SRS Distribution and 84 Lumber are among the more than 50 distribution companies named to the 2022 Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the country. Companies were ranked based on their three-year growth rate.

The four-year delivery partnership between Walmart and DoorDash is coming to a close. The retailer says its self-employed delivery driver platform, Spark, is now its largest delivery provider.

Ocean shipping and truckload rates are gradually decreasing from recent highs, according to supply chain digital commerce platform provider Inxeption, but Roberta Tamburrino, the company's senior vice president of logistics operations, says truckload costs "remain overinflated and higher than they should be." Airfreight rates are following a similar trajectory, but shippers still face higher-than-normal expenses heading into the peak winter holiday season.

Logistics operators can "choose more efficient routes, save fuel and time and provide your customers a better experience overall" by adding a real-time transportation visibility platform, writes Michelle Sodomka, senior director of client services at Open Sky Group. Companies should look at size and scope, level of tracking and extent of visibility when choosing a platform, Sodomka writes.

Between 8 to 10 salespeople seems to be the "magic number" for an outside sales team, while inside sales should have no more than 14 team members, consultant Colleen Francis writes. "When sales managers start managing 12 or more reps, their effectiveness as a manager starts to wane," Francis explains.

Christian Kletzl, CEO at UserGems, explains how business-to-business marketers can generate quality leads by tracking three types of buying champions. B2B champions include known buyers, product users and previous users, Kletzl writes, offering advice on where to find them and how to create meaningful connections via four kinds of trigger events.

Leaders can make sure they're getting the information they need from their teams by talking with employees, challenging assumptions about what's going on and creating a culture of trust, writes John Baldoni. "When senior executives put their egos ahead of the work, employees are reluctant to speak out," Baldoni writes.

Leaders must be "ruthless" in setting priorities for their team -- and themselves -- to avoid or clear up backlogs and provide clear direction on what projects to focus on and when, writes Kristin Hendrix. "Without this approach, we make meaningless progress on many things, instead of meaningful progress on one," Hendrix writes.

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