 million. Sysco's sales and profit growth come despite major headwinds as inflation and rising rates have budget-conscious consumers cutting back on eating out.

Construction spending in the US grew by 0.4% in September to reach nearly $2 trillion, according to Commerce Department data. August construction spending was revised upward to 1%, from an earlier 0.5% estimate. Over the past year, construction spending has grown by 8.7%.

Bakery ingredients manufacturer and distributor Dawn Foods has launched its Dawn Seattle Inspiration Hub, a customer-facing facility designed to showcase products and demonstrations for bakery business owners. Dawn Foods says that the Seattle location is the first of several planned similar facilities across the US.

Succession planning is crucial to ensure a seamless transition between leaders, essential work does not fall through the cracks, duties are appropriately assigned and legacy knowledge and experience remain within the company, writes Jack Keough, president of Keough Business Communications. Companies should first identify a suitable candidate for succession, examine their past performance and vision for the next five years and gather input from other departments, Keough writes.

Omnichannel fulfillment programs involving suppliers, warehouses and end users can be too messy to use, but a "tailored and integrated approach has shown a significant 7.6% reduction in total supply chain costs," including product prices, write Geoffrey Allen and Shoichi Yoshida, who are students in MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics's Master of Supply Chain Management program. For a food industry company, the students created a custom solution that is a "fusion of the latest solver technology, new advanced mathematical algorithms, and a solid foundation of supply chain theory" that helped the company "squeeze new life and greater efficiency out of their existing networks," the pair explains.

Shipping and logistics companies face challenges in forecasting demand, especially during the unpredictable holiday season, writes Deliveright CEO and co-founder Doug Ladden, who notes that traditional preparations like inventory deployment and seasonal hiring can backfire if projections are inaccurate. Amid conflicting reports about holiday spending, shippers are growing cautious about holiday hiring due to economic uncertainty and are embracing modern technology, which is crucial for adapting to changing consumer preferences and providing the visibility and flexibility that customers demand.

Prioritizing accessibility in website design can benefit visitors and help your business reach more people, writes Amandeep Singh, an e-commerce consultant. Companies can enhance accessibility by avoiding low-contrast text and other design missteps, as well as by using specific tools to test their sites, Singh writes.

Privacy for America, which includes the Association of National Advertisers and other marketing organizations, filed comments objecting to portions of a recent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposal that would restrict data brokers from selling income, payment history and criminal record data for ad targeting. The proposal would "severely hinder small and start-up businesses' ability to find new customers, diminish and damage market efficiencies that exist today, and harm consumers by causing prices to rise," the group states.

Large companies, such as Apple and Boeing, are concerned about a Financial Accounting Standards Board proposal that would require firms to disclose employee compensation, depreciation of property and equipment, inventory and other expenses on quarterly income statements. The proposal is aimed at providing investors with more information about companies' operations, but executives argue it would impose significant costs and provide little benefit to investors.

NAW's Billion Dollar Executive Roundtable event November 8-9 in Dallas offers an opportunity to join other wholesaler-distributor executives in discussions about topics that matter to you and your company. Attendees will hear from leaders in the industry and expand their networking circles. Learn more about this invitation-only event here.

Get ready to supercharge your organization at the Innovators Summit in Austin, TX, from November 14 to 16! Join us to connect with tech innovators, explore emerging trends, and harness cutting-edge technologies that will propel your organization to new heights of growth and transformation.

Experience three days of excellent networking opportunities, cutting-edge content, and educational programming for leaders in the wholesale-distribution industry at NAW's Exective Summit Jan. 30 - Feb. 1. Hear from world-class speakers and explore issues critical to the industry. Be prepared for what's next and learn new strategies to get there first. View agenda and registration information here.