Company News and Highlights

October 13, 2020

Series: What B Corporations do for the World # 6

In this weekly series we’ve been looking into various B Corporations to see how they bring to life their intention of being good for the world. This week we will highlight more B Corporations, and look again at the beliefs and intention of the creators of the ‘B Corporation’ concept. We’ll begin with a quote from Andrew Kassoy, CEO and co-founder of B Lab Global:

“It’s amazing what capitalism can produce. I think we, at our peril, underestimate how much business can do for social good if the system is structured in the right way.”

The following paragraph tells us more about how the B Corporation organizers view their mission, and what they believe:

“Society’s most challenging problems cannot be solved by government and nonprofits alone. The B Corp community works toward reduced inequality, lower levels of poverty, a healthier environment, stronger communities, and the creation of more high quality jobs with dignity and purpose.”

AMS Fulfillment is fully aligned with the B Corp vision. Information on our various programs and policies has been published in a number of blogs at the AMS website. We have made exciting advances in workforce development and education programs. Our hiring practices, our commitment to diversity and inclusion, and our involvement in the community are well known. We’ve made outstanding efforts in the past few months with regard to employee safety during COVID. We’re proud to be a B Corp.

This week we feature B Corporations that are also focused on their workforce and their communities in special ways. The first article is about Rhino Foods. As a benefit, this company offers a no-interest loan program, so that if employees have an emergency they won’t have to take out a high interest payday loan.

The next article goes into three different B Corps who are creating a better world by building strong community connections as a safety net for the people. These companies are Kinetic Communities Consulting (KC³), based in New York City; in Maine, Luke’s Lobster and in Oregon, AllCare Health.

** ** **

B Corps Turn to Stakeholder Connections to Help Workers and Community During COVID-19

Amid Public Health Crisis and Financial Upheaval, B Corps Provide Assistance to Maintain Stability

As the ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the globe, shaking economic, health care, employment, and education systems, the impacts were and continue to be felt most by the least fortunate among us. In the United States, the effects include historically high unemployment rates, financial instability, and food and housing insecurity. On a global scale, the pandemic has fragmented global trade and supply chains while further exposing health inequities and infrastructure shortfalls.

Even before COVID-19, many people in the United States were on a shaky financial foundation: 78% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, and 69% have less than $1,000 in savings for an emergency. That means small and large unexpected events, from car trouble to medical bills to job loss, can lead to a financial spiral or force workers to borrow against their retirement fund.

The HoneyBee program differs from other employer loan programs, including the Income Advance program launched by B Corp Rhino Foods, in scale and design. The program is offered as an employer-provided benefit, like health insurance or retirement savings.

Read the full article here.

– – –

Why Doing Good for All People Is Good for Business

B Corps Demonstrate the Power of Connections with Services Focused on Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

As a community of companies that realize how business can be a force for good, Certified B Corporations see interdependence as a strength. By creating and strengthening connections — in their community, their workforce, or their industry — B Corps create a safety net for people who often fall between the systemic cracks.

Whether it’s improving housing while fighting climate change, developing workplace skills, or enhancing community health, the B Corps highlighted below are making an effort to reach out to people who often are overlooked in our society and economy. It may be part of a justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion program (JEDI) or just inherent in the policy and practice.

Read the full article here.

October 9, 2020

AMS’ safety record is no accident: Workforce safety during COVID #8

When the year of 2020 began in January, AMS had an incredible safety record of only one lost time injury in two and a half years. Here we are, nine months later, immersed in a global pandemic, and thankfully our safety record holds up. No lost-time injuries, and no COVID 19 cases arising within our warehouses and offices.

As the blog title states, our safety record is no accident. We work on it. Our safety team conducts regular walks through the warehouse, looking for any issues. We conduct OSHA training classes, we do safety challenges to see if safety teams can spot staged issues… in other words, safety is always a priority. Why? Because we value the wellbeing of our 400+ employees. As our CEO, Jay Catlin has often said, “Our employees are the reason for our success.”

In last week’s blog we promised to report on our ongoing warehouse safety efforts.

