Fastenal saw sales increase 10.7% in the fourth quarter of 2022, and the company's overall sales last year rose to just under $7 billion, a 16% increase year over year. The company said many of its price inputs fell, but that it might take "several quarters" for the results to be reflected on the bottom line because of its long supply chains.

Dawn Foods is partnering with For Goodness Cakes, which finds volunteer bakers for charitable organizations that make cakes for significant dates in the lives of foster children. "Celebrating people matters, and Dawn believes everyone deserves to have their birthday recognized," said Sarah Richmond, who supervises Dawn's corporate giving.

The Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Amazon for safety risks at three warehouses in New York, Florida and Illinois. Amazon plans to appeal the citations, which resulted from an ongoing investigation into the company's safety standards that also led to citations at six warehouses in December.

Data sharing will lead "to a more robust, agile, aware, efficient, intelligent and sustainable supply chain," not to mention making procurement's forays into predictive analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning more useful, Jeree Hanavec of World Wide Technology writes. "Wharton estimates that the manufacturing sector alone could realize $100 billion in efficiencies by better sharing data across its stakeholders both up and downstream," Hanavec writes, offering tips on how to proceed with open data.

Gathering more information about a potential buyer and displaying patience can help ease the friction between sellers and buyers, writes Mike Kunkle, vice president of sales effectiveness services at SPARXiQ. Sales discovery, Kunkle notes, "allows salespeople to understand the customer's context and create personalized and relevant solutions."

Nontraditional strategies are shared by marketers, including Paycom's Adam Ballard, who explains how the brand targets business-to-business decision-makers with TikTok influencer Corporate Natalie and actor Shemar Moore in campaigns across both social media and TV. Virgin Pulse's Erica Morgenstern describes how the brand used the Lizzo lyric "took a DNA test" to prove its B2B value, while Melissa Kandel of little word studio recommends applying the rules of fiction to content marketing.

Continue growth as a leader by reflecting on values, by exploring behavior you need to adopt to meet goals, by considering how effectively you communicate and by reevaluating goals as needed, LaRae Quy writes. "A healthy person with a strong mind is someone who continuously grows and evolves to become the best version of themselves," Quy writes.

To create diverse teams and a supportive culture, set quantifiable objectives and assess progress, address inclusivity issues prior to recruiting and encourage individuals to share their stories, experts in diversity, equity and inclusion say. Leaders should be held accountable for achieving DEI goals, feedback should be solicited through anonymous surveys and policies should be reexamined to ensure they don't inadvertently lead to exclusion.