On Thursday, June 11th, AMS employees will be taking a walk from their HQ building and nearby warehouses to the Livingston warehouse location. Through the upcoming “March for Change” AMS will express its solidarity with the peaceful demonstrations taking place across America and around the world.
For AMS management, team leaders, and organizers, the march expresses the company culture, which has focused on being an example of diversity in hiring. As a result, the AMS workforce of several hundred individuals is very diverse, and very much concerned with changing systems that unjustly target minority populations.
Through this march, AMS’s Chief Workforce Development Officer, Ken Wiseman, is able to respond to and give voice to AMS employees who are deeply impacted by recent events. Invited guests include individuals in the community that have worked with AMS to create a culture of diversity that the company values highly.
There will be a ‘social distanced’ lunch meeting at the Livingston location. After a few welcome comments from CEO Jay Catlin. speakers will include Jeffrey Forrest, VP Economic and Workforce Development at College of the Canyons, speaking on the need for reform and respect of diversity, and AMS’s Ken Wiseman, whose commitment to a diverse workforce is well-known in the SCV community. Ken will be joined by a few AMS champions.
Employees are encouraged to make signs positively addressing the need for reform and respect for people of color, and for all people. The focus of the AMS response to these heart-wrenching events was articulated a few days ago by CEO, Jay Catlin in a message to all employees:
“For the most part I stay away from talking politics, but with the movement that has been started in this latest example of brutality, I want you all to know that my heart and my thoughts are with the oppressed. It would be wrong of me to think I have any depth of understanding for what has lit the fire behind the protests, or for that matter the plight of immigrants and the practices our Hispanic population has had to face with respect to law enforcement. Just know that my eyes and ears are open, and as a B-Corporation, we will continue to be a company that cares for its people and the betterment of our community.”
Special thanks go out to Greg, Marco, Mark, Carmen, Sam, Veronica, and all of the wonderful volunteers giving their time and energy to this event.
The “March for Change” is for employees and invited guests only – it’s simply AMS’ way of saying… “We’re making another commitment to ‘Be Good For the World’.”
How can we best protect essential fulfillment workers – those that come to work in the warehouses, to receive, assemble and ship the products? Supply chain employees are playing an essential role and we cannot underestimate their importance in battling this pandemic. How do we reduce their risk of exposure?
As a B-Corporation, with a longstanding commitment to the safety and wellbeing of our employees, AMS Fulfillment has taken a number of actions that may serve as a guide for other 3rd party logistics companies faced with the challenges of this unprecedented time.
Our company employs around 500 individuals in three cities. We are headquartered in Valencia, California and we occupy several warehouses on both the West and East coasts. AMS is a full service fulfillment services company with a large and diverse client base.
When the coronavirus first came into our awareness in early February, we adopted the recommendations of the CDC, and began sending email communications to every employee.
The actions that followed took place over an approximate three-week time period that followed, as we responded daily to the quickly changing situation.
*We distributed detailed information from the CDC about the virus and encouraged employees to stay at home if they felt at all unwell.
*We asked employees to talk with their manager or HR if they felt they were at risk and needed to be at home. We made it clear that if they chose that option, they would have an equal opportunity towards continued employment with AMS
*We followed up our written communications with Leadership team visits to each building to talk directly with employees.
*We made a commitment to share with employees if an associate were to leave for self-isolation due to either having the COVID-19 virus, or having been possibly infected with the virus.
*We opened up more bathroom facilities, and brought in portable “studio” grade bathroom trailers to allow less use of existing locations, and making it easier to keep all locations sanitized.
*We placed additional hand washing/sanitizing stations, pumps and wipes in our buildings for convenient and frequent hand hygiene.
*We changed around workstations to allow social/professional distancing.
*In addition to work station distancing, we restructured assembly lines to accommodate the 6’ rule in distancing as well, and we enforced the distancing rule during breaks and lunches.
*We propped open most interior doors, except for secure areas, to minimize ‘hands on door handle’ contact.
*We supplied gloves to all facilities. While a supply of masks has not been immediately available, we distributed existing supply to employees requesting a mask and will continue to do so as more become available.