Our VP of Operations, Marco Pelaez, reports as follows: “We are continuing to enforce social distancing and wearing a mask as we believe it helps to keep everybody healthy and safe. We also have added more sanitizing stations across all buildings so employees can clean their hands as often as they need to, and we provided hand sanitizing bottles to each employee as well. Recently we installed electronic temperature reads in the lobby and employee entrance so we can read temperatures more accurately. (see photos)

“If any employee is experiencing flu-like symptoms we arrange for them to get a rapid test done, at our expense, so they can come back to work right away without losing any time. And we have extra face masks on hand in each building in case someone doesn’t have a mask with them. So we’re holding steady and the employees are feeling well.”

When asked about ongoing “non-covid” safety issues, Marco said, “We have been doing safety walks once per week, but now we have begun conducting a monthly 4 hour tour of all buildings in one day. We want everyone to be aware of how important safety is for our company. Also we have given every employee the authority to report any safety fails and safety hazards that can potentially injure anybody.

“We are having a general monthly meeting with all our employees where we talk about different topics such as how to deal with weather conditions. For example, if we have a very hot day, we encourage our employees to drink lots of water to stay hydrated and if we have employees unloading containers, we rotate them every 10 minutes to keep everybody safe from overheating.”

AMS employees and clients are very grateful to AMS Management for focusing on safety. It matters!

Click here to access the LA County recommendations for business

October 9, 2020

Thank You!! AMS Employees of the Month September 2020

Congratulations to the AMS Fulfillment Employees of the Month for September, 2020! We are proud to honor the following members of our corporate family! Thank you Cheyenne K., Damon P., Janeth C., Josue M. and Eboni Y.

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

Each month employees within AMS’ Santa Clarita, CA (Valencia) facilities nominate a co-worker who has provided outstanding service to the team and the clients. The nominations demonstrate that the individual being recognized has gone above and beyond, and deserves Special Thanks!

Congratulations to the following:

Cheyenne K., Account Manager (March, 2018)
HQ Administration, 29010 Commerce Center Drive, Valencia, CA 91355

I just really want to acknowledge how amazing Cheyenne is at working with Operations. She’s very understanding on both ends – Client side and Operations side. I know this isn’t my first time acknowledging nor will it be my last time but this young lady goes above and beyond to do whatever she can to appease both. She always has a great attitude during the most stressful period which is month end, and she is always willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Everyone here on the Op’s team is very happy to work with Cheyenne!

Damon P., Receiving Clerk (June, 2019)
HQ Warehouse, 29010 Commerce Center Drive

I would like to nominate Damon for EOM because he is always warm, welcoming and respectful to everyone regardless their level of experience. He brings a level of enthusiasm and willingness to learn that gives you the motivation to put forth your best effort. Ever since Damon started in Receiving he has shown that his personal performance and his teamwork skills are very efficient for the team and he influences us to find ways to attack every order given to the team in the most efficient way. He is appreciated by the receiving team!

Janeth C., General Warehouse II (November, 2019)
WIL: 28936 Avenue Williams

I would like to nominate Janeth for EOM because she is an amazing team member. She is willing to help in any department with no issues or complaints and always has a great attitude. She is such an important member of our team and a pleasure to work with. Janeth goes above and beyond, volunteering to help other departments and learn new things. She helps others and we are proud she is a member of our team.

Josue M., Shipping I Supervisor, (July, 2019)
WIT: 28624 Witherspoon Parkway

I would like to nominate Josue for EOM. He is a professional and gets his work done. He is a great supervisor to his employees and they say the same. He works well with everyone and is always polite and a joy to work with. He works so hard and makes sure his department is taken care of. Josue deserves the recognition.

Eboni Y., General Warehouse II (January, 2019)
LIV: 28545 Livingston Avenue

I would like to nominate Eboni for EOM. She started as a B2C picker for CT and has become the top picker, picking more units per hour than the rest of the team! After she mastered picking she let it be known she wants to learn more. Eboni chose shipping and she was given a chance and became a great shipper. She always brings up suggestions to make things more efficient and is a great team player. Eboni is a great asset to our team in every way.

*** *** ***

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!

