News and Trends

• Wholesale inventories down slightly in December, but sales up
  Wholesale inventories saw a 0.5% decline from November 2006 to December 2006, according to the Commerce Department. But sales were up 1.8% from November and up 8.6% for the same period in 2005. Progressive Distributor (2/12)

• House prepares small-business tax plan
  House Democrats are expected to introduce a $1 billion small-business tax-break package to accompany the recent minimum-wage increase. The package, a fraction of the Senate's proposed $8 billion tax cut, calls for revenue increases to offset the tax breaks and is expected to go to the House Ways and Means Committee today. The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) (2/8) , Bloomberg (2/7)

• Number of job discrimination complaints increase
  The number of job discrimination complaints against private sector employers increased last year for the first time since 2002, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission revealed. Of the 75,768 complaints last year, 13,569 were based on age discrimination and 23,247 were based on sex. Business & Legal Reports (2/2)

• Other News

• Home Depot CEO brings changes, humility to new position
  The New York Times (2/8)

Best Practices

• Straighten up your career clutter
  Removing excess distractions, conflicts and e-mail spill-over can improve your work performance and enjoyment, according to one expert. Minimize contact with overly talkative co-workers and clients to further boost productivity, one Wall Street Journal columnist suggests. The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) (2/6)

• How to bridge workplace generation gap
  People are living longer and shying away from early retirement, leading to generation gaps in all businesses, including family-owned and -operated ones. The hot zone are the years when a parent is old enough to retire and hand the business over to an age-appropriate child but isn't quite ready. Act as peers, embrace open communication and ideas and adopt a succession plan in order to get through this time successfully and peacefully. Entrepreneur (1/2007)

	Electronic Invoices & Payments For Distributors Transcepta knows that high invoice volumes bring complexity to a distributor's business. Thin margins and busy schedules eliminate other electronic invoice and payment solutions from consideration. So we created a solution that installs over the web, with no upfront costs, in less than an hour and leverages virtually any accounting system. Find out how we do it with this Brochure or visit our website.
	ADVERTISEMENT

Sales

• Bring customers inside with outdoor marketing
  Outdoor ads are making a comeback because they are relatively inexpensive to produce, catch customers' attention from afar and can generate word-of-mouth. Inc.com (2/1)

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by NAW SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Possible LIFO repeal has some businesses concerned (Forward)

• Daylight-saving time could hit snags this year (The Washington Post)

• Home Depot awards board seat to Relational Investors (Industrial Distribution)

• Target to open its own food-distribution center (American City Business Journals)

• Grainger expands catalog offerings (Progressive Distributor)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

Small Business Manager

• Tech tools to make small businesses flourish
  Technology is always evolving, and small businesses should take note of electronics and other tech gadgets that can make their companies run smoother and more efficient, including networking tools, organizational devices and more. American City Business Journals (1/29)

Executive Life

• Cruise offers relaxing way to explore Netherlands, Belgium
  A seven-day river cruise that takes passengers through the Netherlands and Belgium offers a unique way to see cities such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Veere, Ghent, Brussels and Antwerp. Unlike many other cruises Americans hop aboard, however, this one didn't feature a congo line or a belly flop contest. Instead, it is all about peace and relaxation. Chicago Tribune (free registration) (2/4)

• Research shows possible new health benefit of olive oil
  Extra virgin olive oil may have the potential to prevent or treat Helicobacter pylori infections that are known to cause gastritis and peptic ulcer disease, Spanish researchers said. The study found the oil's healthful phenolic compounds had a strong antibacterial effect against multiple H. pylori strains, including antibiotic-resistant strains. United Press International (2/7)

NAW Insider

• Save on overnight shipping with DHL ShipReady
  NAW and DHL have partnered to offer a unique delivery service from DHL Express. Members can ship anywhere in the continental U.S. for one flat rate with no weight limits, extra fees or fuel surcharges. Receive two FREE envelopes with your first order by visiting the ShipReady site and entering the promo code NAWSR07.

• Now distributors can quote prices with greater confidence
  NAW's Price For Success: Online Course for the Wholesale Distribution Sales Team shows your inside and outside salesforce how to quote prices with complete confidence that they are striking the correct balance between pleasing the customer and achieving the company's profit goals.

Weekly Poll

• Would you try outdoor marketing to draw in new customers?
  After voting once, check out the real-time poll results on NAW's All Access page as often as you'd like.

	Already do it and love it
	Sounds like an interesting possibility
	Don't think it would work for us

Sr. Manager, IT Accounting/Financial Planning Ingram Micro Santa Ana, CA Technical Specialist Systems Developer Ingram Micro Santa Ana, CA Telecommunications Engineer Ingram Micro Santa Ana, CA Sr. Database Administrator/Modeler Ingram Micro Santa Ana, CA Sr. Project Manager, IT Ingram Micro Santa Ana, CA Outside Sales Rep - Tampa, Florida HISCO, Inc. Tampa/Orlando, Florida Area Division Branch Manager - San Jose, CA HISCO, Inc. Milpitas, CA Lean Implementation Leader and Administrator, Quality and Safety Werner Electric Supply Company Neenah, Wisconsin Purchasing Manager Plumbing Distributors Inc 1025 Old Norcross Rd. Lawrenceville, GA 30045 Operations Manager - Distribution Center GRAINGER Mira Loma, CA (Los Angeles) Director of Information Technology APA Search Tampa, FL Outside Sales Representative Grimco, Inc. Baltimore, MD Director of Operations Muller Incorporated Philadelphia, PA Sales - Account Manager Johnstone Supply Orlando/Tampa Bay/Ocala/Gainesville, Florida National Sales Manager W&O Supply, Inc. Jacksonville, FL

SmartQuote

You can stand tall without standing on someone. You can be a victor without having victims." --Harriett Woods, politician and women's rights activist