Gail Short - a freelance writer in Birmingham, Alabama

These days, many warehouses and distribution centers are under the gun to boost efficiency and productivity and ship products and materials faster than ever.
In the e-commerce industry alone, a recent survey by the global consulting firm Capgemini Research Foundation reported that 55% of consumers polled said they would choose a brand or retailer over its competitor if it offered a faster delivery service.
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That said, a white paper titled “Warehouses of the Future,” published by the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University (ASU), says warehouses are becoming places “not just to store stuff,” but places integrated into supply chain processes. The paper goes on to say that, consequently, warehouses today are looking to technological advances to cut the cost of labor, boost productivity and speed up the flow of goods. Read the article here. 

Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said, “Nothing endures but change.”
The German automaker Mercedes-Benz U.S. International (MBUSI) in Tuscaloosa County, and its parent company, Daimler AG, are moving forward with a host of changes for the decade to come.
Last November, al.com, the Associated Press and other news organizations reported that Daimler planned to shed at least 10,000 jobs from it 300,000-worker pool worldwide by the end of 2022, including reducing management by 10 percent.
Daimler said the cost-cutting measure would save the company approximately $1.5 billion, freeing up its cash flow to implement its fully electric and hybrid vehicle programs. ​ Read the article here.

Aaron Moncrief, a pastor from Oak Park, Ga., was shooting fireworks at a summer youth camp in 2018 when he noticed an unexploded mortar on the ground. As he attempted to discard the tube, it erupted.

“The firework mortar misfired,” says Moncrief, “and I took a direct hit to my left eye.” The force of the blast shattered the bones in his face and ruptured his left eye. A rescue crew loaded him onto emergency air transport, which flew him to Birmingham.

Once there, ENT surgeons at UAB Medical Center worked to repair his facial fractures. Then a surgical team at the UAB Callahan Eye Hospital made an effort to repair his eye.

​“It’s always worth trying to repair a ruptured eye when possible,” says Sarah Jacobs, MD., ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgeon at UAB., “even when the injuries seem devastating, because there are many traumas that the eye can potentially recover from.”
Read the article here (Page 10). 

While many Americans are sheltering in their homes to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, long-haul truckers are traveling down the highways day and night delivering food, medicines and other essential goods to grocery stores, hospitals and pharmacies.
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But what happens if a trucker gets coronavirus or feels ill while on the road? While driving heavy or tractor-trailer trucks has always put drivers at a high risk for accidents and injuries, COVID-19 poses an added danger. But, as the pandemic rages on across the country, truckers, their employers, associations and others are working to keep them healthy. Read the article here. 

While blockchain technology is usually associated with bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, today some companies in the food industry are beginning to implement this tool to increase transparency, trust and consumer safety while reducing waste.
Many experts describe blockchain as a digital ledger. It is decentralized, meaning that no single individual or entity controls every computer on the blockchain network or the information entered onto the digital ledger. Every transaction along the supply chain is recorded on the ledger, time stamped, given a code or “hash,” and linked to the blockchain. All parties on the network — growers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers — can read the data in real time and add their own updates. And, almost without exception, the data, once entered, cannot be altered or erased. Read the article here. 

Warehouses are the large, often nondescript structures where goods are stored, packed, tagged and distributed to destinations around the globe. While they already play an important role in any supply chain, today these facilities are undergoing major changes in both their dimensions and complexity.
Experts say one reason for the change is the rapid rise of e-commerce retail sales. In fact, according to the U.S. Census, e-commerce today makes up 12% of retail sales and is growing 15 to 20% every year.
As e-commerce retail sales continue to grow, the need for warehouses and fulfillment centers that meet the needs of online retailers and brick-and-mortar stores is also rising, says James Breeze, senior director and global head of industrial and logistics research at CBRE Group Inc. Read the article here. 

To hold a job, live independently and become part of a community are ambitions many young adults have for themselves. But for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, such goals can seem out of reach.

But in Lafayette, Colo., a nonprofit called Imagine! is helping nearly 4,300 people with disabilities in surrounding counties integrate into the workforce and local communities and live independently by providing them with job training and placement, technical assistance and other supportive services.

“The greatest advantage of community integration over institutionalization is human dignity, respect and agency,” says Chris Baumgart, an assistive technology specialist for Imagine! Services.
​Read the article here (page 7). 

 Abbey Brooks-Derzay never attended church growing up, but three years ago, as a survivor of sex trafficking, she decided to give it a try. 

​She walked through the doors of Life Church in Germantown, Wisconsin, and instantly felt accepted and welcomed. She started attending regularly and eventually joined the congregation.
“It was easy to be ashamed of myself,” she says, “but the lessons and the Scriptures have really shown me forgiveness—how to forgive myself and not hold hate for other people and to forgive them.” Read the article here.