News

December is the most festive and joyous season in all 12 months with celebrations across various cultures around the world. Here in the US the celebrations begin with Hanukkah, followed by the Solstice, then comes Christmas and it’s followed by Kwanza. The celebrations are cultural and religious, involving gatherings of family, enjoyment of food and Gratitude.

Hanukkah

In 2022 Hanukkah began on December 18 and it continues through the 26^th. The holiday is celebrated in Israel and in Jewish communities across the US and worldwide. It commemorates the re-dedication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. Referred to as the Festival of Lights, it takes place over eight days. The dates vary as the holiday is based upon the Hebrew calendar.

The holiday customs and practices include lighting the Menorah (a nine-branched candelabra) for eight nights, playing dreidel, giving gifts, celebrating with Hanukkah music. Families gather and eat delicious foods including fried potato latkes and jelly donuts (sufganiyot). Hanukkah has begun and will be celebrated through Solstice and Christmas, ending on December 26^th.

Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice comes next, and although it is not celebrated with meals and gifts in the US, it is recognized as a very significant day and celebrated by many cultures around the world. December 21 marks the longest night of the year, and the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere. The Winter season begins and the light also begins to return.

The word solstice comes from the Latin word sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still). At the solstice, the sun appears to pause and stand still in its daily path (as seen from Earth) before reversing direction. In some ancient cultures this day has been celebrated for thousands of years. China and Iran are two examples. In the US the longest running celebration is the Hopi Soyal Ceremony. Hopi people of Northern Arizona celebrate the Kachinas (Hopi spirit messengers) returning the sun to the world.

Christmas

Christmas, on December 25th, is one of the world’s most important holidays and a major celebration in the Christian calendar. For many, Christmas is a holy day, honoring the birth of the infant Jesus, recognized as a light unto the world. Religious events take place on Christmas eve and Christmas day, and non-religious events as well, celebrating friends and family and gift-giving in many American households.

Christmas is a much-loved holiday across the US with people traveling, giving gifts, hanging up decorations, getting together with family, cooking all kinds of holiday food, playing Christmas music, and celebrating love and appreciation for life and family. It is celebrated in many different ways in different cultures, but suffice it to say this is the time for giving joy to one another. It is worth noting that, while most people think of Christmas Day as December 25th, for some 260 million orthodox Christians, they mark the birth of Christ on January 7th in line with the Julian calendar.

Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa celebrations begin on December 26, and continue for seven days, through January 1. Kwanzaa is a relatively new festival, created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966. The holiday celebrates family, culture, and African American heritage. Modeled after the first harvest celebrations in Africa, Kwanzaa is an alternative to traditional Christmas festivities. It allows the African American community to celebrate its own rich history and cultural practices.

The name Kwanzaa comes from a Swahili phrase meaning “first fruits.” The lighting of seven candles is significant to the celebration, recognizing Kwanzaa’s seven guiding principles: unity, self-determination, collective responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. During the holiday period, people enjoy family, African culture in songs and poetry, and gathering together for food and companionship.

As we enter the celebration time, we wish for Peace on Earth and Happy Holidays to ALL.

Each year, out of respect for and appreciation of our clients, AMS makes a charitable donation to better the world. For the second year we have made our donation to the Rainforest Trust, and specifically the Rainforest Climate Action Fund.

The Rainforest Trust purchases and protects the most threatened tropical forests, saving endangered wildlife through partnerships and community engagement. The goals of the Rainforest Trust are to save endangered species, protect our planet, and engage people in the conservation mission.

The vision of the Rainforest Trust sees a future where half of the Earth’s lands and waters are protected, providing refuge for wildlife and stabilizing the climate. Deforestation and habitat loss is the number one cause of extinction and also is responsible for a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions, so protecting tropical forests is critical to stemming biodiversity loss and climate change.

An Inspiring Example

This year we would like to share a story about one specific forest that the rainforest climate action fund has been investing in. This success story is a hard-fought battle for the Peruvian Amazon. From the org’s website we read the following:

The Peruvian Amazon is the second-largest swath of the Amazon, after the Brazilian. It covers nearly 60% of Peru’s landscape and is the life force for everything around it, including 12,810 species. These forests are home to hundreds of Indigenous communities, who rely solely on this land to survive. The local benefits are obvious, but the Peruvian Amazon is also vital in the global fight against climate change as one of our planet’s most important carbon stores, containing over 49 billion metric tons of CO2 equivalents.

