The overall survey queried sectors such as industrial, electrical, safety, HVACR, plumbing, building materials, safety, hardware, chemical and plastics, oil and gas products, JanSan and several others. The survey featured an 85-15 percent split between distributors and manufacturers.

The MDCs, located outside of Denver, in Aurora, Colorado and outside Phoenix in Chandler, Arizona, house the innovative technology running a collection of “robots” that carry out tasks within a physical grid.

The FED has plans to raise these rates slowly throughout the year, but the last time Jerome Powell (current FED chairman) attempted this in 2018, he had to revert his course and lower rates once again. It is possible that Powell is forced to keep rates low again, even with high inflation.

One of our 34 stops last year was at Dakota Supply Group. Paul Kennedy, the distributor’s CEO, said the tour stop was inspiring to his team. “I don’t think anyone has been able to articulate what we do as distributors as well as you are doing on this tour you are on. I felt that we needed to be a part of it - to be a part of the story you’re telling. Helping our team understand the important role they fill in contributing to building America, that was great.”

LeadSmart Technologies, a leader in the cloud-based CRM, channel collaboration and business intelligence market, announced a technology partnership with NetPlus Alliance (NetPlus). Headquartered in Lockport New York, NetPlus is a buying group for industrial and construction supply distributors. LeadSmart will provide its innovative Channel Cloud SaaS product solutions to NetPlus’s membership of distributors, suppliers and independent manufacturers’ representatives throughout North America.

ASA’s monthly sales report shows November 2021 results that reflect another month of robust performance compared to the same month a year ago. The year-to-date and trailing 12-month figures remained strong when compared against 2020, a year that had multiple weeks, if not months of closures or partial closures, ASA business intelligence partner Industry Insights, which produces the monthly sales report for ASA members, noted.

Located at Creekside Commerce Center on John Price Road in southwest Charlotte, at over 200,000 square feet, the new facility nearly doubles the company’s warehouse space in the region. The DC will serve IPEX’s customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky.

DDI System, a provider of ERP and eCommerce software for wholesale-distributors, announced David Greene has stepped into a new role with the company as director of business development. Greene, founder and former partner of a market-specific ERP for foodservice equipment and supply dealers joined DDI System as a dedicated Foodservice Market Specialist in January 2020. Greene’s wealth of industry expertise and trusted relationships strengthened DDI’s focus and growth in the foodservice equipment and supplies industry over the past year and a half.

As I’ve been back out attending in person events this Fall, I’ve noticed the conversation surrounding what we’re doing as an industry to bridge the labor gap and recruit more talent has a common theme.