*We brought in a 3rd Party cleaning agency to first do a deep cleaning in each building, and then provide 2-3 people onsite at each building each day to provide incremental sanitizing and cleaning services.
*We developed a checklist for all high-risk common touch areas that must get sanitized a minimum of 4x per day.
*We discontinued all non-essential meetings, gatherings, and educational classes to minimize distancing challenges. We also stopped any shared food, buffet, pizza lunches – opting instead to have bag lunches brought in when appropriate.
*We suspended all work-related travel.
*We sent as many people as possible to work from home – multiple home offices have been set-up.
*We restricted visitors to our facilities, except for essential business operations and emergency situations.
*We did two sets of surveys to be better aware of which of our employees had requests for part time, remain full time, or take a leave of absence. So far, almost all of our declining workforce has been related to voluntary reductions that have coincided with reducing work-loads.
*We put a hold on returns processing so that packages returning from residences are held for 72 hours prior to processing.
*We made a commitment to give any employee that is hospitalized with the covid-19 virus $500 towards hospitalization costs.
*We are doing routine phone calls to each employee that is out on self-isolation to check on them, and to be informed if their circumstances change.
*We are monitoring for symptoms with associates.
AMS is very fortunate, at this point, as our employees are healthy and in good spirits. We encourage fulfillment companies, if they haven’t already put sufficient changes into effect to protect their employees, to do so quickly. Increased sanitation, hand washing and proper social distancing go a long way toward minimizing exposure.
May we all be safe and in good health as we keep the supply chain moving – “B the Change” you wish to see in the world.
Please enjoy an article about our CEO, Jay Catlin, recently published in “Best Supply Chain Practices” online magazine. We’re proud of Jay, and grateful for his expertise, as well as the expertise of the AMS Executive Team. We’re ‘greater as one’ as we navigate through uncertain times.
AMS CEO Leads Charge to Improve Client Support
When clients turn to AMS Fulfillment, they need to be confident that AMS has the expertise and infrastructure to meet their warehousing, pick-and-pack and fulfillment needs. Over the years, the Valencia, Calif.-based company has built a team of supply chain management and omnichannel fulfillment experts.
“Our clients are supported by fulfillment lifers,” CEO and founder Jay Catlin says. “Our history in this space helps us in collaborating with clients to find efficiencies and support growth.”
A longtime veteran of the fulfillment industry, Catlin started the company in 2002 to help his father’s CD and DVD business. Catlin recalls, “My father was having terrible troubles with his East Coast partners who managed operations, and we basically took control in a move to the West Coast.”
The younger Catlin changed the operating model, ordering DVD components separately and creating finished goods under a just-in-time assembly process to keep up with demand. He explains, “DVD replicators were not delivering the finished goods on time, and we made things easier for them by ordering the individual component parts.”
After helping his father’s business, AMS branched out in 2003 to become a true pure-play fulfillment firm. Catlin says that by using experience that he gained with a top national fulfillment company, “We started marketing ourselves and going after other vertical markets.”
The supply chain is vital to America and to the world as we confront this crisis. Much needed medical supplies must be warehoused, packaged and transported as well as all products essential in keeping the country running. The US Government has indicated its commitment to keep supply chain businesses going, particularly the ones that are experienced at shipping products directly to people’s homes. For now, keeping the channel open is of high priority, as online shopping has helped many Americans avoid the risk of crowds.
AMS is fully operational and ready and willing to support distribution challenges on essential products. We are currently assisting in the preparation and distribution of over 30 million bottles of Hand Sanitizer and are also assisting a client with medical supplies arriving at the Port of Los Angeles that will need to be distributed to 11 area hospitals.
Our employees are in good health, as from the beginning we have been carefully following the CDC protocols including mandating social distancing of 6’ in the warehouses. We are sanitizing common areas and frequently touched surfaces, providing gloves, masks (when available) and sanitization stations, and offering part-time or reduced hours. For employees who need to shelter at home, AMS is doing everything we can to accommodate them and help arrange for financial support through whatever State or Federal programs are available.
