Durable goods orders decreased by 5.4% in October, mainly due to a 14.8% drop in the transport sector, where commercial aircraft orders fell by 49.6%. However, when stripping out the transportation sector, the Commerce Department reported orders were flat, while new orders for nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft fell 0.1%.

Ace Hardware acquired Handyman Matters in 2019 and began its conversion to Ace Handyman Services in early 2020, just as the pandemic was beginning. The hardware retailer is now ramping up its home services efforts, with CEO John Venhuizen pointing to the support the division could give to local tradespeople.

Electronics distributor DigiKey is among the employers in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota collaborating with educational institutions to align training programs with industry needs. Technological advancements, such as virtual reality career exploration platforms like CareerViewXR, are transforming the way students envision and pursue fulfilling careers in fields ranging from electronics to heavy equipment maintenance.

Building materials seller 84 Lumber is adding three branch stores to its California presence and opening a truss plant and framing yard in the state as part of an expansion, which brings its total locations in the state to eight. The company is also expanding a component plant in Yuma, Ariz., and planning stores in Reno, Nev., and near Salinas, Calif.

Shippers and logistics providers are working to improve flexibility, predictability, efficiency and resilience and are relying on leading-edge solutions to gain or maintain competitive advantage, per McKinsey research. Shippers and logistics execs can address these and other shared "pain points" by employing technologies that can be integrated and benefit both parties, McKinsey suggests.

Empire Company, parent of Canadian grocery retailers Sobeys and Safeway, will keep the prices of all its packaged goods at current prices through at least January to help shoppers cope with inflation. "This action will remain in place regardless of any internal or external conditions that might cause those prices to go up," spokesperson Andrew Walker said.

Augmented intelligence, including generative AI, has become the latest innovation for procurement and sourcing professionals with the hopes of guiding better suppliers and sourcing channels, according to Pierre Mitchell, Chief Research Officer and Managing Director at Spend Matters. At a customer advisory board session, he discussed different strategies, such as early automation processes, democratization of data and clear procurement policies and procedures, that can benefit from AI enhancement.

Content curation can help business-to-business marketers save time with a pipeline of useful assets to share with audiences and increase visibility, boost brand reputation and spark engagement, Michael Brenner writes. Brenner explains the process, including identifying approved sources, deploying employee advocacy and personalizing content for target audiences.

Lindsay Tjepkema, co-founder and CEO of Casted, explains four ways business-to-business marketers can spice up their content. Elevate storytelling, such as HP's use of a wolf to personify hackers, humanize your brand, incorporate the judicious use of emojis in emails and invest in AI to personalize messaging, Tjepkema advises.

Federal Reserve officials "continued to judge that it was critical that the stance of monetary policy be kept sufficiently restrictive" to bring inflation under control, according to minutes from the most recent policy meeting. Officials supported a strategy to "proceed carefully" and noted that upcoming data could help clarify the course of inflation.

Steven Rogelberg, a professor of organizational science, psychology, and management at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, says one-on-one meetings can be a critical tool in optimizing team performance, but notes nearly half are sub-optimal. Rogelberg offers tips for effective one-on-ones, including avoiding the "status update trap" or micromanaging, asking open-ended questions, going beyond performance metrics to discuss barriers and support needed, and avoiding surprises during performance reviews.

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Experience three days of excellent networking opportunities, cutting-edge content, and educational programming for leaders in the wholesale-distribution industry at NAW's Executive 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.