Weather Disruption and the Value of Being Ready Before You Need To Be

Most of the major fulfillment and warehousing hotbed markets across the U.S. were impacted by snow and ice last week.

Weather events like the ones we’ve seen over the past two weeks are disruptive even in places that are used to winter. But they’re especially disruptive in markets like DFW, Atlanta, Nashville/Knoxville, and Charlotte — where this kind of weather is uncommon and the operational muscle memory just isn’t there.

It made me reminisce on my time in operations and how we'd plan for these scenarios despite being in places where we'd likely never need to take action on the plan. The big takeaway: Since we did the planning work for the 1% chance of needing it, we were in execution mode vs. scramble mode when it did happen. I posted deeper about it on LinkedIn yesterday.

What's trending

📦 Stord had an active week.

Stord announced Stord AI, aimed at improving visibility and control for clients. They also shared that they are assuming Quiet’s Dallas fulfillment operation and becoming the preferred provider for former Quiet customers.

📦 Veho introduces FlexSave.

Veho announced FlexSave, giving shippers the option to reduce shipping spend by offering customers more flexible delivery windows. More optionality for the customer, savings for the shipper — a win-win when executed well.

📦 Manifest is next week.

Manifest 2026 is around the corner. We’ll be there, but it’s worth saying plainly: it isn’t a high-value show for everyone.

It’s okay to have FOMO, but not everyone is running the same race or looking for the same outcome.

I wrote a blog this week on Manifest specifically as it relates to small, mid-market, and boutique 3PLs. The short version:

Go if you’re investing in automation and technology — or if you’ve already done so and are intentionally targeting brands in the $50MM–$100MM revenue range.

Opportunities in Fulfillment

Partner Highlight: Spotwork

Volume shifts are constant in fulfillment. Peaks, promotions, weather, and demand swings all create the same challenge: labor needs change fast, and traditional staffing models often can’t keep up.

Spotwork helps operators stay ahead of that unpredictability.

Built specifically for industrial environments like warehousing, logistics, and manufacturing, Spotwork provides dependable staffing that can scale up or down as demand changes, without the friction and cost structure of legacy agencies.

A key differentiator is how easy Spotwork makes temp-to-hire. Companies can convert Spotters to full-time employees with zero conversion fees and no required timeframe, making it simple to retain high performers when the fit is right.

A few other benefits teams experience working with Spotwork:

1. Fill open shifts in as little as 4 hours

2. Reduce no-shows and improve attendance reliability

3. Gain real-time visibility into workforce activity, clock-ins, and timesheets

4. Lower staffing costs compared to traditional agency models

Want to learn how Spotwork helped a national fulfillment company gain consistent coverage? Just reply to this message to receive the case study.