US Foods created its Serve Good program six years ago to identify products that fall into five sustainability categories: agricultural practices, animal care, sustainable seafood, waste reduction and responsible disposables. Today, the program contains 770 items, and Hannah Koski, the distributor's director of corporate social responsibility, notes, "Almost all of the products under the Serve Good umbrella have the reassurance of some third-party certifier."

Ferguson has set a 2026 deadline to cut its scope 1 and scope 2 carbon emissions by 35% per US revenue dollar, in part by promoting electric vehicles and adopting electric forklifts at its warehouses and distribution centers. "We look at this in terms of three major categories where we think we have the greatest opportunities to lighten our footprint and reduce our emissions, and that's with our fleet, within our facilities and through renewable energy," Denise Vaughn, the distributor's vice president for environmental, social and governance, says in this podcast.

Amazon Business is projected to have gross merchandise volume of $41.5 billion this year, up from $31.5 billion in 2021, according to Bank of America Securities. That would mean Amazon Business accounts for 31.9% of all sales on business-to-business marketplaces, Digital Commerce 360 reports.

Prologis reports that demand for warehouse space has started to moderate from recent record highs, but CEO Hamid Moghadam noted in a call with analysts that current demand remains "exceptionally good." The REIT expects 375 million square feet of net absorption and completions for the year, with rents forecast to rise 25% in the US -- 300 basis points above the guidance from the previous quarter.

Nearly 90% of materials handling professionals surveyed by MHI said they expect to implement inventory and network optimization tools by 2027, with cloud computing and storage, sensors and automatic identification, and predictive and prescriptive analytics not far behind. Three-quarters or more said they plan to adopt the internet of things, robotics and automation, and wearable and mobile technology.

App marketers are grappling with "app-ocalyptic challenges" that include privacy weary consumers, targeting limitations and potentially underperforming key performance indicators, writes Bango founder Anil Malhotra. Behavioral targeting, building look-alike audiences and the benefits of third-party marketing partners are three potential remedies to combat those challenges, suggests Malhotra.

The best sales managers know each team member's goals, enjoy coaching and hone in on effectiveness, writes author, blogger and speaker Anthony Iannarino. Among the other top characteristics are the use of positive accountability and providing structure.

Officiating the wedding of his son this summer emphasized for Art Petty that leadership is always about putting the needs of others first, getting to know those in your charge and offering them support. "Your humility, commitment to creating a personal experience for everyone, and your authenticity in leading from the heart may be most of what you need to succeed in your important role," Petty writes.

One tale told about flea circus owners in the 1800s is that they trained fleas to limit their jumping height by keeping them in a jar for extended periods of time, writes Jim Haudan, but leaders need to help employees realize "that they can jump as high as they want." Giving them the freedom to craft their jobs into positions that challenge them to grow will allow them "to remove the lid on their own mind," Haudan writes.

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