SpartanNash is donating two truckloads full of essential items including diapers and bottled water to survivors of the earthquake that recently devastated Turkey and Syria. "The destruction in Turkey and Syria is unimaginable, and we feel compelled to leverage supplies we have in stock to provide critical aid as fast as possible," said CEO Tony Sarsam.

Procurement teams are spending $1.4 trillion on diverse suppliers each year, but 17% of that is going to just 10 suppliers, and small businesses are often misclassified as diverse when they aren't, according to a Supplier.io diversity benchmarking report of 466 companies across 15 industries. Better use of benchmarking can help companies gauge the true diversity as well as point to areas for growth, Supplier.io says.

UPS has received its first all-electric semi, Daimler Truck's eCascadia Freightliner, which hauls cargo in Compton, Calif., and is the first of an initial delivery of 10 trucks. The eCascadia Freightliner can go up to 250 miles on a charge, and takes approximately 90 minutes to charge.

Recent survey data from Gartner seems to suggest that it might be time to cut back on sales reps, but a better plan would be to update their image in buyers' minds, writes Kevin McGirl, president of sales-i. The answer lies in artificial intelligence, McGirl notes, endorsing "a hybrid selling model that will make sales reps welcome again in the minds of your buyers."

In this podcast, branding expert Christine Gritmon talks about how business-to-business marketers can get ahead by developing their personal brand on social media to not only establish themselves as thought leaders but become advocates for their companies. "If you keep showing up with value, people are going to start asking you to show up with value," Gritmon says.

President Joe Biden's comments during his State of the Union address about the need to crack down on Big Tech gave some "momentum" to the American Innovation and Choice Online Act, according to a Twitter post from Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., one of the bill's lead sponsors. However, the bill still faces an uphill battle since Republican lawmakers in control of the House have not made antitrust discussions a priority for this session.

Create a program to recognize employee excellence, as well as improvement, and communicate your genuine appreciation of their work frequently -- even daily -- to create "a positive and productive workplace," writes Lolly Daskal. "Recognition and appreciation are the most powerful, most human and most effective forms of leadership communication," Daskal writes.

Using language that makes your direct reports feel disempowered or embarrassed undermines your leadership effectiveness, writes Bobby Hoffman, an associate professor at the University of Central Florida, who recommends speaking in ways that preserve the feelings of competence and autonomy in the other person. "Regardless of the circumstances or your communication medium, your message should be understood, relevant, persuasive, and include a call to action if you hope to achieve desired results," Hoffman writes.