AMS CEO, Jay Catlin, recently communicated the following to all AMS employees:
At AMS, we are taking the threat of spread very seriously, and we should all know that we are in this fight together! You’ve probably heard it said that all of us around the globe need to go about our business as if we ourselves are infected. Staying conscious of the situation, exercising caution for yourself and those around you, will help put a stop to the spread. As a society, we must do our part to slow this thing down and give our healthcare system a chance to accommodate those who fall ill. Social distancing is a must, and it’s also mandated! We also ask that you continue to wash your hands, use sanitizers, wear gloves (and masks if available), use tissues when you sneeze or cough (or the inside of your elbow), and absolutely call in sick if you feel at all under the weather!
This is the course of action that must be taken by fulfillment companies and all essential businesses to protect employees and their families, and as a B-Corporation we are committed to go above and beyond, which we have been and will be doing.
A Business Insider report out of Florida tells us of the unfortunate outbreak of coronavirus at six Amazon facilities, which drives home the point that all essential businesses need to enforce safe practices, mandate social distancing and put employee health first and foremost.
Once again, we invite companies that are having difficulties in distributing essential products to contact us. We’re healthy, and committed to serve during this time of ‘pulling together’.
AMS participates in an online community of B-Corporations, called B-Hive. From this community we gain inspiration, looking at the decisions and practices of other B-Corps who have a commitment to responsibility for others in a time of crisis.
As our readers know, AMS has put into practice all available measures of safety for our employees, as well as understanding, responding and helping with employee concerns for family and financial stability during this time. We are responding as well to community needs for equipment and essential products and will likely do more every day to keep essential goods moving, as this is our focus.
We are proud of our B-Corp family, and would like to share with readers just a few brief examples of how these businesses are responding in their communities.
*B Corp The Body Shop is donating 30,000 units of hand soap and body bar soap to local shelters in Austin, Texas.
*To help students who are home from school — and their parents looking for educational options — New England-based ReVision Energy is offering free online webinars aimed at grade-schoolers.
*Like many others in the restaurant industry, Luke’s Lobster faces big challenges and an uncertain long-term future. Nonetheless, the company is stepping up in the present to donate food to the Broward Outreach Center in Florida, Project FIND in New York City, and a series of hospitals in Portland, Maine, and New York City. The company also launched a program in its still-open markets to donate food to front-line hospital workers.
*24Slides is offering free graphic design for any COVID-19 related educational material.
*BDC is offering support for Canadian entrepreneurs affected by COVID-19.
*B Work, a meaningful work platform in partnership with Fitzii, has had an increase in job postings over the last week, with many roles offered virtually. B Corps and benefit corps looking to hire during this time may express their interest and post on B Work.
*Hootsuite is offering a complimentary 3-month subscription to their professional social media management software for businesses in affected industries.
*Organic India USA is offering free immune kits to the community.
*Trebuchet Group, a management consulting firm, is offering a free one-hour consultation to help businesses think about their next steps amidst the current crisis.
*Danone Canada is supporting an emergency fund for food-insecure families throughout Canada.
*EcoLips has partnered with a local distillery in Iowa to manufacture hand sanitizer and distribute it to the community for free.
*The FruitGuys team has donated 56,000+ servings of fruit to hospitals, essential emergency workers, and food banks.
*Facilities Management Services, a cleaning company in Kentucky, Spud.ca, a grocery service in Alberta and British Columbia, and Success Rehabilitation, a healthcare provider in Pennsylvania, are hiring people who lost their jobs in COVID-19 layoffs.
*Mixt is ensuring that all people have access to healthy food by offering free and highly discounted meals to those in need. Customers can also donate and pay it forward.
Ox Verte made a quick pivot from lunchtime office catering to providing grocery and meal delivery for the elderly, doctors and other health care professionals.
*Revolution Foods is ensuring that kids still receive healthy meals during school closures.
*AMS Fulfillment is in the process of donating fulfillment services to assist two clients in shipping essential materials and donated medical equipment.
In many instances global corporations that are not B-Corps are stepping up to assist in state, local and federal government efforts to get essential equipment manufactured and distributed, and to get food, essential goods and medicines into the hands of those that need it. Very inspiring.