September 30, 2020

AMS’ safety record is no accident: Workforce safety during COVID #7

During the past few months, the AMS warehouses and work, lunchroom and classroom spaces have been transformed into ‘pandemic safe’ spaces. It has been a great effort, and one we have all been appreciative of. Those changes are outlined in our workforce safety series #1 through #6.

In this blog we will cover the work from home response to the pandemic, and the use of Zoom for meetings and communications between the office and warehouses.

There are approximately 300 employees in the Santa Clarita campus and 62 of these are stationed in the HQ office. When it became necessary to respond to the COVID crisis, decisions had to be made with regard to working from home. Employees with health conditions that made them more susceptible were the first to set up a home office, followed by others who volunteered to set up at home. Employees with no health issues, whose presence on campus was needed, stayed in the office.

Carmen Kernek, Human Resources Director, explained that in general, remote employees are grateful for the opportunity to work from home versus the alternative. “Though we have many safety protocols and methods, working remote allows the perfect ‘social distancing’ atmosphere for everyone (remote and in the office),” she said.

We understand of course that dealing with this pandemic hasn’t been easy for any one of us. Mark Fese, Director of Facilities, was one of the employees who had to transfer to a home office to protect his health. Mark said, “Zoom has been a great tool in my everyday schedule yet not as effective or powerful as a face to face conversation.” He went on to say, “I’ve always been hands on with what I do and miss being able to visually be a part of projects where I know I can add positive input, saving time and labor.”

We miss having employees like Mark on campus, as his presence at the facility is valuable. We’re confident other businesses are experiencing similar challenges. AMS does not yet have plans to return remote workers to the facility, but will do so when the dangers from COVID have passed.

Zoom conversations are also being used between the warehouse and office, and many more meetings are now taking place via Zoom. While we used to frequently have clients and prospects visit our operation for tours and routine meetings, potential clients are now given virtual tours so they don’t have to travel to our location. Almost 100% of our meetings have been moved to Zoom calls, and these calls have proven very effective to allow productive interaction.

Other warehouse safety concerns have not disappeared because of COVID 19, so in next week’s blog we will cover our ongoing warehouse safety training.

Click here to access the LA County recommendations for business

September 28, 2020

Series: What B Corporations do for the World #5

Every week we have been looking into various B Corporations to see the efforts they are making to be ‘good for the world’. The B Corp stories are always inspiring. We’ve also talked about our own efforts in workforce development, and the safety of our workforce during the pandemic. This week we’ll do both once again, with a focus this time on diversity.

With around 400 employees, AMS serves the community as a provider of employment. As such a provider, we have a strong focus on diversity in hiring, offering fair pay, benefits, training and education, opportunities to advance, and safety at the workplace.

AMS works with a number of SCV community organizations to identify job seekers who might face discrimination, or who might have obstacles to overcome. This includes individuals with disabilities, persons with a prison or justice involved record, homeless persons, single mothers or fathers and senior job seekers. We do not tolerate discrimination based on race, religion, ethnicity or sexual orientation.

Recently AMS’ Chief Workforce Development Officer, Ken Wiseman, outlined the steps forward that AMS is taking with regard to diversity and inclusion. The programs, plans, changes and ideas are inspiring. You can read about it in our latest blog, Keeping our Promises: Diversity and Inclusion at AMS.

The other B Corporation we are featuring this week is TMI Consulting. You can read about their efforts at creating an inclusive economy at the B The Change website, article linked below.

A ‘Perfect Storm’ for Inclusion: Now Is the Time for B Corps to Lead Anti-Racism Work

Founder of B Corp TMI Consulting Says Community Must Be Intentional with Inclusion Efforts

As a community of businesses founded with the goal of creating a more inclusive economy, Certified B Corporations have been innovators in justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion practices — a field now known as JEDI. But as Dr. Tiffany Jana of longtime B Corp and JEDI consulting firm TMI Consulting notes, these same companies have plenty of room for improvement as well as an opportunity to provide real-world examples of progress that other businesses can follow.

Paying a fair wage, providing health care benefits, building a workforce that reflects its community, offering training and educational programming — these are just a few of the ways that B Corps can and have advanced inclusion, sometimes through the Inclusive Economy Challenge program that B Lab operated in previous years. But as recent violent attacks against Black Americans that sparked racial justice protests across the country and around the world have shown, much work remains.

