Construction Employment Increases in 34 States Year Over Year
According to the AGC, 34 states and D.C. added construction jobs between Jan 2024 and Jan 2025. However, only 23 states saw job gains from December to January, as uncertainty around project funding and proposed tariffs slows momentum. Top annual job gains: Texas: +19,800 jobs (+2.4%) Florida: +10,700 jobs (+1.7%) Idaho: +7,700 jobs (+11.1%) – […]
14 Tips for Creating Website Content That Works
Most distributor websites don’t have a traffic problem—they have a content problem. According to Semrush, effective website content should do more than just fill space. It should hook visitors, guide them, and convert them. Their new infographic outlines 14 tips for writing website content that works: Start with a purpose – What do you want […]
US Wholesale Prices Dropped Last Month
For the first time in over a year, wholesale prices fell in April, defying expectations and offering temporary relief in the supply chain. Key takeaways: ✔️ Producer Price Index dropped 0.5% — biggest fall since 2019 ✔️ Service prices saw a record 0.7% decline ✔️ Food prices down 1%, with egg prices plunging 39% (yet […]
Why is B2B Distribution like making Orange Juice?
Why is B2B distribution like making orange juice? Because just like orange juice, profit in distribution comes from how well you process what you’ve got. You don’t sell oranges—you sell juice. In this analogy: 🍊 Your customers = the oranges 🍊 Your business = the orchard 🍊 Your Marketing = the processing plant 🍊 Your […]
3 Practical Ways Distributors Can Successfully Manage Tariffs
Tariffs continue to disrupt supply chains, pressure margins, and complicate pricing for distributors—many of whom have little control over supplier-driven cost increases. According to a recent Baird-MDM survey, distributors anticipate tariff-related cost increases and express concern over margin compression and supply chain planning. To stay competitive and protect profitability, here are three practical, pressure-tested strategies: […]
Be the Steve Irwin of Distribution and Rethink Team Dynamics
Workplace culture isn’t a “soft skill”—it’s a competitive advantage. Leadership expert Darcy Blessing-Williams (formerly of Cardinal Health and ABB Optical) introduces a new way for distributors to rethink team dynamics: 🔹 The Zookeeper Framework uses four animal behaviors—lions, lemurs, dolphins, and elephants—to make team communication and leadership more effective.🔹 Great leaders, like great zookeepers, create […]
10 Ways Distributors Can Prepare for an Economic Downturn
Recession worries are real—but waiting it out isn’t a strategy. Now’s the time to double down on what makes your business resilient. Here are 10 smart ways to stay strong through market uncertainty: 💡 Focus on value, not price wars 📉 Cut unnecessary costs—but keep your strategy long-term 🔍 Understand your customers’ recession mindset 🧰 […]
Construction Employment Increases in 34 States Year Over Year
📈 Construction employment rose in 34 states (plus D.C.) year over year, but momentum is slowing. According to AGC’s latest analysis: ✅ Texas led in job growth: +19,800 jobs ✅ Idaho posted the highest % gain: +11.1% ✅ CA, NY, and AZ saw the biggest losses ✅ Tariff concerns and funding uncertainty are cooling project […]
Rivet|MRO and Profit2 Announce Strategic Partnership to Empower Independent Distributors
Rivet|MRO and Profit2 Announce Strategic Partnership to Empower Independent Distributors Saint Charles, MO and Overland Park, KS — Rivet|MRO, a leading Marketing Resource Organization specializing in services for independent industrial and electrical distributors, and Profit2, a premier pricing optimization firm with over 25 years of experience in helping distributors enhance margins, are pleased to announce […]
New Chapters, Same Commitment: Leadership Updates at Rivet|MRO
Rivet|MRO Friends, Here’s hoping 2025 is off to a roaring start for you! We finished the year strong and appreciate your ongoing support! Like most of us, the end of the year is hectic—and ours is always that way. But this year was that way even more-so because of a leadership team transition we are […]
