Cincinnati-based distributor Hillman Group is merging with Landcadia Holdings III, after which it will be a publicly traded company that will continue to be led by Chairman and CEO Doug Cahill. The deal is due to finalize this quarter.

Avient and Oceanworks will expand their thermoplastic elastomers and thermoplastic offerings in a push to help brands source more ocean plastic-derived certified materials. "Through this new collaboration, customers now can incorporate recycled ocean plastics solutions to help them achieve both performance and sustainability goals," said Avient's Walter Ripple.

Spot load posts increased 290% year-over-year in May while truck postings dropped almost 15%, showing that capacity shortages remain an ongoing issue, according to data from DAT. Rates continued to increase in the van, flatbed and refrigerated segments.

The pandemic has accelerated changes to the business-to-business buying journey, with an increased focus on speed and self-serve research facilitated by digital content, writes Logica Research CEO Lilah Raynor. B2B marketers can respond to these shifts by conducting in-depth research to identify actionable insights to meet the needs of their buyers, Raynor advises.

Distributors can persuade salespeople to adopt new technology by picking tools that add value and emphasizing their benefits, as well as training sales managers so they can in turn train salespeople, writes Mark Heneine of Proton.ai. Heneine also recommends offering incentives and setting clear expectations for use of the technology.

Work teams, like sports teams, have different characteristics depending how they're structured and what they're trying to get done, writes Ed Batista. "If you think we're on the basketball court, and I think we're at a track & field meet, we're going to frustrate each other," he writes.

Filler words such as "um" and "ah" can undermine your authority and effectiveness, although you can reduce these by talking slower, recording your speech for practice and learning the power of a pause, writes John Millen. "A pause after a point gets the attention of your audience and allows them to take in what you said," Millen writes.

Suppliers are increasingly selling direct, customer demographics are skewing younger and many distributors are struggling to keep up. Distributors are grappling with fundamental changes in the expectations of their supply chain partners. Suppliers continue to report frustration with their distributors' poor digital capabilities. Join NAW on June 29 at 2 p.m. for this free, live webinar with Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein of Distribution Strategy Group, who will recommend actions distributors should take to address this growing channel conflict. Register today.

Designed for C-suite executives, these roundtables provide actionable strategies that will increase your company's competitive advantage. Companies belonging to this community are from distribution firms between $100 million and up to $1 billion in annual sales. You'll engage in thought-provoking conversations with your peers and hear from industry experts on topics that will ultimately increase your profits! Register today.

How have distributors been innovating their business during the pandemic? Find that out and much more from 10 distributors who tell their stories and share ideas for both surviving and thriving in a drastically changed business environment. Author Mark Dancer shares up-to-the-minute ideas and insights from distributor leaders based on their experiences and lessons learned from the coronavirus pandemic. Order this just-released e-chapter, "Distribution Leans In: Stories of Resiliency and Innovation During the COVID-19 Pandemic."