Federal Housing Reform Bill Targets Homebuilding Growth and Construction Supply Shortages Supply Chain Thursday, May 21, 2026 This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed sweeping bipartisan housing legislation that could carry significant implications for the residential and multifamily construction markets. The legislation, known as the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, is designed to address housing affordability by accelerating homebuilding, reducing regulatory barriers, expanding manufactured housing... Read more
Distribution Leaders Share Real-World CRM Implementation Lessons Supply Chain Wednesday, May 20, 2026 When evaluating CRM, the technology itself is rarely the hardest part. The real challenge is changing how sales teams work, building processes that support adoption, and creating a system people will actually use. That was the central theme of a recent episode of ASA’s Embracing the Future podcast, where ASA Director of Innovation and Technology Nils Swensen spoke with Charlie Parham,... Read more
Congressional and Regulatory Update Supply Chain Wednesday, January 21, 2026 Congress returns in January to begin the second session of the 119th Congress, but significant work remains. Only half of the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bills have been enacted, and Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune are racing to prevent a partial government shutdown when the current continuing resolution expires on January 30. Read more
State of E-Commerce in Plumbing Distribution Supply Chain Tuesday, December 16, 2025 E-commerce revenue progression grows from 9.3% of total sales in 2023 to 11.6% in 2024 and 12.2% in 2025. The pattern suggests an inflection point where digital commerce transitioned from supplementary to more substantive status for distribution operations, though overall revenue remains below 15% indicating continued dominance of traditional transaction channels including phone orders,... Read more
How ASA Members Are Harnessing Key Knowledge from a Retiring Generation Supply Chain Tuesday, December 16, 2025 One of the key takeaways from the American Supply Association’s LEAD strategic planning retreat earlier this year in Dana Point, California was the question of how is the PHCP-PVF industry addressing the top-of-mind subject of the transfer of industry knowledge from retiring veterans to the next generation? Read more
2026 on the Horizon: Inflation, Jobs & Growth with Dr. Kuehl Supply Chain Monday, December 15, 2025 In this week’s quick 8-minute update, ASA Chief Economist Dr. Chris Kuehl looks ahead to 2026 and breaks down the key economic questions shaping the end of the year. He discusses long-delayed October data, the four issues economists have been focused on for more than a year, and the lingering challenges of measuring and managing inflation—plus which sectors are still seeing price... Read more
Having a Product Data Library Is Not the Same as Having a Product Data Standard Supply Chain Monday, December 15, 2025 As product data continues to play a larger role in distribution operations, digital commerce, and internal systems, many organizations are reassessing how they manage and govern that data. In those conversations, one question comes up repeatedly. If a company already receives product data from a trusted source, why is an industry product data standard still necessary? Read more