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Read All About It! AMS News and Local Updates

AMS Hosts NDEAM Breakfast – Book Signing

On October 17 the SCV Mayor’s Committee for Employment of Individuals with Disabilities held an “Inclusion Drives Innovation” Continental Breakfast on the AMS campus, utilizing the AMS Learning Center classroom space. The meeting, working and teaching event was organized by the SCV Mayor’s Committee Vice Chair Vivian Kimoto and Araz Valijan with the help of Margie Melendez, assistant to AMS CEO and Chair of the Committee, Ken Wiseman.

AMS Fulfillment has long been an innovative leader in the movement to employ individuals with disabilities, recognizing that indeed, inclusion does drive innovation. Several years ago AMS initiated a program with an organization that has as its mission providing employment opportunities to adults with developmental disabilities. AMS now employs a number of adults from the program and continues to sponsor events on behalf of the SCV Mayor’s Committee.

Ken expressed the sentiment of the AMS corporate family in hiring and working with individuals with disabilities: “Some decisions are key to good business, and others are key to the heart. Our decision to hire individuals with disabilities are both rewarding for all of us and good for the business.”

The National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) breakfast meeting was successful on many levels. Works of art by young people with disabilities from Hart School District, who entered the Mayor’s Committee art contest, were displayed and winners were chosen. The winning artwork will be featured in awards that will be given at the SCV Mayor’s Committee Business Recognition Banquet, scheduled for Feb 2018.

Speakers included Ken Wiseman, Mayor’s Committee Chair; Bob Kellar, Santa Clarita Councilman; and Vivian Kimoto of the Department of Rehabilitation and Mayor’s Committee Board member and Vice Chair.

The featured speaker at the breakfast was Tom Iland, pictured above, who introduced his and his mother Emily Iland’s newly released book “Come To Life! ~ Your Guide to Self-Discovery”. Mr. Iland gave an inspiring speech about how he came from being diagnosed at age 13 with autism and is now, at age 33, a graduate of California State University Northridge, working as a CPA and motivational speaker.

AMS joins the Mayor’s Committee, guests and other speakers in a renewed commitment to inclusion. The Breakfast turned out to be an exceptional recognition of National Disability Employment Awareness Month. It was a privilege to host the event at the AMS campus.

Reflecting on the Breakfast meeting, Ken said, “It has been hard work in years past to place many individuals, but we have seen so much progress. In our experience at AMS, individuals with disabilities are excellent employees, eager to enter the workplace and demonstrate their abilities. All of us have been touched with deep appreciation.”

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AMS Conducts Bi-Annual Earthquake Drill

Recently all AMS employees across the campus of warehouses participated in the Great California ShakeOut earthquake drill. As part of an extensive safety training program, covering a number of areas, AMS conducts earthquake drills twice a year.

Earthquake preparedness is an important part of staying safe in an emergency, and the ‘Drop, Cover and Hold On’ drill is an important part of preparedness. Experts have agreed on the best way, in most situations, to protect oneself during earthquake shaking, and these actions are reinforced by drills.

The ShakeOut instruction gives the reasoning behind Drop, Cover and Hold On: “The main point is to not try to move but instead to immediately protect yourself as best as possible where you are. Earthquakes occur without any warning and may be so violent that you cannot run or crawl; you therefore will most likely be knocked to the ground where you happen to be. You will never know if the initial jolt will turn out to be the start of the big one. You should Drop, Cover, and Hold On immediately!”

The information presented also includes things not to do that might tend to be instinctual, such as run outside, or actions that might be popular myths but false, such as stand in a doorway.

Earthquake safety training is part of AMS’ ongoing focus on safety, which is year-round and includes classes on appropriate safety regulations in warehouses. Within the past few months the company has conducted Hazmat training as well as OSHA-based safety training.

AMS uses the Department of Transportation (DOT) standards in conducting Hazmat training, with instruction in how to identify hazardous material and define it, respond and report. Even though it is unlikely AMS employees will encounter hazardous materials, emergency response training is conducted for the purpose of awareness.

