Imperial Dade, a New Jersey-based distributor of foodservice, packaging, industrial and janitorial supplies, has acquired California Janitorial Supply, a distributor for the Silicon Valley and larger San Jose region. "Michael [Chiappe] and the CalJan team are highly respected for their expertise, focus on quality and customer service, and we look forward to investing in their continued growth," said Imperial Dade Chairman Robert Tillis.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Ship & Dock Foreman Local 514 on Monday issued a labor strike at the Canadian ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert, which handle about 20% worth of chemical shipments and other products headed into the US. The strike could be very disruptive for the US chemical industry and particularly for shippers that use Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Canadian National Railway's networks, said Alliance for Chemical Distribution CEO Eric Byer.

Cyber Defense Magazine has named Peter Kim, Orgill's director of cybersecurity, one of the year's top global chief security information officers. Kim was chosen for his innovative leadership in breach detection, regulatory compliance and risk reduction.

The US trade deficit widened to $84.4 billion in September from an upwardly revised $70.8 billion in August, per the Census Bureau. Exports fell by $3.2 billion to $267.9 billion, while imports rose by $10.3 billion to $352.3 billion. The deficit has acted as a brake on the American economy for much of the past year.

Chinese companies are significantly increasing their leasing of US warehouse space to optimize their local supply chains and potentially mitigate the impact of tariffs and other trade barriers. This trend is driven by ecommerce growth, shifting global trade patterns and a desire to improve delivery times for US customers, even as the overall US warehouse market experiences a modest slowdown.

Investing more heavily in an advanced transportation management system rather than a basic model pays off in supply chain resilience and profitability, writes Nick Fryer of Sheer Logistics. One feature of a more advanced system is its scalability, writes Fryer, in addition to data integration capabilities and functions such as advanced route optimization and predictive analytics.

Expanding beyond traditional channels can enhance B2B marketing strategies, writes Andrea Cruz, senior director of client strategy at Tinuiti. Utilizing insights from CRM and LinkedIn can aid in understanding audiences while platforms like Reddit, YouTube and TikTok offer unique opportunities to engage decision-makers, Cruz writes.

Whether you suffer victory or defeat as a leader, it's important to remain true to your values by being "resilient in defeat, gracious in success," writes Moshe Engelberg, an author and executive coach, who emphasizes learning the necessary self-awareness to be transparent, centered and unattached to outcomes. "Steadiness isn't boring -- it's inspiring. It lets your team know they can trust you, no matter what," Engelberg notes.

Markets expect another quarter-point interest-rate cut after Federal Reserve officials meet this week. The reduction would come against an economic backdrop in which inflation has moderated toward the Fed's 2% goal and in which the job market has softened even as consumer spending has remained resilient.

Modern Distribution Management has released its fourth-quarter Economic Snapshot webcast, focusing on the economic indicators affecting the wholesale-distribution industry. MDM Executive Editor Mike Hockett and Brian Lewandowski from the University of Colorado Boulder analyze recent trends and forecasts ahead of 2025, and the factors that affect demand for various verticals. National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors members receive complimentary premium access to this webcast.

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