Click here to read the full article.

September 25, 2020

Keeping our Promises: Diversity and Inclusion at AMS

In early June of this year AMS employees felt the need to do something in response to the horrific murder of George Floyd. Encouraged and supported by management, employees organized an event… a March for Peace, Diversity and Inclusivity. This march took place on June 11th. It was a great success, and also an inspiring one. AMS Chief Workforce Development Officer, Ken Wiseman, spoke to the crowd and made the following commitment: “Acceptance of a diverse and inclusive workplace will be a condition of being in this family.” Ken promised renewed and expanded diversity and inclusion efforts at AMS.

It has now been more than three months since that day. On September 15 a second meeting with employees was held in which Ken spoke about the inspiring and ambitious initiatives that AMS has undertaken. Here below are some excerpts from his speech:

Diversity & Inclusion Breakfast: “One of the first changes we made was to start having our Breakfast meetings during the start of the workday, as a paid meeting, not before. We are not inclusive when we have meetings that prohibit many from the opportunity to attend.”

Learning Opportunities: “Learning Opportunities at AMS need to be more conveniently offered. Single moms or dads, those with commute challenges, or even those that may have 2nd jobs, are often excluded from pre or after work educational opportunities. Allowing for more work-day learning opportunities makes us more inclusive in our efforts to help our team develop valuable skills.”

Empathy, Respect, Trigger and Action plan: “We learned that our ‘I want to be a Leader’ and our ‘Advanced Leadership’ classes had to involve more discussion on Empathy, Respect, understanding our “triggers”, and creating Action Plans on how we can manage ourselves and others when we face situations that make us feel uncomfortable.”

Role Playing has changed: “In our Leadership classes we typically have role played how managers can address important matters with employees. Now, in many of our classes, we also role play how employees can sit down with their managers to discuss opportunities for change. At AMS, communication is a two-way street.”

Up-Skill matrix: “We are now in development of a new program called the ‘Up-Skill matrix’ that will allow our associates to view the skills necessary to move up in their careers. Signing up for the program gives our Leadership awareness of your interest, while also tracking with you the progress you are making on attaining the skills. We are launching the program on Inventory and Receiving Clerk positions, first at HQ, then other buildings, and then we will look to set-up other AMS career path positions.”

Paycom job registration: “We also have a new program being launched in Paycom that will allow people to register for positions at AMS they are interested in so that they can receive a message when those opportunities are available.”

90-minute lunch meetings: “Many attendees at the Diversity and Inclusivity Breakfast meeting felt that our changes would best be realized when ALL of our employees were engaged in the mission. To that end, we initiated 90-minute lunch meetings with all AMS Supervisors and above to share our journey and review the critical responsibility that our Leaders have in driving our success.”

Share our Journey: “A few of our Diversity and Inclusivity Breakfast associates have offered that they would like to share their stories of past struggles in hopes that we might better learn of the challenges they have faced. Our next Breakfast meeting in a few weeks will be an opportunity for the Leadership team to listen.”

Congratulations AMS on Keeping Your Promises!

Ken concluded his message with the following words: “I stand with you right now knowing we have miles to go and more progress to report but I am grateful that we are doing this together, and extremely confident that we will build a better company, one which will bring you pride in knowing that you helped get us to our destination, you made a difference in our journey.”

September 17, 2020

AMS’ safety record is no accident: Workforce safety during COVID #6

In last week’s safety blog we talked about transforming the AMS Advance My Skills Learning Center into a safe space with regard to virus exposure. We are now in the process of returning to the Workforce Development programs that are so important to us as a B Corporation.

AMS has a strong focus on supporting, educating and training our workforce, as we see our employees as key to our success as a fulfillment company. Our employees truly appreciate the opportunity to gain more skills, so this is important for morale as well.

This week we look into the reality of following all of the safety policies. What impact does it have on the employees, especially the requirement of wearing masks in the heat of summer?

Marco Pelaez, VP Operations, answered a question about health and talked about how AMS is staying cool:

“If some of our employees cannot wear a mask due to a medical condition, we provide them with face shields so they can still be protected during these difficult times.