Despite its critical importance, this landscape is under significant threat from agricultural development. Slash-and-burn deforestation is rampant, resulting in uncontrollable wildfires that burn for weeks at a time releasing millions of tons of carbon into the atmosphere, putting the future of the planet in jeopardy. Deforestation rates are the highest in decades, driving species out of their habitat and leaving countless people with no refuge.

Rainforest Trust began investing in the protection of the Peruvian Amazon with our partner, Center for the Development of an Indigenous Amazon (CEDIA) over 25 years ago. Working together, Rainforest Trust and CEDIA have embarked upon a multi-year, multi-project journey to prevent deforestation to the benefit of communities and wildlife.

Empowering Local Indigenous Communities

CEDIA’s approach focused on empowering local Indigenous communities to gain legal rights to their land, thus preventing commercial land developers from obtaining the land and destroying their forest home. “One of our organization’s founding principles is that every acre legally secured for a strong and well-organized Indigenous community is an acre secured for conservation. More than one hundred communities titled in the frame of our joint work with Rainforest Trust, proves this idea right,” said Dani Rivera, CEDIA Project Director.

So far, we have protected nearly 14 million acres through several large-scale projects—an area larger than the entire state of Maryland. Many of our endeavors are still ongoing; we are currently working to protect an additional 1.6 million acres.

Please enjoy the conclusion of this story, plus more stories and beautiful images HERE at their website.

Happy Holidays from AMS!

AMS Fulfillment is so pleased to be able to help in these battles for our Earth. As a certified B Corporation we celebrate the inspiring successes of Rainforest Trust and the Rainforest Climate Action Fund, and we are proud to contribute on behalf of our clients. We believe that donating to this fund may be the most effective tool we have, at this time, to fight climate change and create a healthier future for our planet and all who inhabit it. We are confident that our clients, our employees, our community and our investors join with us in concern for the future of our shared world.

In mid-November we published a blog entitled “Caring for the Community: Culture Matters.” In this blog we talked about an AMS tradition of giving to some valued friends in the Val Verdes community. In the blog our much-loved President of AMS West, Betty-Lou Wiseman, offered her memories about a 15-year AMS Tradition of feeding families on Thanksgiving. Betty-Lou talked about a partnership with the Youth Activity League in Val Verdes that began with AMS helping the League by training and hiring at-risk youth.  

From this beginning, other ways of helping the youth led to a long and beautiful relationship of AMS with families in need within the community. AMS leadership and employees started contributing to a Thanksgiving program, dedicated to feeding the families in need. Feeding the families became a 15-year joyful privilege for the AMS family that stayed steadfast even through COVID. This year AMS provided turkey and fixings for 80 families. This event has become a tradition of our corporate culture. 

Below is the continuation of the story. AMS is giving gifts this year as we have done for 12 years. Betty-Lou talks about the gift-giving below. 

** ** **

AMS supporting the Youth Activity League’s families for Thanksgiving was just the beginning. After a successful giving tradition to the Val Verdes community, we decided to continue with the giving spirit by adopting families for Christmas. Working directly with Deputy Rooney who identified families that were in need, our journey began in this holiday tradition.  

The families supplied us with a form that listed their children, clothes sizes, shoe sizes and what they would like the AMS Santa to bring them for Christmas. We reached out to our employees and they put together teams to adopt a family along with those who wanted to take on a family themselves. A few days before the event the gifts would start piling up in the offices where the wrapping began.  Along with the gifts for the children we put together a holiday meal coupon from Vallarta and a little something for the parents. Packing the gifts in the AMS van and cars we were off to meet the families.  

The most impactful story to me that I can share is a family who was part of our adoption asked for braces for their daughter who has Down syndrome. The braces would help her to learn how to walk.  I took this challenge on getting the prescription for the braces, worked with the company in Oregon and received them a few days before our giving event.  

This one little bag made the entire giving group cry with tears of happiness. This family has become part of my family every year forward. There are many more stories that go with this, a child getting their first bike, warm boots to wear, a winter jacket and plenty of gifts to put under the tree.  