The AMS Safety Committee has undertaken as well to train all employees on the standard of cleanliness and safety awareness that employees should have when working in the warehouse. The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards are being used as a foundation for this training.

The safety of employees is a priority at AMS. We encourage readers to visit the Great California ShakeOut website and learn what to do in the event of an earthquake!

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Thank You!! AMS Employees of the Month, September 2017

Congratulations to the AMS Employees of the Month for September 2017! We are very grateful to you for being outstanding members of our corporate family! Thank you Ana M., Alex R., Gerad M., Randy D., Larry M.

Every month the supervisors in our various AMS locations nominate a team member who has provided outstanding service to the clients of AMS, to their team members, and therefore to AMS itself.

The nominations and comments demonstrate that the individual being recognized deserves to be thanked and appreciated for not only doing a job well, but for caring enough to go above and beyond. Nominations are listed according to the location that the employee represents. All of the AMS locations are in Valencia, CA, city of Santa Clarita.

With sincere appreciation, we recognize the following individuals:

Ana M., Logistics Coordinator (November 2011)
AMS Location: HQ Admin, 29010 Commerce Center Drive

Ana is a great example of a phenomenal account manager. She is a tremendous asset to the operations team. Ana is always willing to work with operations as a team to achieve a goal. She always goes above and beyond with a smile on her face and a great attitude, doing a great job communicating with operations. Besides being in the CS department she helps operations with a big smile on her face. She always says good morning and has a 100% positive attitude. She is never disrespectful to the employees, always explaining things to them if they don’t understand. I hear my name over the walkie talkie all day long and it is always friendly communication with all.

Alex R., Clerk II – Receiving (December 2016)
AMS Location: HQ Warehouse, 29010 Commerce Center Drive

Alex is always busy and handles multiple deliveries for our clients with a very positive attitude. He makes himself available to work when extra time is needed. He gets along with his peers and Alex is always a team player.

Gerad M., Supervisor II – Operations (October 2011)
AMS Location: SCO3, 27801 Avenue Scott

Gerad had been instrumental to the performance gains recently achieved in the Avenue Scott facility operation with the deployment of the SLU program. His enthusiasm, tenacity and willingness to adapt has led to exemplary management of our most important resource: our employees.

Randy D., General Warehouse II (November 2016)
AMS Location: WIL1, 28936 Ave. Williams

Randy is always willing to tackle new challenges in the warehouse, including new procedures, and he is always thinking of safety, which is very important. Randy is very organized and clean. He has become one of the strongest in our team in a very short period of time! He always comes in with a positive attitude and with great self-motivation. He’s a good listener, detail oriented and always goes ahead of the expectations. The timeline is never an issue for any of our clients. He does whatever is necessary to get the work done.

Larry M., Assistant Operations Manager (October 2016)
AMS Location: IND1, 28220 Industry Drive

Larry is an excellent worker; he has a 100% commitment to do the job correctly and in an efficient way. He is respectful to all of our workers. He is always here and willing to do whatever is necessary to get the work done. Larry is a great addition to the team. We can always count on him for everything. He is the best.

***

Whether part of the management team, client services, technology, accounting, fulfillment operations, facilities, the warehouse team, taking inventory, answering the phone, training people, making decisions, doing payroll… our employees are our corporate family, and they are the reason for our success.

We have been committed to the corporate family culture at every AMS location. From the beginning of operation to this day we value a close environment that takes note of and cares about the people who work here, their wellbeing, their safety, their education and training, and their job satisfaction.

Employees of the Month recognition is meant to be a sincere Thank You from everyone at AMS! Congratulations!

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AMS Attends Mayor’s Women’s Event

AMS has long been committed to a high level of integrity and community service in its hiring practices. The commitment is evidenced in the community organizations AMS works with including those that represent individuals with disabilities, formerly incarcerated individuals, veterans groups, seniors, and the homeless.

We know that in many instances the greatest help one can give an individual in an underserved group is to offer a job and training on the job, and AMS has made this a practice for a number of years.

To this end AMS has created an apprenticeship program, an on-campus classroom in cooperation with College of the Canyons, a clerk mentoring program, safety training program, ESL and citizenship classes and other such programs. Most important in this effort is the community groups that AMS works with in order to give opportunity to underserved individuals.

