This is the question I asked the contractors: Can you name a manufacturer that you think is close to perfect in all that they do? And if so, what makes them that way? What might they do better?

There are endless resources on the internet to learn about digital marketing. Just a quick Google search will give you lists of best practices and tools. The challenge is taking this information and applying it to your specific company.

Whether we are manufacturers, reps, distributors or contractors, our industry has quietly been performing essential work for centuries. How do we double down on bringing the best people to the best companies in the best industry?

Every day, we receive promotional emails attempting to entice us to visit, shop and purchase branded products. Countless companies employ a "pushing, pushing, pushing" product approach, emphasizing style and price, hoping that one will motivate us to delve deeper. But, is that rare brand dive really enough? What are these mega brands are trying to “teach” us? The answer, my friends, lies at the bottom of email and on their home page. "Please visit our elegant store and let our talented design team help you create.”

A culture of safety needs to be championed at all levels of the organization to ensure that everyone is aware of the importance of safety and takes the necessary steps to prevent accidents. In this article, we will explore why a culture of safety can be beneficial to business owners, and actionable strategies to begin growing a culture of safety at your organization.

The Emerging Leaders EMERGE conference in Savannah opened to record-setting attendance (seems to be a theme at ASA events this year!) and nearly half the attendees were experiencing EMERGE for the first time.

We always have turkey for Thanksgiving. I mean who doesn’t? My job wasn’t to cook it, though; it was to eat it. I loved the way the turkey always made the house smell, and I remember how The Lovely Marianne would carefully lift the aluminum foil off the radiator to baste it, hour after hour.

Estate planning can be a complex process, particularly for business owners who need to consider not only their personal assets but also the future of their business. Here are five tips for business owners to keep in mind when planning their estate.

Amazon ships approximately 1.6 million packages every day. Although we all enjoy the convenience of being able to order virtually anything from Amazon and have it at our doorstep within a day — or even a couple hours — data shows that consumers want to shop local and are doing their part to reinvest in their communities.

The plumbing supply industry and our showrooms, as well as many re-distribution businesses, are run ERP systems that are based on the IBM AS/400 or DOS. Both originated in the 1980s. We are an industry that looks to shave pennies to scale and limit our operational invest. We live by “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and so we have gone for a millennia. But, the possibility of having a knowledgable consultant in our pocket might just change the way we employ computers in all facets of business.