Veritiv CEO Mary Laschinger is retiring Sept. 30. Chief Operating Officer Salvatore Abbate will become CEO and join the board, while Laschinger's successor as chairman will be Stephen Macadam.

Device makers whose products are in competition with Amazon are being restricted from advertising those products on Amazon's platform, according to reports. The restricted ads usually pertain to searches for Amazon devices, although Roku is reportedly not allowed to place ads against its own products.

Work-at-home employees mishandling outgoing email is a major cause of data falling into the wrong hands, finds a survey conducted by Arlington Research for Egress Software. The numbers show that more than a third of these incidents are caused by fatigued or stressed employees.

Distributors should use automation in accounts receivable because it saves time and money and provides insight into processes, collections and staff performance, says Jon Seaman of Esker. Automated self-service tools can also improve the customer experience.

Distributors that want to succeed with e-commerce marketplaces need to expand product sourcing and discovery while retaining customers on their websites, writes Proton.ai's Benj Cohen. He cites Grainger's Zoro platform as an example of effective product sourcing.

Industry experts discuss the rise in business-to-business marketing that adopts the entertaining and humorous tone of advertising more associated with consumer brands -- a shift that is being sped up by the pandemic. "[A]s work and home continue to blur, B2B brands are having to compete for time and attention with not only their direct competitive set, but all B2C marketers," explains Doremus' Joe Rivas, noting, "This certainly raises the bar."

Leaders can help employees receive the right messaging through storytelling, listening to their reactions and being clear about what they're expected to do, writes LearnLoft CEO John Eades. "Great leaders not only set and maintain high standards for themselves and their team members, but they also communicate them all the time," he writes.

Emotions are a natural part of your life, so try to rely on empathy and respect in decision-making rather than anger, fear or panic, writes Kate Nasser. "As you develop your skill of balancing emotion and critical thinking, you will be the model for your employees to do the same," she writes.

Register now for NAW's Sept. 24 live webinar, "How Distributor Customers Will Use Technologies From Their Suppliers and Who Is Winning." Leading technology companies are offering customers new ways of ordering. Retailers and distributors are using AI-enabled business intelligence to understand customer needs better and are applying autonomous vehicles, including drones, for deliveries. Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein will delve into how important all of this is to distributor customers and whether distributors need to build technological capabilities to remain competitive.

Designed for C-suite executives, these virtual roundtables provide actionable strategies that will help put your COVID-19 recovery plan in place. Companies belonging to this community are from distribution firms that exceed $1 billion in annual sales. You'll engage in robust conversations with your peers and hear from industry experts on topics to help your business transition to the new normal -- all in the comfort of your own office/home. Register today.

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.