Recently Ken Wiseman, AMS CEO and Betty-Lou Wiseman, Executive VP of Client Services attended a “Women’s Leadership Series” event at Getty House Foundation, organized by the Los Angeles
 Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, Office of Reentry.

The event featured a dialogue moderated by Mayor Eric Garcetti. Panel members were Dr. Stephany Powell, Executive Director of Journey Out; Dr. Kathryn Icenhower, co-founder and CEO of SHIELDS for Families; Romarilyn Roslyn, Program Coordinator of Project Rebound and Boa Smith, Program Officer for Just Detention International.

One of the groups involved in this effort to serve the underserved is Five Key Charter Schools. This organization has the contract with LA Sheriff’s Department to provide education, counseling, and employment opportunities to individuals that were formerly incarcerated. AMS has enjoyed successful employee referrals through this organization.

Five Keys Charter Schools is a nationally recognized education management (non-profit) corporation that operates accredited charter schools and programs for youth and adults across California. Their goal is to restore communities through education and other programs that respond to the students’ and community needs. Through Five Keys, young women and men who are incarcerated can receive their high school diploma, career and technical education, digital literacy, ESL, cognitive behavioral, recovery programs, case management, correctional education consulting and college access.

Some statistics presented at the Mayor’s Women’s Event that truly impacted Ken and Betty-Lou, were as follows: 90% of all women entering prison have suffered from domestic or sexual abuse; 66% of women that come out of prison that do not enter employment, will end up back in jail; while only 3% of women that come out of jail and into employment ever return to prison.

AMS will continue to work with the SCV Sheriff’s Department and Five Keys Charter Schools to focus on the third statistic – that only 3% of women who come out of jail and into employment ever return to prison.

Ken, Betty-Lou and the AMS corporate family would like to thank the Los Angeles
Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, Office of Reentry, The Getty House Foundation, Five Keys Charter Schools and all of the excellent presenters and participants at the enlightening and inspiring Mayors Women’s Event.

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AMS Thanks Muslim Community for Heroes Banquet

AMS Fulfillment strives to be a corporation that truly serves the community in which we operate our business. We do this because fully realize that the community serves us with wonderful employees, excellent business partners, good friends, great humanitarian organizations and a prosperous and safe environment.

AMS CEO, Ken Wiseman, is President of the Sheriff’s Foundation and a long-time search and rescue volunteer. For years employees and management of AMS have been very proud to join him in supporting our community’s heroes – First Responders, Search & Rescue, Sheriff’s Station and others who address our safety needs.

AMS would like to give special thanks to an organization that recently supported our First Responders with an inspiring and culturally enriching Heroes Banquet that raised more funds and further benefited the SCV Sheriff’s Foundation and LA County Fire Department Foundation.

The Heroes Banquet was organized by the Human Ummah Foundation (Ummah means Community) of Newhall, California.

AMS CEO, Ken Wiseman, who serves as President of the Sheriff’s Foundation, had this to say about the Heroes Banquet:

“It is greatly rewarding to meet such an impassioned and committed group of individuals seeking to exemplify the meaning of community; a group that shares our commitment to our families, communities, and our country.”

Ken went on to talk about the sincere and respectful manner in which our First Responders were acknowledged, and how it touched him personally. He shared that whatever one’s faith might be, we can gain inspiration from a shared sense of values with the Muslim community, a shared concern for us living as one nation, and an appreciation for a higher power.

AMS Fulfillment stands with our CEO Ken Wiseman, and with the Sheriff’s Foundation in uplifting shared humanity, knowing that Santa Clarita Valley can be an example community where discrimination against Muslims does not take place. AMS employees and management alike are grateful for the HUF mission of peace, brotherhood, and love of family and community, and we thank them for contributing so generously to SCV Heroes!

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AMS Employees take the LA Cancer Challenge

The LA Cancer Challenge is coming up again soon and for the seventh consecutive year AMS is stepping up to the challenge. October 29th is the date of the 20th Annual run, UCLA is the location, and registration can be done on the event’s website, or in person at the event.