And finally, we will share a story that tops them all… “All over the country, homebound Americans are crafting thousands upon thousands of face masks to help shield doctors, nurses and many others from the coronavirus.”
We hope you’ve enjoyed the news – we can all “B The Change’.
The US supply chain continues to work well and ecommerce is up, according to an article in chainstorage.com. The article reveals that the coronavirus has rapidly driven up ecommerce sales, and it started early.
“According to data analysis from predictive retail analytics platform Quantum Metric, coronavirus is driving U.S. consumers online. E-commerce retailers based in the U.S. experienced a 52% growth rate in online spending during the fifth to eighth weeks of 2020 (the time period when the virus began rapidly spreading outside of Asia) compared to the same weeks of 2019. These weeks span Jan. 27 – Feb. 23, 2020.”
One of our major carrier partners, UPS, is closely monitoring the impact of COVID-19 around the globe.They have developed and routinely practice contingency plans to maintain network operations, and they are working daily to ensure the health and wellbeing of their employees.
In China UPS is now at almost 100 percent of normal staffing, and demand is rapidly resuming as commercial activity picks up. Since January 24, UPS has supported the transportation and clearance of over 23,000 shipments and more than 230 tons of medical supplies to China. They will prioritize critical healthcare shipments in any affected market in order to assist healthcare professionals to contain the spread of virus and treat those affected.
In the event that COVID-19 becomes much more widespread in the U.S., or other countries, UPS will undertake measures similar to those utilized in previous large-scale epidemic events such as the Avian Flu (H5N1) and SARS in order to continue delivering to consumers.
In the affected areas, UPS and AMS will continue to support current demand from our clients and their consumers, even where this is limited, and we are prepared to resume normal operations as soon as government restrictions are lifted and the regular commercial demand increases.
Ecommerce will likely increase even more in the days that follow, with visits to retail stores thinning and stores closing or reducing hours with the recommendation that customers shop online. An article published by CNBC provides a fairly long list of stores that are closing. Apple is among those closing stores, and Walmart is among those reducing hours in order to clean and re-stock shelves.
AMS is prepared. Our workforce is healthy, strongly supported and well informed on how to respond to the virus. We are closely following the CDC recommendations for business.
A few years ago AMS became a B-Corporation and Social Enterprise. B-Corporations agree to the higher social and environmental standards that balance the needs of shareholders with customers, employees, the environment and local communities.
AMS Fulfillment is an employer of more than 500 individuals. Located on both the West and East coasts, the company does its best to balance the needs of clients and employees and also serve the local communities. Hand in hand with Workforce Development through education and training, AMS is keenly focused on the underserved job seekers, spanning a wide demographic from single mothers to the homeless, to veterans and seniors, to formerly incarcerated individuals and to individuals with disabilities.
AMS is involved in the community in many ways. One of the community organizations we support is Single Mothers Outreach. The following information comes from their website:
“Parenting is too important a responsibility to bear alone, yet all too often single mothers are forced to do just that. Because we believe that effective parenting leads to successful, well-adjusted children, Single Mothers Outreach scaffolds families facing sudden housing instability, income loss, emotional trauma, and social deterioration as the result of divorce, abandonment, or widowhood.
“With a mission to “empower single parents and their children by providing hope, support, and resources so families can become self-sustaining and thrive,” Single Mothers Outreach (SMO) directly helps single parents find jobs, get educated, secure housing, stabilize their children’s emotional states, manage their finances, and help one another.”
AMS Fulfillment works with Single Mothers Outreach regarding jobs and training. SMO is one of the organizations that has matched candidates with a program developed by AMS and College of the Canyons, the Pre-Apprentice Program. This program is focused on individuals who are struggling to gain and maintain employment.
Around Christmastime, AMS invites its clients to donate their overstock and/or gently used returns to SMO, with AMS providing the fulfillment services at no charge. By working together with our generous clients, we have been able to put clothing, shoes, toys, small appliances and products of all sorts and kinds into the hands of individuals and families in need of help. Most of the donations go to the organization’s boutique, Closet on Main.
