From the category archives:

Wholesale / Distribution

Beaulieu: Expect growth, but hire with caution

by Angela Bensman on April 2, 2013

Signs continue to point toward growth in the coming months, but wholesale-distributors should take a long-term view before they commit to adding new jobs, economist Alan Beaulieu wrote in the March issue of the NAW Advisor. “I would suggest consulting our forecasts for your individual industry for 2014,” Beaulieu wrote. “Would it be worth hiring [...]

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Beaulieu: forecast has not changed

by Jim Donnellon on March 20, 2013

Despite the noise coming from Washington, distributors should expect growth in the near term, followed by a slowdown late in 2013 and into 2014, economist Alan Beaulieu wrote in the February issue of the NAW Advisor. “If you have seen me talk at NAW presentations, you know that I have been saying this for years [...]

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Distributors have reason for optimism in early ’13

by Logan Conner on February 5, 2013

Record high levels of consumer spending give wholesaler-distributors reason to be optimistic, economist Alan Beaulieu wrote in the January issue of the NAW Advisor. He warns that distributors who plan to hold onto cash in anticipation of a looming 2014 recession are missing an opportunity to grow in the short-term. In preparation for 2014, he [...]

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Beaulieu: Prepare for downturn by being aggressive

by Tech Support on December 27, 2012

By Trishna Shah, CPA, Staff Accountant Economist Alan Beaulieu has been forecasting a mild downturn in the U.S. economy in late 2013 and 2014, but he sees opportunity for distributors to profit despite the macroeconomic environment. “Especially in the first half of the year,” he wrote in the December issue of the NAW Advisor. Beaulieu [...]

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NAW Advisor: Opportunity despite uncertainty

by Logan Conner on November 15, 2012

Economist Alan Beaulieu, the featured speaker at our recent Manufacturers Seminar and an advisor to the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, forecasts a mild recession in 2014, and he recommends that distributors plan for short-term growth in early 2013 while preparing for a slight downturn leading into 2014. “The consumer is going to be the key [...]

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Documenting value is key to growing profits for distributors

by Tyler Duff on September 28, 2012

Most distributors consider themselves value-added suppliers. When author and consultant Tim Underhill posed the question to 91 local distribution executives, nearly all in the room raised a hand. But few of them are documenting the value they add for customers – and the documentation is key to maintaining margins in a tight economy, Underhill said. [...]

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Beaulieu: Distributors should ignore uncertainty, plan for growth

by Ross Leugers on September 26, 2012

“Uncertainty is the enemy of decision-making, and we are surrounded by it,” economist Alan Beaulieu wrote recently. In his latest report for the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, Beaulieu wrote that distributors should ignore the uncertainty and move in response to market changes, rather than wait idly. He advises that the post-election economy will be much [...]

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Use R&E Tax Credit to fund business continuity plan

by Melissa Brogan on May 16, 2012

About half of all companies close within five years of opening, and 70 percent will close within 10 years. An established company that suffers a significant loss due to a disaster faces the same long odds. The failure rate is virtually identical to the failure rate of startups, risk management consultant Bob Bernens said. “You [...]

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