Since 1998, the LA Cancer Challenge has raised more than $7.3 million to benefit the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research. The Foundation was established 13 years ago by Agi Hirshberg in honor of her husband, Ronald Hirshberg. Her desire was to fund much needed research on a disease that continues to be one of the most fatal and least funded of all cancer types.

A few years ago the event grew too large for the organizers to assemble the gift bags, and Teri Fox of the Hughes Family Foundation brought their concern to AMS President Jay Catlin. AMS responded immediately, offering to open the facility on the weekend and provide space for their volunteers as well as assistance from AMS.

This year AMS employees have taken contributing to an even greater level, asking if they could volunteer their time, come in an hour early and stay an hour late as their donation to the cancer challenge. Betty-Lou Wiseman, Executive VP of Client Services at AMS, said, “We are often proud of the way our employees contribute to the community. The response of the AMS family to this event is heartwarming and so appreciated. We’re very proud of our employees.”

In addition to building the gift bags, AMS management and a number of employees bring their families to take part in the 5K, 10K and 15K runs and be a part of the fun. Included in the LA Cancer Challenge is a giant Fit Family Expo with music and entertainment, food and beverages, as well as health and fitness booths.

The event also features a run for the littlest runners (2-4 years and 5-7 years) where children follow “The Bee” around the Expo and participate in the Children’s Costume Parade. There are costume prizes in various categories including Best Adult, Best Team and Best Volunteer, and of course there are gift bags for everyone.

In appreciation of employees, Bettty-Lou offered: “We’ve all been affected by cancer in some way, even here at AMS where we lost a co-worker who was very dear to our hearts. As we participate in these events we honor the memory of our friends and family members who have fought this battle.”

Please consider joining AMS at this event: visit the LA Cancer Challenge website, register, and participate. It is a fun day and a meaningful day for all participants, benefiting a Foundation that is doing a very great work on behalf of pancreatic cancer patients and their families.

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Congratulations! 11th SCV Golf Tournament Breaks Records

AMS CEO, Ken Wiseman, has long been involved in community service, in particular Search & Rescue volunteering and support of the SCV Sheriff’s Foundation. Recently co-workers and friends of AMS, and of the Sheriff’s Foundation, joined him in a fundraising event that broke records.

On September 18th, 112 golfers took to Valencia’s Tournament Player’s Club (TPC) golf course in The SCV Sheriff’s Foundation & Search and Rescue 11th Annual Golf Tournament.

The tournament has become quite an AMS Fulfillment tradition as many of their key vendors, associates and clients participate in the event, while the AMS associates also play an important role in gathering raffle gifts, arranging the sign printing, making the gift bags and so on.

At the event, golfers were treated to a full breakfast, BBQ Lunch, and Dinner along with an Opportunity Drawing. The greens at TPC were in perfect shape on what turned out to be a beautiful day for golf. To top it off, the Laker Girls once again joined the group at the award ceremony.

But the biggest award for everyone is that a record $33,000 will now go to our local Sheriff Station for the purchase of lifesaving, law enforcement and search and rescue equipment and training.

The SCV Sheriff’s Foundation, currently chaired by AMS Fulfillment’s CEO Ken Wiseman, was formed in 1984 by local citizens. Their intention was to assist local law enforcement and station volunteers in a tangible way, purchasing equipment and crime prevention materials as well as raising funds to help community service programs at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.

The Santa Clarita Valley Search & Rescue Team is a volunteer group formed to assist the Sheriff of Los Angeles County in search and rescue operations or any other governmental agency, upon request. They also promote wilderness recreation safety for the people of the community. The SCV Search & Rescue Team works under the direction of the SCV Sheriff’s Station.

Regarding the success of the tournament, Ken said, “This event goes a long way in showing our Deputies and SAR volunteers just how important they are to this community.”

Significantly, the event gave tribute to LASD Sergeant Steve Owen, who was killed in the line of duty on October 5, 2016. In his honor and memory, a $2,000 scholarship was presented to the Hart Union High School District representative, Susan Reynolds, to be shared with 4-excelling students that are pursuing a law enforcement career.