“Marco went on to say, “We know that wearing a mask on “hot days” is a challenge that our employees are facing this summertime. AMS went ahead and purchased lightweight breathable masks and provided them to each employe so they can feel more comfortable while working. Also, we set up a couple of EZ-ups in some of our facilities so they can go outside and enjoy their breaks and lunches.

“We’re making use of fans also. We provided all our warehouse employees with personal fans that they can wear around their neck so they can keep their faces cool, and we installed ceiling fans in our HQ lunch area to increase the air circulation downward so employees can feel comfortable taking their mask off while eating.”

When the question of employee morale came up, Carmen Kernek, Human Resources Director, responded:

“It is important to for AMS to keep a very safe environment for our employees, which we consider family, during these trying times. Their happiness and safety are extremely important to us. Morale has certainly been exceptional as it relates to the safety measures the organization has taken. The comments received from the employees have been extremely positive and appreciative of the consideration and efforts the company has demonstrated. New recruits are also extremely happy to hear, not only that we are hiring during these times, but maintaining such a high safety protocol for our employees.”

Click here to access the LA County recommendations for business

September 15, 2020

Series: What B Corporations do for the World #4

In this blog series we look into the purposes of various Certified B Corporations. B Corporations are defined as businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.

AMS Fulfillment is proud to be part of the B Corp community of leaders that drive a global movement of people using business as a force for good. We applied for certification and received it in December of 2017.

In February of this year our focus turned toward protecting employee health and preventing exposure to COVID-19. (AMS publishes a weekly safety blog outlining our response and the procedures that are currently in place.)

This week’s featured B Corporations are Skandinavisk, which is a natural body products company, S’well, a company that makes multi-use water bottles, and All Good, a company that manufactures skin care products. The following articles reveal how these B Corporations remain good for the world even in challenging times.

* * *

Weathering COVID-19 with an Eye on the Storm Ahead
As Humanity Adapts to One Crisis, Let’s Not Forget the Bigger Challenges for a Sustainable Future

Four months ago, as the European coronavirus crisis reached its peak, I wrote a post with the message: “We didn’t come this far to only come this far.” Almost all our retailers had closed, our suppliers had closed, our office was closed, I was back at my kitchen table, and our small team was suspended, furloughed, fired, or desperately trying to save the company. “Normal” had been ripped away from us, and it suddenly looked like seven years of hard work were about to come undone by a giant black swan event. We weren’t alone.

Read the full article here.

Sustainability Champion S’well Ensures Worker Safety and Supply Chain Stability Amid COVID-19
With a Focus on Positive Impact, S’well Joins B Corp Community

Since its founding a decade ago with the goal of eliminating single-use plastic bottles, S’well has been guided by its mission to create positive impact for people and the planet. It recently formalized that commitment in March 2020 by becoming a Certified B Corporation, completing an assessment of its impact on workers, community, environment, and customers — the stakeholders it most affects. While gaining B Corp certification was a multiyear process for S’well, the fact that it happened as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted everyday life around the world only reinforced the company’s commitment to sustainable living.

Read the full article here.

A Case Study in Regenerative Business
All Good Products CEO Shares Her Journey from Reluctant Entrepreneur to Leader of Company Protecting People and Planet

Working as a climbing guide and a massage therapist with a background in herbal medicine, Caroline Duell was all about connecting with nature. Through a garden she had installed on the farm she was helping run with her partner, Ryan Rich, in northern California, she developed a salve, All Good Goop, that she gave away to her clients to heal their skin. A local store owner who was helping her by providing a physical location for her products convinced her that she was indeed running a business. Duell and Rich soon set out on the road to find more local stores to carry their constantly developing line of goopy products. Despite Duell’s reluctance to become a business owner, All Good was born.

Read the full article here.

In future blogs we will continue to share articles about the outstanding efforts of B Corporations during this important time.

September 9, 2020

AMS’ safety record is no accident: Workforce safety during COVID #5

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, AMS had a great safety record of only one lost time injury in two and a half years. We created that great record because we focus strongly on safety, for 400+ employees, through continuous training and routine practices. Early this year, with the pandemic announcement, the safety practices took on new urgency and many challenges as we sought to protect our employees from exposure to the virus.