The AMS family meets Val Verdes families at a time when giving is so important. Everyone walks away from this event with love in their hearts. The tradition will carry on… 

** ** ** 

This year’s Adopt a Family is well underway, and we expect to meet with Val Verde families, old friends and new, with their Christmas gifts once again. Thank you to Betty-Lou Wiseman, Samantha Hicks and Erica Martinez for your dedication and efforts in support of families in our community. 

Human Rights Day is observed every year on December 10th — the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR is a milestone document, which proclaims the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being – regardless of race, color, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Available in more than 500 languages, it is the most translated document in the world.

2022 Theme: Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All

This year the UN begins a year-long campaign to promote and recognize the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, December 10, 2023. This year-long campaign seeks to shift the needle of understanding and action towards greater knowledge of the universality of the UDHR and the activism associated with it.

In the decades since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, human rights have become more recognized and more guaranteed across the globe. It has since served as the foundation for an expanding system of human rights protection that today focuses also on vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and migrants.

Read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights HERE.
To visit the UN website for more information, click HERE.

How can AMS promote social justice activism?

By Samantha Hicks, AMS Senior Programs Administrator

We are in a time where consumers, people who are buying products actually care a lot more about what they’re buying and who they’re buying. Consumers and businesses can have an impact on supply chain norms by refusing to purchase unethical products.

We are a social enterprise, and we empower and engage every single person to have the power to take action to make our company truly a force for good, from the breakrooms to the boardrooms.  Activism is a relative thing. So you’re going to your edge. All of our edges are going to be different. But the point is to stretch ourselves to go further. So for some people, it might be joining a protest. For another, it might be speaking out in a meeting where they wouldn’t otherwise speak out. And for others, it might be engaging in their local community in a way, or arranging to meet with their employees, to share what they really care about. 

We hope to really inspire a desire for the people at our company to find their voice, to find their power, to understand the influence that they have both inside the business and outside of the business, and also finding ways to transfer the power to enable them to take action on those things that they have a desire to be advocates for, activators for or activists with. 

We are B Corp Certified, we are proud to be certified. But we also hope for a world in the future where certification has no significance, because everyone is upholding the core values.

To  enjoy a podcast from bcorporation.net on how a business can be a force for good – click HERE.

Every year during this season of giving, we look for a B Corp gift guide in order to promote some of the excellent products produced by B Corporations. On the bthechange.com website we see that the theme for this year is “Give Something Greater.”

As we know, “greater” refers to the integrity of the businesses making these products. We can be comfortable purchasing these products, knowing that B Corporations respect the environment by using sustainable materials. We also know that B Corps do not exploit labor but instead provide healthy environments and fair remuneration. With a B Corp we not only are purchasing a beautiful gift, we are giving something greater – respect for life and humanity.

In our list this year we are featuring gifts organized in the following categories:

• Gifts for less than $25
• Gifts for your employee teams
• Gifts for families
• Gifts for a cozy home
• Gifts for nature lovers

We are posting a link to the page, a brief description from the website, some info on what the items are and the price range.

8 Small Gifts for Less Than $25

A B Corp Gift Guide of Small Items That Make a Big Impact

“Whether it’s a gift for the folks who touch your everyday life — educators, delivery people, fitness instructors, neighborhood baristas, hair stylists, and others — or a stocking stuffer for a family member, these thoughtful items from Certified B Corporations cost less than $25. Get a few to have on hand for the people who brighten your days throughout the year.”

The gifts include a makeup bag, some delicious-looking coffee, a leather-bound journal, milk chocolate bars, a wellness drink mix, some very cozy crew socks, lip butter and a bamboo cutlery kit. Click HERE to check out these products, all priced at under $25.

14 Gifts for Employee Teams

A B Corp Gift Guide to Show Appreciation for Your Colleagues

“While it’s important to show appreciation for colleagues throughout the year, the holidays are another opportunity to celebrate their contributions to your company’s success and impact. We’ve rounded up some products and services from Certified B Corporations that make great gifts for employee teams.”

The gifts include some very nice water bottles and notebooks, a laptop stand, Ashwagandha Latte Mix, delicious looking chocolate, a book, a workshop, an employee appreciation kit, a daily planner and a few more, with a wide variety of prices from $15 to $290. Click HERE to see this wide variety of products.

