Craig Wiedemeier has been promoted from chief operating officer to president at Werner Electric Supply, while Mike Mantis has become president and CEO of Fasteners Inc./Southwestern Supply, replacing his late father. Wiedemeier replaces Scott Teerlinck, who was announced Tuesday as the incoming president and CEO of Crescent Electric Supply.

Avnet's e-commerce operation has experienced extra weekend traffic and use of self-service tools during the coronavirus pandemic, and the platform has held its own, says executive Nishant Nishant. The company on Monday reported a loss of $128.7 million in the fiscal third quarter on revenue of $4.31 billion.

A partnership involving the USDA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, FMI -- the Food Industry Association, and the Hanes apparel company has helped secure 37,000 cloth face masks that will be distributed to over 400 Associated Food Stores independent retailers. "These masks help slow the spread of COVID-19 and help grocery teams and those working at the AFS warehouse, who are on the front line, confidently do their work as essential employees," said Steve Miner, Associated's president of market development.

Be more intentional when building relationships with customers to succeed in a virtual sales environment, writes Bob Croston. Ask targeted questions during meetings to avoid relying too much on slides, materials and prepared talking points, Croston writes.

Liz Alton provides a 10-step guide to developing marketing resilience during the pandemic, which requires a strategic spending approach to cultivate growth, the ability to adapt quickly, a culture of unity and the proactive search for opportunities. The 10 steps span advice on understanding customers, putting in place digital solutions for flexible working, creating customer-centric experiences and content creation.

Trustworthy team players who "are relational thinkers who construct ideas by joining concepts from different disciplines" can help organizations during and after a crisis -- as long as leaders can identify such talent, writes John Baldoni. He notes the late George Marshall and other generals of World War II, most of whom were initially overlooked by commanders but proved themselves after war broke out.

Are you well-informed about different best practices and knowledge in our industry? If not, NAW's Top 10 E-book List can help get you up-to-speed quickly so you and your business can stay competitive in these challenging times.

NAW shares thought leadership each week in the NAW Blog "Distributing Ideas." NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence Fellows, authors and guest bloggers discuss today's critical issues specific to wholesale distribution. Catch up on blog posts here. Better yet, subscribe here and we'll deliver a new post each week straight to your inbox.