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Last month, an article by Brigid Sweeney for Crain’s Chicago Business titled “For Meijer, bigger is better,” caught my attention. Not far from my family’s new home, they are closing in on the final stages of completing a Meijer store; so needless to say, my curiosity was more than piqued.

A strong partnership can help turn an idea into a product that consumers can’t wait to buy.  For the readers of Beverage Industry, that also translates into our Readers’ Choice New Product of the Month poll winner for March.

It’s a running joke in my family that my boyfriend doesn’t eat real food. His diet seems to consist of chocolate milkshakes, chocolate chip cookies and a variety of chocolate candy.

Time is taken for granted in most industries. However, recognition must be given to the age-old cliché that time is money, and money can hardly be taken for granted, especially in beverage operations. From an operations viewpoint, time is inescapable and plays a prominent role in the beverage industry.

As the temperatures begin to rise, it’s certain that spring is on its way. Although winter is a tough time for trucks, a bit of spring cleaning to an electrical system can prevent problems when the summer heat can be enough to sideline trucks with a variety of electrical system ailments.

Another Tuesday and we have another group of presidential primaries. Some might be fatigued from the constant polling coverage from consumer media outlets of these elections, but the readers of Beverage Industry continue to vote for the Readers’ Choice New Product of the Month poll.

Not too long ago I tried Not Your Father’s Root Beer at a friend’s college graduation party. The flavored beer was a nice change for me, as it offered a different kind of flavor with less alcohol than a spirit, which I appreciated.

The infamous supply chain moniker, with all the definitions, variations, interpretations and applications, has for all intents and purposes replaced the relatively simplistic, old-fashioned production planning and scheduling approach.

Today’s business environment requires distributors to constantly pursue opportunities that improve the efficiency of their fleet operations. At Orion, Mich.-based Powers Distributing, this pursuit of efficiency pre-dates the economic roller coaster of the past decade and extends into other areas of the business.

As a baby boomer, I’ve never been a big online shopper. However, I did purchase a few items online this holiday season and was surprised at how easy it was. I capitalized on sales offers, didn’t have to look for parking or contend with crowded malls, and the items were shipped right to my home, saving me time, gas and aggravation.