10 Thoughtful Gifts for Families

A B Corp Gift Guide with Ideas for Busy Parents and Children (Plus Pets!)

“Find helpful everyday tools and alternatives to plastic toys with these gift ideas for the whole family. Many of the 10 products and services from Certified B Corporations focus on providing quality items and creating quality time for busy and conscientious families.”

Here we find a ‘nature-dyed’ apron, a good-looking sling bag, cute stuffed creatures, pet treats, a snack box, shampoo, a meal subscription, skin crème, a course in learning, a natural dye T-shirt kit, and more, from $15 to $300. Click HERE to check out these innovative products.

14 Gifts for a Cozy Home

A B Corp Gift Guide for At-Home Relaxation and Comfort

“Treat friends and family who prefer time at home to hustle and hubbub with heart-warming items made for relaxation and comfort. The items below can level up the hygge factor at your loved ones’ abodes. These gifts for a cozy home come from Certified B Corporations and are made with the planet we call home in mind too, thanks to materials and practices designed to minimize their impact on the environment.”

We start out with a Gratitude gift bag, a nice-looking espresso maker, a variety of hot chocolate mixes, a body care bundle, a glass water filter pitcher, a sateen sheet set, a holiday gift box, a crew neck shirt, crew socks, a set of mugs and more. These prices range from $7 to $269. Click HERE to check out these products.

15 Gifts for Nature Lovers

A B Corp Gift Guide for Those Who Love the Great Outdoors

“For the outdoor enthusiasts, sustainability devotees, and climate conscious loved ones in your life, we’ve pulled together ideas from 15 Certified B Corporations that care for the planet we all depend upon. As part of B Lab U.S. & Canada’s “Give Something Greater” focus for this year’s B Corp Holiday Gift Guides, these companies, products, and services are selected for their commitment to climate justice and the people who create the items.”

This is a very interesting collection of gifts, beginning with an insulated water bottle, a zero waste gift box, some delicious-looking coffee, comfy slippers, gift the planting of a tree, adult surf and yoga camp, a book, a hoodie, recycled ocean plastic gift set (very pretty) and more. From $3 to plant a tree to $2000 for the yoga camp. Click HERE to check out these unique offerings.

Thank you for your exemplary performance during the month of October: DEBORAH H., SAMANTHA H., HELEN P., MARIA L., JOSUE M. & CRISTIAN L., DONIECE H., KASSIDI T., and PAUL S.

In the fulfillment industry, employees directly serve the company’s clients, making their efforts vital to the growth and success of the business. At AMS Fulfillment we appreciate and value our employees, and we respect and invest in them.

All Winners will receive an Employee of the Month Certificate, T-Shirt, and Quarterly Celebration Lunch!

Deborah H., Operations Associate III (July 2019)
HQ Warehouse, CA

I would like to nominate Deb for Employee of the Month because she continues to take on new challenges and learning opportunities. Moving from Picking to the Returns department this past year, Deb has learned the credit memo process and numerous In Order functions. In the past two months Deb has been assisting the Inventory team with cycle counts, short ship reports and tray verification. Deb has also begun attending the Excel classes to broaden her skill set. Deb shows great attention to detail and a true desire to learn more about our systems and how they work. This past month Deb took lead role in addressing missing items to facilitate filling orders during their peak season sale. Thanks, Deb, for all your enthusiasm!

Samantha H., Sr. Human Resources Business Partner (September 2011)
AMS Office, CA

I would like to nominate Sam for employee of the month because it seems to me that Sam does as good a job as anyone in the company month after month. Sam embraces any task that is added to her plate and does is with 100% passion. Her love for the company and what we stand for being a B-Corp shows how dedicated she is. I have worked many a project with Sam and she is organized and thorough, success will definitely be part of her world!

Helen P., Operations Associate II (May 2021)
LIV, CA

I would like to nominate Helen for Employee of the month because she always comes to work with a smile and a positive attitude that affects everyone around her. She is one of our fastest and most accurate B2B pickers. Helen will always help out when she is needed by another department. We are very happy and thankful for her daily contributions to our B2B department.

