Distributor News

China's factory activity is set to cool further in May, according to a preliminary PMI survey released Monday, as companies cut back orders amid tighter monetary policy and high commodity prices.

The news helped send markets across Asia sharply lower as investors scrambled to gauge the impact of weakening Chinese factory orders and what that could be signaling about the health of the global recovery.

An early reading of China's manufacturing activity indicates that it slowed to a 10-month low in May, according to the results of the survey conducted by HSBC. 

Trade Only has entered into an agreement with Premium Incentives Inc. to provide a complete e-commerce and business management software solution for the Logo Studio, a division of Premium Incentives Inc.

Listen to the CEO of top-five distributor HALO Branded Solutions, Marc Simon, give his thoughts on China, the supplier/distributor relationship and what has made HALO such a successful company.

When you think of the Buddha, you don't think of marketing.

At least I hope not.

The Buddha was a spiritual teacher, with zero interest in profit. In fact, he forbade his ordained followers from even handling money.

But if we agree with Seth Godin that marketing is about spreading ideas, then you could say the Buddha was one of the greatest marketers of all time.

Copper fell the most in more than a week in New York as manufacturing slowed in China, the world's biggest consumer of industrial metals.

A preliminary Chinese purchasing managers' index compiled by HSBC Holdings Plc and Markit Economics dropped to 51.1 in May, the lowest in 10 months. The final reading in April was 51.8. The decline added to signs that the economy is cooling after the government raised interest rates and curbed lending to rein in inflation. Copper also dropped as the dollar climbed, eroding demand for commodities as an alternative investment.

Gene Geiger, chief executive officer of Lewiston, Maine-based Geiger, announced that Dale Denham has been hired as chief information officer for the company.

When sales are down and cash-flow problems are up, small-business owners can become desperate for a turnaround. But rather than shooting from the hip, experts say it's crucial to strategically plan your way back to the top.

"Entrepreneurs sometimes lose that innovation interest that initially got them into the business," says Mark Faust, author of Growth or Bust: Proven Turnaround Strategies to Grow Your Business.

But how can small-business owners get back in the game to stage a comeback? Here, three experts share their turnaround tips.

Much of this southwestern Missouri city lay in ruins on Monday after a massive tornado, the latest storm to ravage the Midwest and South this spring, tore through the area, killing at least 90 people. Officials say they expect the death toll to climb.

The twister, which touched down at about 6 p.m. Sunday in this city of 48,000 people, ripped apart buildings, started fires and uprooted trees.

As much as 30 percent of the town was damaged, including more than 2,000 buildings, among them a nursing home and several schools, firehouses and large stores, including a Wal-Mart and a Home Depot.

Promo Marketing, the source of product and marketing information for distributor sales professionals, announced the industry's Top 50 Distributors of 2011.

Neil Wiesenfeld, president of Atlanta-based AdMan Promotions, a member of the AIA Corporation network, fulfilled the customer service requirement for the Small Business of the Year Award from the Sandy Springs/Perimeter Chamber of Commerce.