The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors on Wednesday praised the House for passing a bill that would prevent a potential strike by rail unions, and it urged the Senate to pass the legislation immediately. "Any delay by Congress to pass and send legislation to the President's desk would be irresponsible and unreasonable at this point," NAW CEO Eric Hoplin said.

Patterson Cos. earned $54.07 million in its fiscal second quarter, up from $48.33 million a year ago, on revenue of $1.63 billion, down slightly from $1.65 billion. The company also acquired three businesses last month: Colorado-based Dairy Tech and Texas-based Relief Services for Veterinary Practitioners and Animal Care Technologies.

Autonomous trucking startups are struggling, with half of six major companies in the space having been shuttered in recent years, writes Crunchbase's Joanna Glasner. "This is a hard market to crack and, while impressive technology abounds, no one has yet succeeded commercially," Glasner writes.

Amazon is working toward the launch of two delivery drones, with its newest model nimble enough to negotiate densely populated areas and carry a box weighing up to 5 pounds. Amazon is lagging Walmart and other players such as Zipline and Wing in the bid to offer comprehensive drone delivery services, and all participants still face significant regulatory hurdles.

This infographic from Top Rank Marketing outlines key insights from its "B2B Influencer Marketing Report," showing that 63% of business-to-business marketers believe an influencer program would boost their results, and 79% believe influencer marketing will become more significant in the next year. In addition, half of the respondents said influencer marketing improves lead generation and brand awareness and recognition.

People are less likely to accept a free product if it's risky or time-intensive and are more willing to choose the same product if it has a nominal cost, according to researchers with the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. However, participants in the study who were mentally busy -- they were asked to remember an 11-digit number before the product offer -- were more likely to accept the free version.

Pay increases matter, but a positive employee experience and a company culture that focuses on engagement are vital to keeping employees from leaving, writes Gallup's Ryan Pendell. "Instead of automatically raising payroll to address attraction and retention, leaders ought to address those 'hazard pay' aspects of the employee experience that make employees wonder how much their wellbeing is worth," Pendell writes.

Success in leadership is more likely when you surround yourself with colleagues and friends who inspire you, remove temptations to slack off from your goals and stop making excuses when you mess up, writes author and business coach Bill Murphy. "It's natural to try and pull the wool over your own eyes and coddle yourself so you feel better, but that will only hold you back," Murphy writes.