Seiche Sanders' portraitIn May, national redistribution giant Lagasse Inc. announced its acquisition of Sweet Paper Sales Corp., Hialeah, Fla., another jan/san redistributor. According to Lagasse execs, the acquisition will leverage Sweet Paper’s foodservice and paper product strengths against Lagasse’s jan/san focus and logistical capabilities. Click here for more on the acquisition. We heard rumblings of other acquisition activity as well, but nothing could be confirmed as of press time. Stay tuned for more news in next month’s issue…or check our frequent news updates on CLEANLINK.com™

The Lagasse/Sweet Paper announcement coincides with SM’s annual issue dedicated to industry wholesalers. Through good times and bad, wholesalers lend their logistical expertise to jan/san distributors, helping them meet the most difficult of customer demands and, ultimately, grow their businesses. Our cover story, “Chain of Demand,” explores how wholesalers are able to come through for distributors in a pinch.


Distributor websites have come a long way since I joined SM in 2000. Not only are there many more of them, but they’re also increasingly sophisticated. I keep a folder on my computer’s “desktop” full of bookmarked jan/san distributor websites — websites that I think are a cut above the rest. Lately, I find that my folder is expanding rapidly as functional, well-designed websites become commonplace.

While the general quality of jan/san distributor websites is improving, it’s never a bad idea for distributor executives to assess what’s working — and what could use some work. “Is Your Site ‘Web-Worthy?” touches on some of the most important components of a utilitarian website, and offers tips for continuous improvement.

  




POSTED ON: 6/1/2005