Maria L., Operations Associate II (June 2022)
WIL, CA

I would like to nominate Maria for Employee of the month because she goes above and beyond with her work. She joined our receiving team and has been with us a short time but picked up on the process very quickly. She is always willing to help out in other departments when receiving is slow. She is a happy energetic person and always willing to help anyone who is in need. Maria is also very detailed and every time something is incorrect in the locations or product is wrong, she brings it to our attention so it can get fixed. We are so grateful to have Maria as part of our receiving and inventory team.

Josue M., Operations Supervisor I (July 2016)
Cristian L., Operations Lead I (January 2021)
WIT2, CA

I would like to nominate a Co-Team for Employee of the Month because during our slow time the last few months Josue and Christian’s department stayed busy and efficient. They both are always willing to go above and beyond to get the work done. Both are a real joy to work with and a great part of our WIT2 leadership team.

Doniece H., Operations Lead I (April 2021)
New Castle, DE

I would like to nominate Doniece for Employee of the Month because she has recently moved to a new client/position in New Castle and her growth has been tremendous. Her skill set has been put to the test and she continues to learn and excel in everything required of her. She also does this with one of the biggest smiles and most infectious laughs! Dee has always had a great work ethic, but these past couple months have really shown how far she can go, and I can’t wait to see her continue to climb here at AMS. She has the knowledge, the drive and the personality that is going to carry her onwards and upwards! We are truly grateful to have her on our team.

Kassidi T., Exact Staff Newark (July 2022)
Newark, DE

I would like to nominate Kassidi for Employee of the Month because she has been great from day 1! She immediately picked up the shipping and picking process. She was training her coworkers and leading by example in no time. She is now coming up on finishing her hours and getting hired on, she continues to do her best and learn all she can while still teaching others she works with. She takes on extra responsibilities, whether it is motivating people in her shipping station, or learning new clients and different shipping methods. She stays late in the evening and makes sure all the orders get out the door. Whatever it is, Kassidi is willing to learn it and help whenever she can. We all appreciate her and are glad she is part of our team here in Newark.

Paul S., Operations Supervisor I (October 2018)
New Holland, PA

I would like to nominate Paul for Employee of the Month because he has shown a great deal of dedication learning new tasks to support other departments. He is very flexible in helping support other East Coast divisions as well as supporting our second shift. Thank you, Paul, for all you do!

** ** **

To all of our Honorees, please know that whatever role you play, you are the reason for our success. Congratulations and Thank You! KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!

How can we respectfully and with gratitude recognize and celebrate Native American Heritage Day and Native American Heritage Month? Simple answer: We can act in such a way that future generations will be thankful for what we have done to uplift the human spirit.

Some things we can do: Take note of where we are, what land we are on, and make ourselves aware of the Native Americans who lived on the land long before us. What is their name; what is their story; where did they live and how? What was their culture and what is their art?

Land

Quite possibly the land you’re on was occupied, managed, and maintained by Indigenous people and tribes. Land is sacred and important to all of us — whether we know it or not. Learn about the land you’re on. Honor the people who were there before you and respect the environment.

Art

It’s enjoyable to learn as much as you can by viewing Native American art. An Internet search can take you a number of artists and art galleries. An enjoyable website featuring contemporary artists can be found HERE. The Denver Art Museum was one of the first art museums in the U.S. to start collecting Indigenous art, and as a result, their collection is both extensive and enlightening. You can view some of their beautiful collection HERE.

Stories

Once again, an Internet search of YouTube can take you to a wealth of learning. One can find documentaries of the history, music, chants, dances, and stories posted by individual “You-Tubers.” There is so much to learn – how they lived, what they experienced, what life is like right now. This documentary, “The True Ancient Origins Of The Native Americans | 1491: Before Columbus | Timeline” is an excellent one. You can find it HERE.

History

If you’re ready to learn more you can visit the website of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. There you find a very thorough history of how the holiday came to be, who was involved, when Native Americans became U.S. citizens and much more. It is an interesting picture of our culture as we slowly began to make changes and grow in our humanity. The first paragraph reads as follows:

“For almost one hundred years, Americans both Indian and non-Indian have urged that there be permanently designated by the nation a special place on the calendar to honor the contributions, achievements, sacrifices, and cultural and historical legacy of the original inhabitants of what is now the United States and their descendants: the American Indian and Alaska Native people.” You can read the full article HERE.