AMS joins the organizations in offering thanks to the major sponsors, listed below, the long list of support sponsors and the many, many others who have lent their support to the success of the tournament. Many of the major sponsors of the event have been supporters for all eleven years.

For participation in this event next year, either as a sponsor or a golfer, please contact Ken Wiseman, SCV Sheriff’s Foundation President, at [email protected].

Thank You to Sponsors: Global Trade Marketing/Ziglift, Sun Valley Paper Stock, Inc., Six Flags Magic Mountain, AMS Fulfillment, Vance Wealth, Coyle Reproductions, Numatic Engineering, Santa Clarita Studios, Pape Material Handling, California Resources Corporation, Auto Dealers Association of Santa Clarita Valley, Merchants Bancard Network, Wintrust Mortgage, Galpin Motors, Global Protective Services, Accurate Freight, International Airport Centers, PPOA (Professional Peace Officers Association), Chiquita Canyon, City of Santa Clarita, Exact Staff, The Signal, The Magazine of Santa Clarita, KHTS AM 1220.

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AMS Employees Honored – August 2017

Congratulations to Todd G., Rony V., Charles F., Maynor J. and Teresa R., selected from each AMS Facility for Employee of the Month honors. Thank you!

Every month the supervisors in the various AMS facilities nominate a team member who has provided outstanding service to our clients. The nominations and comments demonstrate that the individual being recognized has not only done the job well, but has cared enough to go above and beyond.

AMS Fulfillment is a large company with a number of facilities and several hundred employees. All of our facilities are located in Valencia, CA, City of Santa Clarita. Even though we are large, we have nurtured a corporate family culture and a close environment that takes note of and cares about the people, their well-being, and their job satisfaction. We are very grateful for the efforts of this month’s honorees!

Todd G., Director of Core Operations (February 2012)
AMS Facility: HQ Administration, 29010 Commerce Center Drive

Todd is thirsty for knowledge. He’s the kind of guy that wakes up at night and starts analyzing a challenge. He is always ready to help people. Todd thinks beyond his job description and responsibilities and looks at the big picture of how he can help AMS grow. Todd has shown us that he is like a sponge, taking in information and always looking for a new way to solve a problem. When he faces roadblocks and hurdles he is not stopped, instead he figures out how to get over them.

Rony V., Clerk (August 2004)
AMS Facility: HQ Warehouse, 29010 Commerce Center Drive

Rony is a great co-worker, always willing to help out when needed. He knows a lot about the returns department and helps keep us organized. He’s always on time and ready to help out. Rony has been with AMS for a long time and he is a super star. He is a great co-worker, comes in early most of the time and we can count on him. He is a multitasking type employee who shows exemplary performance on his job and demonstrates a positive attitude with his co-workers. Rony’s recognition is Overdue!

Charles F., General Warehouse II (July 2015)
AMS Facility: SCO3, 27801 Avenue Scott

Charles is consistently our top picker on all of the clients. We are amazed how every time we see Charles he is working at a pace a step ahead of everyone else. He definitely deserves this recognition and a big thank you from supervisors and co-workers.

Maynor J., General Warehouse II (November 2015)
AMS Facility: WILL/WIT, 28936 Ave. Williams, 28624 Witherspoon Parkway

Maynor is a great worker. He is always on time and ready to get the job done. He works in one of the most challenging areas and handles it well. All around great employee. He comes to work ready, works super hard and always has a smile on his face. Maynor is proud of his work and achievements and this has been noted by multiple managers and assistant managers. He was recently given a task to re-organize the bottom pick levels for a client and did an amazing job! He helps other employees and has been spotted picking up trash and keeping our work environment clean.

Teresa R., General Warehouse II (January 2011)
AMS Facility: IND1, 28220 Industry Drive

Teresa is a hard worker, great team player and always comes in with a positive attitude. She is very helpful when it comes to pulling orders or helping others, and she will work hard to meet any deadline. Teresa is very friendly to co-workers. In the past few weeks she has proven herself to the daily operation as a quick learner and this had made her a very important part of our team.

