SpartanNash had net sales of $2.3 billion in the fourth quarter, an increase of 10.3% from the same period in 2021, and the grocery company attributed the increase to price inflation in the wholesale and retail segments. Higher costs resulted in fourth quarter profits of $341.4 million, which accounts for 14.8% of net sales, compared to profits that were 15.4% of net sales in the same quarter last year.

Fastenal CFO Holden Lewis says the distributor decided to begin reporting on its environmental, social and governance efforts after conversations with stakeholders including investors, suppliers and customers. "Fastenal's core business is about reducing the consumption of resources in our customers' supply chain, and I think that that strategy just aligns really well with the environmental and human capital priorities of our stakeholders," Lewis says.

AmerisourceBergen has announced a plan to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 54.6% by 2032. The health care distribution company, which is changing its name to Cencora this year, has rolled out several sustainability initiatives, including packaging upgrades to reduce cardboard use and testing electric vehicles for delivery.

Artificial intelligence and digital twins can help supply chain command centers integrate tactical, real-time digital solutions and provide fast responses to real-time situation changes. Command centers' granular-level planning provides better visibility for more discrete problems, writes Alok Bhanot, the chief technology officer for ParkourSC.

Business-to-business content on TikTok is already popular, such as the #DigitalTransformation hashtag, which has 14.5 million views, and B2B brands including Adobe, Shopify and Sage are finding success on the platform. Zeno Group's Michael Brito explains how B2B marketers can maximize TikTok's potential, including via video storytelling and search opportunities.

Top-down company initiatives and community involvement are two ways to increase diversity, equity and inclusion in supply chains, writes Ryan Jessum of Chep USA, and companies that prioritize DEI are better positioned to thrive. "A team that thinks differently and can bring diverse viewpoints to the table can be far more effective than one that's always in unison, creating an echo chamber devoid of innovation," Jessum writes.

When coaching your direct reports, listen closely when they talk about their strengths because they're telling you "who they want to be and how they want to be in the future," and that's an opening to reflect that back to them, says Gallup leader coach Jacque Merritt. "And I always try to jot those down and come back to those and just find out more, because you're already getting them to lay the path," Merritt says.