Recently a visitor to our blog shared their organization’s offering, A Single Mother’s Guide to Digital Banking, while thanking us for our support of single mothers.
AMS appreciates the encouragement, and we encourage others to support Single Mothers Outreach. US and global citizens have recently entered a time period where wage earners will be under financial stress. Organizations like SMO will be essential to the wellbeing of working mothers as we move through these challenges. We encourage readers to support SMO and other organizations in their communities that serve those in need.
AMS Fulfillment has been environmentally conscious since opening its doors for business, adopting “think green” practices and improving on those practices as new information and new products become available. As a B Corporation with a genuine concern about the environment and the impact of packaging materials on the environment, we are working harder than ever to see what we can do to find and use materials that are not harmful.
There is significant momentum around the world to reduce or eliminate single use packaging. A recent article in agfundernews talks about government efforts, and the efforts of corporations being driven by consumers:
“Meanwhile, consumers are increasingly demanding more sustainable packaging materials and are using their dollars to speak for them. Half of consumers in the US and UK reported that they’re making a conscious effort to cut down on the amount of single-use plastic they consume, according to a 2019 study, while 42% said that choosing products made from recyclable or sustainable materials are an important factor in their day-to-day shopping decisions.”
A number of companies, with Walmart, Kellogg’s and Hershey among them, are setting timelines to switch to completely reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging. These companies and many others are looking to innovators with scalable packaging alternatives to conventional materials, and investigating some exciting new start-ups that are creating solutions.
AMS Fulfillment’s Green Team has been researching the latest in outside packaging and inside void fill. Hemp products are very versatile with different hemp materials creating biopolymers that can be used in many facets of the plastics industry. And there are many other solutions in the making as well.
Some examples are: 1) biodegradable plastic pellets from paper industry; 2) fully recyclable polystyrene packaging designed from the areca palm leaf; 3) bioplastic derived from potato industry residues; 4) containers that are created from sugar cane and corn starch derived from industrial waste products; 5) water soluble and biodegradable thermoplastic pellets based on casein, a milk protein; 6) bio resi systems that are suitable to bind a number of natural fibers like flax, hemp, pineapple, palm leaves, cotton, banana, and jute; 7) packaging material derived from seaweed and other plant materials; and 8) a foaming technology called 100BIOthat creates a biodegradable styrofoam that can compost in less than nine weeks without exuding carbon dioxide, heavy metals, or methane.
We’ll keep you informed as we examine the changes AMS Fulfillment can undertake to be even more ‘Good For the World.’
Each month the employees in our facilities nominate a team member who has provided outstanding service to AMS and its clients. Nominations are listed according to the facility. All of the AMS facilities are located in Valencia, CA, City of Santa Clarita.
As you will see from the comments, we depend upon and place great value in employees and their growth, job satisfaction and wellbeing. We know that our employees are the reason that AMS succeeds so well and continues to grow.
Congratulations to the following outstanding AMS Employees of the Month for January, 2020: Carmen M., Deborah H., Rosa L., Ana C. and Tangie D.
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Carmen M., Account Support (September 2019)
HQ Administration: 29010 Commerce Center Drive
Carmen is one of the newest members of our team. She is a true team player, always making herself available for any given tasks. She takes the time to treat each task with the same level of importance. Carmen is motivated, smart and always willing to lend a helping hand. She has learned so much in the last 3 months; how to use our system and all available resources. I am excited to see her growth with AMS – she’s a huge help, and I appreciate working with her daily. Thank you, Carmen for your efforts!
Deborah H., General Warehouse (July 2019)
HQ Warehouse: 29010 Commerce Center Drive
Deborah has been very reliable for us, and she always gets the right things done. She is always willing to adjust her schedule when we need it. She is reliable, and pays great attention to detail. Deborah is a very important part of our team!
Rosa L., General Warehouse (January 2015)
SCO3: 27801 Avenue Scott
Rosa is one of the most hard-working, detailed, positive employees I have ever worked with. I know I can give her a task and walk away without having a worry. She always goes above and beyond the call of duty. he is also not afraid to ask questions when she is not fully confident about something. Rosa gets along with everyone, and gives respect to all her co-workers. She is a cornerstone to the operations, and we are very fortunate to have an employee who cares about her work like she does.