Proclamation

Another website with lots of information is Whitehouse.Gov. Here you can read A Proclamation on National Native American Heritage Month, 2022.

“During National Native American Heritage Month, we celebrate Indigenous peoples past and present and rededicate ourselves to honoring Tribal sovereignty, promoting Tribal self-determination, and upholding the United States’ solemn trust and treaty responsibilities to Tribal Nations.

“America has not always delivered on its promise of equal dignity and respect for Native Americans. For centuries, broken treaties, dispossession of ancestral lands, and policies of assimilation and termination sought to decimate Native populations and their ways of life.  But despite this painful history, Indigenous peoples, their governments, and their communities have persevered and flourished. As teachers and scholars, scientists and doctors, writers and artists, business leaders and elected officials, heroes in uniform, and so much more, they have made immeasurable contributions to our country’s progress.”

The above paragraphs set the tone for the proclamation which you can read HERE.

We hope that all of our readers will enjoy watching, viewing, listening, learning on this Native American Heritage Day and Month!

Photo Credit: Andrew James

Happy Thanksgiving to the AMS Corporate family, clients and friends. We’ll begin this greeting with a statement on Thanksgiving from history.com.  

“Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States, and Thanksgiving 2022 occurs on Thursday, November 24. In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.” Read the full post Here.

Nowadays on Thanksgiving we are well aware of the painful history that American colonists and pioneers share with the Indigenous Peoples of the US. We can be grateful that our culture has evolved as we listen, become aware, show respect for, and honor the historical and present-day experience of Native Americans. With awareness come efforts to repair and restore with the goal of making the world a better place for all of us.

Culture is Created

Culture is created by the people and inspired by the leaders. A business example of evolving culture is the B Corporation, which encourages a corporate family environment, dedicated to integrity as the bottom line in every aspect of the business. For example, in the B-Corp spirit AMS Fulfillment is carrying on a 15-yr tradition of feeding families in need as described in this post. It’s inspiring.

Thanksgiving marks a harvest festival that has been celebrated by many peoples far back into history. Thousands of years ago what were the people thankful for? As we are today… they celebrated an abundance of food and family and friends.

In 2022 we do find ourselves living in a time of change, fear and insecurity. But we also can see tremendous good in the world. This Thanksgiving we have many things to be thankful for, not the least of which is a very good meal with family and friends. For final thoughts we have turned to AMS CEO, Jay Catlin.

Jay’s Thanksgiving Greetings

“For Thanksgiving, it’s natural to “fall back” and reflect on your family, and I am so grateful and thankful for my wife and kids.  My household nest is emptying out as my two amazing children make their way through college, but our family dynamic is a happy one as the kids look to spend time at home when they can and my marriage is stronger than ever… and some of my thanks for this goes out to AMS Fulfillment, as we always stressed the importance of Balance at the workplace, where we give the company our best efforts but respect the fact that life shouldn’t be overly focused on the workplace.  My employees (and I) have lives to embrace outside of work, and I believe that the family dynamic I am enjoying today was made possible in part by our family-like culture at AMS.”

May your Thanksgiving day be full of love and hope and trust, wonderful food, enjoyable conversation and everything good. Wishing all of us a Happy Holiday Season!

In our monthly Green Team series we talk about the various efforts AMS is making to reduce our negative impact on the environment. For example, we purchase recyclable products and do careful recycling. We take steps in lighting in warehouses and efforts to reduce the energy usage across the board. We educate employees on AMS waste life cycle in new hire onboarding for proper waste disposal on site, and we are in the process to become Carbon Neutral Certified. There are many different areas in which we are working on being as “Green” as is possible. One of those areas is the subject for this month – Vanpool!! 

AMS Vanpools

Vanpools allow groups of people to share the ride similar to a carpool, but on a larger scale. The key concept is that people share the ride from home or one or more common meeting locations and travel together to work and back. AMS employees have embraced the vanpool idea as there are some significant benefits. One benefit to the employees is that the van can use the HOV lane and get to work faster; another is that the van is on a fixed schedule; and there is a financial benefit as well – riders save not only on gasoline but auto insurance. Vanpools have a lower operating and capital cost than most transit vehicles in the United States and when people utilize a vanpool there is a reduction in emissions as well. 