***

No matter which department they work in, which task they do, or which AMS facility we find them in, our outstanding employees are the reason that we succeed so well and continue to grow. Employees of the Month recognition is meant to be a sincere Thank You from the entire AMS Fulfillment Family! You are the reason for our success!

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Congratulations Employees of the Month – July 2017

Employee appreciation - AMS FulfillmentIn the fulfillment industry employees are much more than human resources. They directly serve the company’s clients, making their efforts vital to the growth and success of the business.

AMS Fulfillment is a large company with a number of facilities and several hundred employees. Even though we are large, AMS has nurtured a corporate family culture from the beginning and to this day. We value a close environment that takes note of and cares about the people who work here, their wellbeing, and their job satisfaction.

Each month the supervisors within AMS’ Valencia CA facilities nominate an employee who has provided outstanding service to the clients. The nominations and supervisor comments demonstrate that the individual being recognized has gone above and beyond, and deserves Special Thanks!

It’s our pleasure to recognize the following Employees of the Month for July 2017: Raul G., Jerry F., Adela V., Christy G., Danny B.

Raul G., Account Manager (02/2012)
HQ Office: 29010 Commerce Center Drive

During the month of June, Raul helped to launch a full service model client called Bandolier. Raul located the best platform to use for customer service, and set it up by himself with the clients’ email credentials, auto responses and customer service templates. He learned a new apparel management system that handles the client’s credit card processing, Hilldun factoring, order entry and customer profiles. He has already become proficient in both systems and didn’t just utilize clients’ knowledge, but did lots of his own research online, on the phone with technical support agents and through the help pages that these systems had to offer. During this launch, Raul also created and supplied all of the UPC barcodes for the product. He did an excellent job communicating with the client and operations teams alike and was always available to talk. Raul never complains or gets stressed about his workload, and is an amazing asset to our team and to AMS.

Jerry F., Return Clerk I (04/2015)
HQ Warehouse: 29010 Commerce Center Drive

Jerry is a great and fun co-worker. He’s very dedicated to the returns department. He is very well organized, on time and receives our incoming mail and distributes it in a timely manner. Jerry is a hardworking man, always on time and gets the job done with a positive attitude at all times. He is very organized with handling the mail, and he has helped out organizing the return department and throughout the warehouse. He’s a great asset to our company and always a pleasure to work with. Jerry’s dedication, talent and abilities reflect what we are doing with the company. We thank him for all of his good work and support throughout the year and hope that he will remain with us for many years to come! We are very glad to have Jerry on our team.

Christy G., Operations Lead (04/2012)
WIL1: 28624 Witherspoon Parkway

Christy has been working in Receiving for a short time and has already made a great impact with the new clients. She is always willing to learn and has great attention to detail. She has shown she can take responsibility and work well with the entire team. Christy goes above and beyond to get the job done, she always stays busy and is cross-trained on multiple clients, excellent with instructions and goes the extra mile. She is a key to the WIL1 Warehouse Team.

Adela V., Shipping Lead (01/2004)
SCO3: 27801 Avenue Scott

Adela has taken on the role of shipping lead in our facility and is doing an outstanding job. She is always here on time and with a smile no matter how much the workload is. She has become a great trainer and mentor for the picking staff and a great leader.

Danny B., General Warehouse I (05/2016)
IND1: 28220 Industry Drive

Danny is a great worker, has a great attitude, quality driven, positive outlook focused on his work. He is willing to help out at any time. We really appreciate all that Danny does and the quality of his work.

***

No matter which department they work in, which task they do, or which location or warehouse we find them in, our outstanding employees are the reason that AMS succeeds so well and continues to grow. Employees of the Month recognition is meant to be a sincere Thank You from the entire AMS Fulfillment Family! You are the reason for our success!

Not pictured: Danny B.

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AMS Supports Longtime Friend and Supporter

AMS Fulfillment takes to heart the relationship between business and community, and the relationship between employer and employee. When employees and friends of AMS are facing challenges, we use whatever means of helping that we can through word of mouth, social media and charitable events.

