United Natural Foods is working to "transform the future of food" with its new "Fuel the Future" growth plan, which CEO Steve Spinner unveiled last week during the company's Investor Day event. Based on six core pillars that include focusing on customer experience and optimizing its retail business, Spinner said the new strategy is "about pioneering what's next."

Restaurant Depot's outlet in Hartford, Conn., has "never been busier" as owners of small restaurants turn to it to find food that their usual suppliers can't provide, manager Frank Casaler says. Labor shortages have also affected many larger food distributors as restaurants gradually resume operations.

Internet of things devices can "improve nearly every application or process within the average warehouse," as well as speed up worker training, writes Eleanor Hecks. She describes how IoT enhances asset management; cuts down on damage, theft and fraud; and promotes worker safety.

Large US and European businesses are forced to spend an average of $184 million annually due to supply chain disruptions, according to Interos' Annual Global Supply Chain Report, which named cyberattacks, trade disputes and the COVID-19 pandemic as leading risks. "Our survey results underscore the growing importance of supply chain operational resilience in the globally interconnected world that we all live and operate in," Interos CEO Jennifer Bisceglie said.

Creating a "WOW experience" should be a priority for business-to-business marketers, according to Shep Hyken, based on his conversation with The Verde Group CEO Paula Courtney. A "WOW experience" simply means consistently meeting customer expectations, which is essential as the "rock stars in the retail and hospitality industries are setting the expectations of your customers in the B2B industries," Hyken writes.

When momentum stalls as salespeople are preparing to close on a deal, it's often because email links are setting off spam filters and closing documents aren't properly optimized, writes Daniel Hebert. Consider email reminders if it's taking prospects several days to open proposals and engage new stakeholders when deals get stuck.

Parenting during the pandemic has taught many leaders the value of relying on others for advice, managing multiple events under pressure and being patient, write executive coaches Sanyin Siang and Ron Carucci. "[I]nterrogate any 'one-size-fits-all' approaches to leadership you may have thought worked in the past, upgrading to more-nuanced methods to maximize individual needs while keeping your team whole," they write.

Productivity can become toxic if you're overscheduling yourself and not relying on team members and colleagues to help get everything done, writes Olga Mack, CEO of Parley Pro. "Do not be afraid of recognizing that you cannot do it all alone," she writes.

In this free NAW webinar on June 29, at 2 p.m. Eastern, Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein of Distribution Strategy Group will bring you the latest thinking on why distributors are grappling with fundamental changes in the expectations of their supply chain partners. Register now! Sponsored by Oracle Netsuite.

The distribution industry has worked tirelessly over the past year to keep the economy moving while facing unprecedented challenges. As we look to turn the page on the pandemic, we are better together as an industry of 5.6 million people who collectively contribute $5.8 trillion annually to our country's GDP. Read Mike's column here.

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