In the AMS vanpools, vehicles are provided by Enterprise. The AMS program is operated at a low cost to employees, depending on the price of gas and number of riders. Metro subsidizes $600 each month for vanpooling, lowering the cost even more.

The benefit to a “Green” AMS is called Carbon Offsets.

What are carbon offsets?

According to the Carbon Offset Guide, “A carbon offset broadly refers to a reduction in GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions – or an increase in carbon storage (e.g., through land restoration or the planting of trees) – that is used to compensate for emissions that occur elsewhere.

The key concept is that offset credits are used to convey a net climate benefit from one entity to another. Because GHGs mix globally in the atmosphere, it does not matter where exactly they are reduced. From a climate change perspective, the effects are the same if an organization: (a) ceases an emission-causing activity; or (b) enables an equivalent emission-reducing activity somewhere else in the world. Carbon offsets are intended to make it easier and more cost-effective for organizations to pursue the second option.”

AMS’ first reportable carbon offset program is our Vanpool program, over 5 years of C02 reductions. We are happy to report our 3rd quarter impacts, this is equivalent to carbon sequestered by:

534 tree seedlings grown for 10 years
38.2 acres of U.S. forests in one year
.218 acres of U.S. forests preserved from conversion to cropland in on year.

Thanks and appreciation for all of the AMS employees who have decided to vanpool. We hope it is serving you well!!

We talk about a company’s culture having significance to the clients, the workforce, and the community… and it does! Culture matters! For clients, doing business with a caring culture is a big plus. Employees feel fortunate to work within a caring culture. And every year when giving thanks is in the air, the community has a caring culture to be thankful for.

This year we have asked one of our heroes, Betty-Lou Wiseman, to share her stories of building the AMS culture. Betty-Lou is President of AMS West. For years she and her husband Ken (retired CEO) enjoyed a very special relationship with the community. They were joined by Jay Catlin (current CEO) and other volunteers over the years. The employees of AMS were inspired and the Thanksgiving program became an established part of the AMS culture.

In the paragraphs below Betty-Lou tells us a bit of the history, how it started, and how giving to the community became a tradition at AMS.

** ** **

15 years ago, AMS started working with the Youth Activity League in Val Verdes to help at risk youth get jobs at AMS.  We started by interviewing 12 students (16), we coached them on how to write a resume, how to dress and be confident in their interview. We hired over 10 students and continued working with Deputy Rooney from the YAL program to keep the tradition going. 

This led AMS into really understanding this small community over the hill and how we could help. We started by working with the YAL leadership in a Thanksgiving donation program. They would give us a list of those in need of a full Thanksgiving dinner and we started promoting within AMS by building a grid and putting a value to each of the items and then a full dinner. Our employees could donate a bag of peas or entire turkey dinner. This really made it, so everyone felt comfortable participating in the program showing every bit counts. 

Our first delivery of the dinners was eye opening. Ken, Jay and I met Deputy Rooney in Val Verdes and some of our families agreed to let us drop the meal off at their home. This is where we really saw that this community needed any help we could give. The tradition has continued over the years and with the help of Erica and Sam, it has become a smooth process. 

The best part is the truck rolling up, handing a box with Turkey, potatoes, stuffing, peas, rolls, pie, and drinks, and seeing the happiness we have provided. Sometimes tears of thanks all around. It is amazing when our employees bring their children to give and pass on an amazing tradition.

** ** **

What a beautiful story. Stories like this become a treasured part of a company’s culture. It feels good to be able to meet and fill the need of families, and so beautiful for our children to see it happening. A caring culture is something we are Thankful for! Happy Thanksgiving AMS Family!

Every year prior to peak season, fulfillment companies pay attention to shipping carriers as they announce their holiday surcharges and shipping deadlines for both domestic and international.   

Ecommerce Magazine wrote “Typically, online order shippers like U.S. Postal Service, FedEx, UPS, and DHLeCom have added a Peak Demand surcharge to fees in the holiday season. Those charges initially applied to packages being shipped after the Thanksgiving holiday and stopped before the New Year’s Day holiday. With shoppers buying online gifts earlier, surcharges have also started earlier too. Now they often apply as early as the beginning of October for some e-commerce shippers.”  