We have enjoyed a long-standing relationship with donors to AMS’ own SCV Sheriff’s Foundation & Search and Rescue Golf Tournament. One of those donors, a friend of the AMS family, is Teri Fox. Teri describes herself as wife, mother, philanthropist, advocate, President and Board Member of the Paul A. Hughes Family Foundation.

AMS has worked with Teri and her husband Michael on a number of projects, including the Hirshberg Pancreatic Cancer Foundation 5k – 10k Run/Walk. Teri also shares AMS’ passionate commitment to veterans’ causes, in particular veteran homelessness, so we know how Teri and her husband have gone to bat for others for a long time.

Like any one of us, they prefer to be the givers of help, rather than the ones who need to receive help. But life doesn’t grant us exemption from personal mountains to climb.

The family has been fundraising for gene replacement therapy for their son Sebastian, a therapy that could save his life and the lives of others who suffer from a rare and fatal disorder called Batten Disease CLN8. This regression disease is expected to take away Sebastian’s life before he turns 20.

So for Teri and Michael this is the real fight of their lives – to be able to raise the millions of dollars needed to provide cutting-edge gene replacement therapy for their son. They have decided to partner with anyone in the community who wants to help.

Sebastian’s story can be found on the website of the Sebastian Velona Foundation, which invites direct donations and guides the fundraising effort and the partnerships.

In telling the story, Teri says, “For several years, we searched the world for treatments or therapies to stop this disease. There was nothing. However, in 2016, we met the Gray family. They have two young daughters who suffer from Batten Disease CLN6, and they were instrumental in putting together a genetics team to develop a gene replacement therapy for children suffering from Batten CLN6. Their daughters both received the gene therapy eight months ago, and they are doing very well.

“Because it is relatively new, the treatment and research are extremely costly, time consuming and not covered by insurance. Nevertheless, we are determined to raise the money necessary to treat Sebastian and other children diagnosed with Batten CLN8. No one should have to suffer like this.”

Here at AMS we agree: no one should have to suffer like this. We encourage our employees, friends, and readers of this blog to visit the Sebastian Velona Foundation website, contribute if you can, and share the information. Teri is much loved by AMS and many others in the SCV community. One way we can thank her for her dedication to helping others is to help her son Sebastian have a chance at life through gene replacement therapy.

Dan Watson
Sebastian kisses Annabelle after their riding demonstration at the 19th Annual Heart of the West, “Home at Last” event held at Carousel Ranch in Santa Clarita.
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AMS Ranked #1 Family-Owned Business

There is a corporate family focus at AMS, and we often talk about what this focus achieves: from the free educational and job training opportunities to the wide-ranging hiring practices to safety training and community service, we focus on the family. AMS knows it’s our employees who serve the clients and make a fulfillment business successful. But what we don’t often talk about is how AMS started, and the fact that we are not just family-focused, we are also family-owned and operated.

Recently the Santa Clarita Business Journal ranked AMS the #1 family-owned business in Santa Clarita. Santa Clarita is the 3rd largest city in Los Angeles County, with Los Angeles and Long Beach coming in as one and two. At AMS we are very proud to employ more than 300 individuals, and grateful to the Journal for the ranking as #1.

The AMS family began with Jay Catlin and his father David Catlin. David had been a successful business owner for a number of years when he acquired an independent packaged media (DVD/CD) company. Since Jay had been working in fulfillment for nearly a decade, he was a perfect fit to assist David in shoring up his company’s distribution operations. Jay’s first order of business was to form a new fulfillment entity to assemble packaged media, warehouse and manage inventory, fulfill orders and process returns. That was the beginning of AMS – Advantage Media Services, Inc. – and the year was 2002.

Now, fifteen years later, AMS has grown tremendously from 15 employees to over 300, and from one client and product line to 50+ clients and 10s of thousands of unique product types. David Catlin remains Chairman of the Board and co-owner along with two others: Jay, who serves as President, and Ken Wiseman who serves as CEO.

Reflecting on the past, Jay comments, “It’s really incredible to see how much AMS has grown over the past 15 years, and fun to tell the story of our journey from packaged media to where we are today with so many unique clients and industries that we serve.”

