MRC Global's 2022 sales were up 26% from 2021, with fourth-quarter sales hitting $869 million. "Our full year 2022 performance was exceptional and benefited greatly from our growth and diversification strategy that emphasized our upstream, chemicals and energy transition end markets, all of which outperformed our expectations," MRC Global President and CEO Rob Saltiel said.
Sonepar USA's OneSource Distributors surpassed $1 billion in sales last year. Sonepar acquired the electrical products distributor in 2011, and it has 15 locations in California, Hawaii, Arizona and Baja California.
The consumer price index increased 0.5% month over month and 6.4% year over year in January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The core consumer price index, which excludes food and energy costs, increased 0.4% month over month and 5.6% year over year. All four figures are higher than analysts' expectations.
UPS is investing $140 million in its radio-frequency identification initiative, which includes smart tracking technology on packages and employee wearable devices, and is extending its use from the 100 locations to the remaining 940 buildings within its US network this year, according to CEO Carol Tome. The technology is expected to eliminate 20 million manual scans daily and reduce misloads from 1 in 400 to 1 in 800, say UPS executives.
Billy Jones, head of brand and paid media at Hootsuite, offers three lessons learned from the brand's social-first refresh, including using real people and creators in content instead of actors, creating a more vibrant logo and embracing a more cheeky voice for its Owly mascot. "We need to push ourselves to go beyond the confines of what [business-to-business] marketing traditionally looks like and create content that will stand out from the already saturated and noisy nature of social," Jones writes.
Many employees are experiencing strong emotions driven by factors such as ongoing economic uncertainty and the continued impact of the pandemic, which can contribute to burnout and disengagement. It is important for managers to recognize these emotions, and these 10 strategies can help them practice empathy.
More than 60% of respondents to the Edelman Trust Barometer say they trust business and their own CEOs more than government and the media, which means it's time for leaders to step up their communication with employees, as well as to other stakeholders about their social and economic commitments, writes Debbie Field, vice president at The Grossman Group. "Delivering on this expectation means now is the time for business leaders to hone their skills as communicators by elevating their voices, engaging employees at all levels, and articulating a clear vision for the future," Field writes.