Surcharges Rise

The larger the shipper, the higher the surcharges are during the Peak season. With the UPS/FedEx Duopoly, levies could go up to $7 per package depending on the volume shipped and service type. With this in mind, retailers may need to review marketing efforts such as “Free Shipping” in an effort to understand how the additional fees will affect margins. 

The Impact on eCommerce

E-commerce sales skyrocketed during covid and haven’t slowed down. In 2022, shoppers are returning back to the storefronts. However, according to Ware2Go, approximately 81% of shoppers are planning on buying at least some of their holiday gifts online this holiday season. So it becomes all the more important to fully understand the additional costs and their impact on your bottom line during this holiday season. 

To add to the confusion with the Duopoly, what used to be called Peak Season/Holiday Surcharges, has been changed in wording to Peak/Demand Surcharge. This will apply surcharges differently depending on the time of year, however, the higher surcharge fees are typically charged during the holiday season from October to January.   

When Do Peak Season Surcharges End?

Carriers are now applying Peak/Demand surcharges long after peak season. They have extended surcharges into the new year to include the “return season“.   

Lastly, don’t be confused as there’s a difference in the annual General Rate Increases (GRI) and Peak Demand Surcharges. Traditionally GRI’s are actually fixed rate increases and applied at the beginning of each year and by all carriers. They stay in place until a review of freight charges is done for the following GRI year. They can range anywhere from 4-12% depending on the carrier.  

Leveraging a 3PL

How can outsourcing order fulfillment help reduce carrier surcharges?

Due to the package volume that 3PLs ship annually, they are able to negotiate lower shipping rates. In addition to receiving better rates, advanced 3PLs use technology to “rate shop” carriers. Rate shopping will not only include the legacy carriers but smaller regional carriers. By rate shopping, a 3PL can find a lower rate that has an equivalent shipping time as a legacy carrier.

AMS Fulfillment leverages rate shopping technology to ensure that our clients receive the best possible rate for the shortest shipping time available – thereby saving our clients money and time.

** ** **

About the Author: John Bevacqua is the creator of the “Freight Freak” monthly blog, and former VP of Logistics at AMS Fulfillment. He currently serves, in semi-retirement, as Logistics Advisor.

In order to serve the apparel industry, a 3PL needs to master the different setups and services required for the market. Apparel fulfillment includes fulfilling orders to department store retailers, boutiques, and everything in between. This means B2B and B2C capabilities in large volumes, with quick turnaround times, seasonality, and retail’s unique value-added requirements.

Challenges that are unique to the apparel industry include complicated inventory, special packaging, and returns.

Complicated Inventory

Fashion trends and tastes change quickly, and a fulfillment company must be flexible and responsive to new directions. With thousands of SKUs on the line, clothing fulfillment companies must handle very large numbers of SKUs and SKU change-outs. The company must have a warehouse management system (WMS) that can accommodate all these SKUs.

This means specialized warehouse setups that facilitate size-run picking in B2B and efficient size-specific inventory set-ups for dedicated B2C fulfillment environments. The intricacies and seasonality of the fashion industry mean expertly handling constant SKU changes, high SKU counts, spikes in SKU counts, and short SKU lifecycles.

Special Packaging

Packaging is among the biggest challenges in this industry and quality control is especially important in packaging. Also, in the high-end B2C market, presentation is vital. These items must be stored securely and packed safely with the utmost care.

Apparel fulfillment packaging includes tagging, custom bagging, and special packaging or tags that display the branding that the customer wishes to see. Quality inspections of the products and packaging must make sure the customers receive only the best.

Apparel Returns

Returns are an unfortunate reality and must be handled by a dedicated returns management team. The fulfillment company will receive and inspect the return with a complete once-over so the manufacturer does not lose any revenue opportunities. For items that can be refurbished, the returns team does a quality inspection and then they re-fold and re-bag the inventory to be put back.

AMS Fulfillment is highly experienced in the apparel industry. Our clients rely upon us to accurately pick, pack, and ship large volumes – all while meeting customer deadlines and adhering to rigid retail routing guidelines. Our omnichannel capabilities include multiple online stores with thousands of SKUs to brick-and-mortar stores including department stores. Whether our clients sell baby clothes, sportswear, or professional attire, we have what it takes to keep logistics on track and better serve our clients.