Ana C., Shipping Lead (January 2015)
WIL: 28936 Avenue Williams
Ana has been a great asset to the shipping team this 4th quarter. With her supporting role in the shipping department leadership, we have been able to accomplish our goals of meeting the client expectations and deadlines. She is part of the “I Want to be a Boss” program, and it has shown in her capabilities, this season. I am glad she is a part of the WIL team and glad that we have her in our corner. Thank you, Ana! Keep up the great work.
Tangie D., Shipping Clerk (April 2019)
WIT: 28624 Witherspoon Parkway
Tangie is one of our top pickers in the WIT building. She has excellent attendance, and is always willing to help out in different departments. Tangie is detailed and a quick learner. She was able to pick up on all the different pack processes for our 14 B2C clients in just a few days. She is eager to learn and has recently been promoted to Shipping Clerk. Thank you Tangie!
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‘Employee of the Month’ recognition is our way of offering extra appreciation to individuals in the AMS Fulfillment Family. Whatever role they play, our employees are vital to our success. Congratulations to this month’s honorees and Thank You!
Last July we posted a blog about what was going on in the AMS Learning Center as 28 young students were learning basic work ethics and Fulfillment Industry skillsets. It was a summer leadership and career readiness pilot program, organized by S.T.R.E.A.M. Global Innovations (SGI) in cooperation with Goodwill Industries and AMS Fulfillment.
In January the team that had put the program together; Ken Wiseman of AMS, Lisa Michelle of Goodwill So. Cal. and Nikia Richards of S.T.R.E.A.M. presented a workshop at the annual California Workforce Association (CWA) Conference, Youth@Work.
Their workshop was entitled “Match Making – Bringing Youth and Employers Together”. Nikia Richards presented the experience of S.T.R.E.A.M., where the focus was on listening to both employers and students, ascertaining the needs and then designing a solution.
Lisa Michelle presented details of the role of Santa Clarita America’s Job Center operated by Goodwill Southern California, and the responsibility for recruiting the youth and matching them with a program, and compensating them. About the presentation Ms. Michelle said, “AMS exemplifies to the community and other businesses the vital role of an employer. We were thrilled to showcase our best practice model at the CWA conference.”
At the conference Ken Wiseman spoke about the experience of AMS in hosting the students, and how inclusion and placement changes lives. He said, “I couldn’t believe the transformation of these youth from the time they started the program struggling to see direction in their lives to the graduation where I saw inspired, motivated and energized young men and women. AMS was proud to be a part of the S.T.R.E.A.M. Summer program.“
The CWA Youth@Work Conference, this year entitled “Architects of the Future”, was attended by young adults and organizations that provide education, training or other employment services to young adults. The entire conference featured 48 workshop sessions and over 100 presenters, and took place from January 14 through 16 at the Doubletree by Hilton in San Jose.
Thank you to Ken Wiseman and the team for a great program, and job well done.
Every month, and especially after our busiest month of the year, it’s such a pleasure for supervisors and employees to recognize a specific employee as having been outstanding. This month we are very pleased to recognize Ken R., Andy P., Erica B., Lidia P., Tervon N. and Devon N.
There are a number of AMS facilities, with over 300 employees, and we value every one. From the beginning of AMS to this day we enjoy a close environment that takes note of and cares about employees, and their job satisfaction.
The nominations and comments below demonstrate that the employees being recognized did an outstanding job during the month of December. We truly appreciate them.
Ken R., IT Technical Solutions Manager (July 2019)
HQ Office: 29010 Commerce Center Drive
Ken has joined AMS as an IT Project Manager. He immediately fit into the company culture so well, and is willing to help out in so many areas including helping through the craziness of 4th quarter. Ken’s personality is so professional, and he is kind to everyone.The CS team really likes working with him, and we are lucky to have found such a great person to be on the AMS IT Team.
