The producer price index rose by less than expected in July, potentially opening the door for the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates in September. The produce price gauge rose by 0.1% from the previous month and 2.2% from a year earlier. Core PPI, which excludes food and energy, was flat from the previous month.

Missouri-based water and wastewater distributor Core & Main is acquiring Georgia-based GroGreen Solutions, an erosion-control products supplier. GroGreen includes four locations in the Southeast. Core & Main CEO Steve LeClair said the deal would boost the firm's growth in the region.

Inflation is slowing down, but many Americans are still feeling the pinch on prices for necessary goods and services. Major companies have said they are noticing consumer spending habits tighten as a result, but some economists are hopeful the price increases will ease up soon.

US retailers are rushing holiday imports to avoid potential disruptions from a possible port worker strike. Container imports were up significantly in July, according to the monthly Port Tracker from the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates, and NRF expects imports to remain strong in August as well. "Many retailers have taken precautions including earlier shipping and shifting cargo to West Coast ports," said Jonathan Gold, NRF's vice president for supply chain and customs policy.

Smaller and local industrial distributors often struggle to compete against larger counterparts in digital marketing, and instead can differentiate themselves by showing up in searches by geographic location, price and inventory level, says Mike Franz, CEO of iNSUPPLI. Companies like iNSUPPLI offer distributors and manufacturers data on what customers are searching for and how they can create marketing campaigns to increase sales.

Televerde's Ashley McDonald examines the ways AI is transforming the business-to-business customer experience, from personalization at scale to the use of chatbots and conversational AI. McDonald cautions that AI should be used to improve meaningful connections, noting, "[M]aintaining the human-to-human element in today's buyer's journey has never been more important."

New data reveals that layoffs lead to reduced productivity, increased voluntary departures, higher unemployment insurance taxes and significant legal fees. For instance, Meta paid $975 million in severance for 11,000 employees, while Theseus Pharmaceuticals offered $212,000 per worker. Legal precautions and potential lawsuits add further expenses, highlighting the complex financial impact of layoffs.

New leaders may be reticent to give feedback -- or even to receive it -- but as assistant professor Leda Stawnychko and Ph.D. candidate Mehnaz Rafi write, they must master both. Leaders should practice in low-stakes scenarios, treat the feedback they receive as a gift and be sure they're in the right frame of mind and have chosen the right time and place before giving feedback to others, they advise.

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