Ferguson, a UK-based distributor of plumbing and heating products, reported a drop in its fiscal second-quarter profit to $374 million from $436 million a year ago. Net sales rose 4.9% to $6.8 billion.
Hy-Vee has rolled out a hunger relief campaign that combines customer donations with contributions from suppliers and manufacturers to benefit Feeding America and Midwest food banks. "By working together with our employees, customers, partners and community leaders, we are going to do everything we can to achieve this goal and ensure organizations in our communities have the resources they need to combat hunger," Hy-Vee CEO Jeremy Gosch said.
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Operators of trucking fleets should turn to technology to take a bite out of inflation costs, says Mike Dorfman, operating chief of Koffie Financial. "A telematic system, dashboard cameras and back-office software can be really critical to increase profit margins" by optimizing route planning, Dorfman notes.
California is leading the US in the transition to commercial electric trucks, starting with drayage trucks used to transport items to distribution centers from ports and rail yards. "Because they have a contained route, it's a predictable, controlled atmosphere," said Mike Roeth of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency, who also noted that the electric trucks replace old diesel trucks used for drayage.
"Be an excellent listener," advises Klaus Werner, chief marketing officer at Global Industrial, discussing business-to-business sales online. Werner says that e-commerce "remains a strong and growing" part of the market, that ChatGPT "accelerates product descriptions...[and] will completely transform customer service" and that continuous innovation remains a challenge.
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Dealing with disruptive team members, whether it's a top performer, a boss or a peer, requires specific actions including addressing the behavior as a performance issue, setting boundaries and having clear expectations, writes Marlene Chism. "With the right support and tools, conflict offers an opportunity to increase communication, clarity and connection," Chism writes.
If the job you used to love now feels exhausting, and you've lost your sense of purpose and passion, you could be suffering from what professor and author Teena Clouston calls "rust-out," which is a "persistent feeling of emotional weariness and loss of interest," writes Josee Ng. Creating a culture that emphasizes a shared sense of purpose that prioritizes the quality of work over its quantity and provides opportunities to learn new skills, writes Peakon co-founder Phil Chambers, can go a long way to preventing both burnout and "rust-out."