Andy P., General Warehouse (November 2018)
HQ Warehouse: 29010 Commerce Center Drive
Andy played such an important role in helping with the busy 4th quarter with one of our larger clients. He embraced learning as much as he could during this high-pressure time and truly was a superstar. Andy has been recognized as an amazing hard worker and a very smart guy. We look forward to him keeping up the momentum in learning and growing with us. We are really lucky to have him on our AMS Team.
Erica B., Returns Clerk (October 2019)
WIL1: 28936 Ave Williams
Erica has been very hands-on, and always has a positive attitude. She is a fast learner, and such a big help to our department. She is extremely dependable. Erica is always willing to learn new material and she is great to have on our team.
Lidia P., General Warehouse (December 2018)
SCO3: 27801 Avenue Scott
Lidia is a great asset to the client’s team that she works on. She is always very helpful, and a great mentor to all new employees who join the team. She is a very hard worker, and does everything she can to make sure everything is in order. Lidia is very fast and knows what she is doing. She is an all-around great person to have on the team.
Tervon N.., General Warehouse • AND • Devon N., Receiving Clerk (Both August 2016)
WIT: 28624 Witherspoon Parkway
Tervon and Devon are twins… and both are always willing to help wherever needed. They always work hard, and are great assets to our team at WIT. We could not see one of them winning and not the other, as they are both very hard workers and very smart guys! So both of them are our nominees for December Employees of the Month.
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Our ‘Employee of the Month’ recognition is meant to convey extra appreciation to individuals in the AMS Fulfillment Family! Whatever role they play, our employees are the reason for our success. Congratulations to this month’s honorees and Thank You!
In the fulfillment industry we’re pretty familiar with Santa’s workshop – just ask the elves pulling products out of bins, or the ones assembling things, or how about the ones loading and unloading the trucks (aka sleighs). When the packages are delivered and the gifts are being enjoyed, we enjoy a feeling of success. We made it happen once again.
Since AMS Fulfillment is global, we’ve decided to look around the globe and see how the imaginary gift handler accomplishes delivery in various cultures. We know the date is not always the night of December 24th, and the name is not always Santa. It’s quite interesting what stories have been created in order to celebrate the holiday season!
In the UK, it’s Father Christmas, and he does arrive the night of the 24th, but in Holland it’s St. Nicholas or Sinterklass and he rides a white horse in on the night of December 5th. He has a companion named Black Peter who carries a black sack and a book where he recorded the behavior of children. If a child hasn’t been good… let’s just say Black Peter will handle it.
In addition to Christmas, children in Mexico have an extra delight as they could get some sweets from The Three Kings on January 6th. The children in Greece also receive gifts in January as Christmas is celebrated then. Their presents come on New Years Eve, brought by Saint Basil.
German children don’t have to wait until the 25th as St. Nicholas comes on the night of December 5th. Depending on the area of Germany, St. Nicholas might be accompanied by Krampus; a monster carrying a birch branch to deal with bad children, or an equally scary Black Peter (as in Holland), or a different scary man dressed in fur called Belsnickel in Northern Germany.
And there are even more stories! In Sweden the delivery is facilitated by Jultomten, flying through the air in a sleigh pulled by Thor’s goats. Austrian children are promised a visit from the Christ Child or from Christkindl, a beautiful girl-angel. Italian children wait for January 6th, when La Befana, the good witch, delivers Christmas presents. In Russia Grandfather Frost brings sweets on December 31st, accompanied by his granddaughter, the snow maiden.
How about down under where Christmas comes in the middle of summer? In Australia the children wait at the beach for Santa Claus, only his sleigh is pulled by a team of white kangaroos. Finally we’ll look at Iceland, where children receive gifts for 13 days in a row. Here there are 13 Yule Lads who come down from the mountains and leave a gift in the shoes of the children who have been good. The bad ones might get rotting potatoes.
Disclaimer: AMS does not warehouse, assemble or ship the rotting potatoes, the lumps of coal, the rocks or the birch branches. Those items must be handled by some other fulfillment company!!!
We hope you’re enjoying a wonderful holiday season. Whatever your celebration – Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, Solstice – we wish you a happy celebration with family and friends. May it reward and refresh you for the new year.
