By nearly anyone’s standards, 2020 was a doozy. The world struggled to manage a highly contagious virus, which has had seismic impacts on supply chains, industries, and individual businesses. There are few segments of the global economy that have been untouched by the issues created by COVID-19.

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If you’re like me, you are ready to kick 2020 to the curb! It’s been a year when we’ve all experienced a wide range of emotions: anxiety, loneliness, fear, anger, stress, sadness, and frustration. But as this tumultuous year comes to a close, it seems like a worthwhile exercise to take a look back at where we were in January and where we...

So many businesses have struggled to stay afloat during the pandemic, in part because of mandates on capacity or other restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19. But other industries have actually been thriving as a result of the pandemic. You might initially think about companies that make personal protective equipment,...

You know the big guys — Amazon, eBay, QVC, L.L. Bean — but there are a lot more players in the internet, TV, and mail-order retailer space who are gearing up for the holiday shopping season. In fact, the niche consists of 40,000 companies that generate $705 billion annually.

We may be in the lull before the storm. I really like to think optimistically, but looking at the cold hard facts, it seems like things are going better than they should be both for banks and their business banking clients.

2020 has been a year packed full of crazy, and this week’s elections are likely to serve up more chaos. I’m not much for conflict. I am certainly not going to dive into a passionate political discussion in a blog or even conversation this week. But I will likely reach out to friends, co-workers, and clients to touch base and let them...

Community banks have had a challenging year; it’s been unlike anything our nation has experienced in the past century. Small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), which are among community banks’ bread and butter, have suffered record job losses and closures. Between the March 13 COVID-19 emergency declaration and mid-April, total private...

The U.S. Census Bureau recently released data on estimated retail and food services sales for the month of September. Estimated numbers are based on early reports from a small sampling of companies selected from the larger Monthly Retail Trade Survey (MRTS) sample. You can view the Advance Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services,...

Barlow Research Associates is probably the most well-known, and certainly the most accomplished, banking research company, especially with regard to gathering insights on how businesses view their banks.

September saw NFL and college football starting to come back to life, bringing a much-needed boost to many people’s spirits as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Along with many other Americans, I spent last weekend cheering on the guys from my fantasy football team.