Jay and Ken have managed the rise of AMS into a large and successful fulfillment company with Jay focusing primarily on client development and Ken focusing on workforce development, training and community relations. Both business partners work together in overseeing operations, technology and finance.

AMS has tapped into the skills of three more Catlin family members as well; Jay’s step-brother, Craig McCracken, works part-time for AMS in online marketing, Jay’s mom Ida Lawrence writes web content and blogs for AMS, and his 16-year-old daughter Trinity Catlin was recently introduced to the family business as she worked an internship in client services and sales.

Ken and Jay were acquaintances within the fulfillment industry at the time AMS was formed in 2002. Ken’s son Eric was actually the first Wiseman to join AMS, after Jay hired Eric to serve in warehouse operations. Within months (after a ‘thumbs up’ report from Eric about the team at AMS), Ken joined Jay and David as a partner in the business, coming in as CEO.

Ken and his wife Betty Lou have been together for 38-years, and have worked together for 37 of those years! The two were reunited at AMS soon after Ken’s arrival, with Betty Lou coming in as Vice President of Client Services (now EVP). Ken and Betty Lou’s older son Justin Wiseman, a fulfillment-lifer himself, arrived at AMS in 2004 as well, and holds the position of Director of Operations. Eric now serves as Operations Manager at AMS.

Ken summed it up well by saying, “It is very fulfilling to share my career with my wife, my boys, and the Catlin and AMS family. We have had the chance to grow together. I’ve watched people start in entry-level jobs and develop a career at AMS. There is a level of trust, expectation, and reliance that comes from working with family and long-time associates that feel like family.”

Thank you again from AMS to the Santa Clarita Business Journal for ranking AMS the #1 family-owned business in Santa Clarita! We are proud of our company and of the city we call home.

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11th Annual SCV Sheriff’s Foundation Golf Tournament

AMS Fulfillment CEO Ken Wiseman would like to announce one of our favorite events of the year! The SCV Sheriff’s Foundation & Search and Rescue 11th Annual Golf Tournament has been scheduled to take place on Monday, September 18th at TPC Valencia, 26550 Heritage View Lane, Valencia, CA 91381.

The SCV Sheriff’s Foundation & Search and Rescue Golf Tournament has been honoring fallen officers since 2014. The officer to be honored this year is the late LASD Officer, Sergeant Steven C. Owen.

Ken Wiseman has been a long-time member of the Search & Rescue Team, and he has also served as President of the Sheriffs Foundation since 2011. Ken created the golf tournament eleven years ago as a fundraiser and has been putting it on and managing it ever since.

Tournament proceeds will go toward supporting our local Sheriff Station’s purchase of state-of-the-art lifesaving and law enforcement equipment, training for professional and volunteer staff, and for the Search and Rescue Team’s equipment and training.

A $2,000 scholarship is also granted to four local, deserving students who have been selected by the William S. Hart Union High School District Board.

The proceeds of the Golf Tournament are in excess of $200,000. Ken states: “Early on, when I joined the team, I found that in addition to the incredible amount of time that our volunteers were providing to our community, there were also a fair amount of costs that our team incurred to support their participation. I really felt that we could cover those costs, and also make sure that our team had access to cutting edge safety and technical resources.”

AMS Fulfillment has been a Diamond Sponsor of the event for nearly eleven years. Most of the sponsors of the event have also been involved since the inception including: Arrow Recycling, California Resources Corp, Chiquita Canyon, City of Santa Clarita, Coyle Reproductions, Global Protective Services, Global Trade Marketing/Ziglift, Merchants Bancard Network, Numatic Engineering, Paul A. Hughes Family Foundation, Santa Clarita Studios, SCV Auto Dealers, Six Flags Magic Mountain, The Laker Girls, Sun Valley Paper Stock.

Ken, Jay and the AMS team would like to thank all past participants, and welcome and invite new participants to this very enjoyable event benefiting our local Sheriff’s Station.

For details on the Golf Tournament and registration, you are invited to call Ken or Margie at 661-775-0611, or email Margie Melendez: [email protected].

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