Distributors have suffered revenue declines and job losses because of the coronavirus pandemic, with the Great Recession being the most recent comparable event, says Brian Lewandowski of the University of Colorado Boulder's Leeds School of Business. The forecast for 2021 profitability remains uncertain, he says.

Systemax posted a $15.3 million net profit in the second quarter despite reduced sales of $242 million. "Revenue performance was driven by growth in PPE, an expanding pandemic product line and sequential monthly improvement in core non-PPE lines as businesses began to reopen," CEO Barry Litwin said.

MRC Global reported a net loss of net loss of $287 million in the second quarter as sales declined 39% year-over-year to $602 million. "Due to the incredible demand destruction brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, the second quarter was our most challenging to date," President and CEO Andrew Lane said.

The average data breach requires $3.86 million in spending to overcome, according to a report by IBM Security and the Ponemon Institute that looked at breaches from August through April. Companies with better security that included automation incurred an average of $2.45 million to fix a data breach, or less than half of organizations without such precautions.

This infographic from SalesIntel offers 21 lead-generation tips based on research and data. Recommendations include prioritizing lead-gen content on business-to-business websites, using webinars, encouraging customer reviews and being active on LinkedIn and Q&A platforms such as Quora.

Resiliency has become a core strategic necessity for leaders who understand that the new normal is change, writes Dave Coffaro. "What's clear today is that each organization is traversing a series of temporary normals -- brief chapters in their company's story, accelerated as conditions change," he writes.

Based on original research conducted in July with wholesaler-distributors in many lines of trade across the industry, author Ian Heller of Distribution Strategy Group will reveal on this webinar how distributors evaluate and respond to emerging technologies. Is Artificial Intelligence a threat, an opportunity, or both? Find out how distributors plan to incorporate new technologies to build their competitive advantage. Register now. Research report with more intel is coming in early August. Sponsored by Unilog, SAP and Conexiom.

If you missed NAW's July webinar with Ian Heller, you can watch it on demand. Wholesale distribution has never seen disruption like what we're seeing today. Ian provides an overview of current and upcoming technology disruption in the industry that is driven by new, advanced technologies and outside entrants. He discusses how these technologies will change customer expectations and how distributors should change to meet them. Also download the 20-page research report that provides even more intelligence. Sponsors are Unilog and SAP.

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.