SiteOne Landscape Supply has acquired landscaping distributor Stone Center of Virginia for an undisclosed amount. The deal took effect Dec. 31 and was one of 11 acquisitions by SiteOne last year.

The shift to cloud-native computing will produce new challenges for data storage, writes Paul Speciale, chief product officer at Scality. Speciale notes that not all that long ago, "one gigabyte of data seemed massive and a terabyte of data was a distant promise on the horizon."

Business-to-business marketers can create more compelling experiences at virtual events by using brand storytelling to create an emotional connection with prospects, writes Inspira Marketing Group's Jeff Snyder. Make events interactive by using virtual or augmented reality to bring products or training to life, and create opportunities for spontaneous engagement with attendees, Snyder advises.

B2B customer loyalty programs "are designed to create mindshare with your customers and thank them for their business," while incentive programs focus more on specific rewards, says Lincoln Smith of HMI Performance Incentives. "If you're going to do a customer loyalty or customer incentive program, you want your reps to be vested and aware of how this is a sales tool for them," he says.

Leaders can become "shapers" who influence and inspire their employees by blending five modes of leadership -- "teaching, learning, giving, mobilizing, and coaching," says author Jonas Altman. Rather than embrace authority, "[t]his new breed of leader adapts to circumstances and is effective in dynamically distributing power and decision-making," he says.

Complaints about "we oughta" do something are easy to indulge but don't lead to action, responsibility or accountability, writes Steve McKee. "So here's an idea: The next time you're in a meeting and one of your people says, 'we oughta,' look them in the eye and say, 'you're gonna,'" he writes.

After constant virtual conference calls in 2020, "Zoom fatigue" is real. That's why we've designed a highly interactive virtual event that will capture your attention from start to finish. Every moment of the NAW 2021 Digital Summit will be aimed at helping you lead through a time of transition. Hear from some of distribution's leading CEOs, network with your peers and discuss critical issues, get the 2021-22 economic forecast and learn what the Biden agenda will mean for distribution, plus much more. Special 5- and 10-pack registrations are available so bring your team!

In this capstone webinar for the NAW Series: How Technology Will Transform Wholesale Distribution, Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein will summarize what they learned from the research conducted with distributors, suppliers and customers. They'll provide a roadmap forward: a specific set of recommendations on the strategic actions that the distribution industry -- and individual companies -- should take to fend off competitors, outflank the disruptors and prepare to take market share and improve profitability. Register for this free Jan. 21 webinar at 2 p.m. Eastern. Sponsored by Unilog and PROS.

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