Uncertainty continues to prevail in our industry as we enter the second month of quarter No. 2 of calendar year 2020. Our sector of the economy has, and continues to be, engulfed in a perfect storm of events. 

In analyzing the savage impact of COVID-19 and its disruption to America’s economy, and peoples’ lives in general, one can’t help making comparisons with previous health disasters and their unexpected shakeup on normality in the United States and abroad.

The wholesale distributor simply cannot function in the same manner it could a few weeks ago. The rules have changed, and we must adapt at an unprecedented rate.

More than 1,800 Winsupply owners and staff gathered for the wholesaler’s bi-annual Strategic Planning Meeting and Vendor Showcase, March 9-11, at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville.

Amid continued uncertainty over the long-term impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus, oil and gas prices, and the economy in general, Industrial Info Resources has tracked more than $55 billion worth of U.S. capital projects requiring pipe, valves and fittings (PVF) that were planned for completion in the first quarter of 2020. 

Harold Armstrong, Armstrong/Weatherly, is the 2020 inductee into The Wholesaler's PVF Hall of Fame.

The average annual sales growth for the 12 months through March 2020 is 4.1 percent.

Indicative of the virtual environment many businesses are relying on to fulfill needs, 68 percent of members in the AD eCommerce program saw an increase in customer online activity and orders in spite of the lockdowns.