ACWI Advance - September 15, 2020

Dear ACWI Members, In this issue of ACWI Advance we take a closer look at these stories:

• It looks like ecommerce will continue driving industrial real estate market growth for some time to come.
• The Chemical Activity Barometer in August was consistent with a slow recovery of the U.S. economy.
• The Surface Transportation Board releases rules dealing with railroad market dominance in rate reasonableness proceedings.
• The FBI warns that Electronic Logging Devices are vulnerable to hackers who could use them to access corporate data.
• A recent survey shows the old workplace adage that employees leave managers – not companies, is quite true.
• The Coronavirus pandemic puts a crimp in the development of autonomous vehicle technologies.
• Employers need to address the increase in domestic violence that arose during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

This newsletter is yours free of cost, and I encourage you to share it any way you wish – adding it to your company website and forwarding it to customers, prospects and business colleagues. ACWI is happy to provide a free subscription to anyone you wish to include. Just send me their email addresses and I will add them to the list. Send your company news to Editor David Sparkman at dspark@comcast.net, and please understand that there is no cost to you when we use your news in this newsletter. Stay well and please let us know how you are doing as time goes on. We value your input as much as you value ours All my best, Paul Delp

Ecommerce Pushes DC Growth

The movement of goods ordered online and delivered to their final destination will continue to be a key driver of the industrial real estate market, according to commercial real estate services giant Colliers International. The economic turbulence created by the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the economy. Although current signs are hopeful, it is impossible to tell whether the economic recovery will strengthen or stumble in the coming months. READ MORE >

CAB Forecasts Strong Recovery

The Chemical Activity Barometer, a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council, was up by 2.5% in August on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis following a 3% gain in July. However. on a year-over-year (Y/Y) basis, the barometer was down 6.1% in August. Read More >

STB Confronts Rail Dominance

The Surface Transportation Board released new regulations aimed at dealing with railroad market dominance in rate reasonableness proceedings. “The final rule provides an option for simplifying the market dominance inquiry which otherwise can be costly and time-consuming, especially in smaller cases,” the STB said, adding the decision part of its continuing effort to make rate review procedures more accessible, efficient and transparent. Read More >

Productivity Hurt By Cell Phones

A recent survey found that distractions caused by individual digital devices in the workplace have a detrimental effect on productivity. The nationwide poll of more than a thousand employees this spring was conducted by Screen Education, EMI Research Solutions, and Stark Statistical Consulting. Read More >

Managers Cause Employee Stress

A survey conducted recently by the Society for Human Resource Management supports the old workplace adage that employees leave managers – not companies. The study found that 84% of U.S. workers believe poorly trained managers create a lot of unnecessary work and stress. Read More > 

Covid Hurts AV Tech Progress

Although many fleets have announced their commitments to acquire alternative fuel vehicles and conduct autonomous vehicle test projects, the Coronavirus pandemic has put a crimp in the development of AV technologies. Read More >

Employers Can Help Abuse Victims

One effect of the COVID-19 pandemic is that stay- at-home orders resulted in a marked increase in domestic violence worldwide, note David Gartenberg and Adam Joshua Fiss, attorneys with the law firm of Littler Mendelson. Reports also have proliferated concerning notable increases in personal alcohol consumption, drug use, suicide and aggravation of existing mental illnesses. Studies show that economic hardship is correlated with increases in abusive behavior towards spouses, children and the elderly. “Compounding these economic factors are the widespread stay-at-home orders blanketing much of the globe,” Gartenberg and Fiss say. “While these orders may help slow the spread of COVID-19, the forced confinement to the home increases the odds for an incidence of domestic violence to occur.” Read More >