Our past four blogs have talked about the immediate steps AMS has taken with PPE, workstation distancing, sanitizing surfaces, restricting visitors, and even canceling the events where we came together for lunches and classes. The exception was OSHA safety classes, which continued with the help of our associates, our Safety Manager and management team.

In the last safety blog we talked about and showed images of the lunchroom dividers. Recently we located and installed dividers in the AMS Advance My Skills Learning Center. The classroom dividers are pictured below and the sanitizing process is pictured as well. In this protected classroom we will be returning to the workforce development programs that AMS is known and recognized for… and that is some good news for all!

Another one of the steps that we have taken is to not allow solicitations without an appointment, and restrict all but essential visitors. We started to do a temperature check on employees and everyone entering the premises in mid-March, (pictured below). At that time we informed all outside vendors that the temperature check and wearing a mask is required including UPS, FedEx, and LTL drivers. None of our visitors or delivery persons objected to the check, and so far we have not had to turn anyone away due to the temperature check. (AMS employees are asked to call in and stay home if they are experiencing any symptoms including fever.)

In our next blog we will talk about what AMS is doing to help our employees stay comfortable while following the COVID-19 policies and while wearing a mask in the summer heat.

Click here to access the LA County recommendations for business

September 8, 2020

Series: What B Corporations do for the World #3

In this series we take a look at how B Corporations approach doing business while holding to a standard of ‘being the change’. In other words, doing what is good for the world… which includes the people who are working for the business, the community, the environment, the clients or customers, and the owners or stockholders.

Can everyone profit if business is conducted in this way? B-Lab, the creators of the B Corporation believe so, and so do the thousands of businesses around the world that are part of the B Corp family.

The following information is gleaned from the B The Change website. The first article talks about what an investment company, Nia Capital Investments, is doing to serve the world as a B Corp. The second article is about how a beauty products company, Beautycounter, focuses on consumer safety and the environment. The third article talks about how Rivanna Natural Designs is helping employees and the community safely participate in voting in the US election.

* * *

How to ‘Move Your Money Toward Justice
B Corp Nia Capital Investments on the Connections Between Investments and Racial Justice

Investing for social justice and environmental sustainability is one main reason Kristin Hull founded Nia Impact Capital, a Certified B Corporation in Oakland, California. Hull says she has long seen the value of business for good and profiting from purpose — finding effective business solutions for the environment as well as people — and first saw these benefits while growing up in a family business with worker-friendly practices. Read the full article here.

Brand Advocacy Drives Impact Throughout Supply Chain: How B Corp Beautycounter Builds Stakeholders Into Its Activism
Customers and Consultants Integral to B Corp’s Advocacy Efforts and Sustainability Goals

Launched with safety as its “North Star,” Beautycounter pursues its mission for safer personal care products by advocating for changes in state and federal laws and refusing to use harmful ingredients — with the ultimate goal of greater consumer safety and environmental sustainability. The Certified B Corporation relies on its strong network of sales consultants and loyal consumers, as well as a growing presence in retail stores, to increase its advocacy efforts through its growing brand awareness. Read the full article here.

How Businesses Can Help Employees Vote Safely
Ensuring Workers Have the Time and Tools They Need to Participate in the 2020 Election

At our Certified B Corporation, Rivanna Natural Designs, voting has a special significance. Since 2001, we’ve been creating jobs for recently arrived refugees. For almost two decades, our coworkers have been rebuilding their lives from scratch, learning English, passing their U.S. citizenship tests, and earning their right to vote. As members of a team that has always included individuals who have fled persecution, war, and violence, we take elections seriously. For us, voting is a privilege and a priority. Our additional priority, in this election, is health and safety. Read the full article here.

In future blogs we will continue to share articles about the outstanding efforts of B Corporations during this important time.

August 26, 2020

AMS’ safety record is no accident: Workforce safety during COVID #4

In this COVID-19 Safety blog series, we have talked about providing and requiring personal protective equipment, restructuring assembly lines to accommodate the 6’ rule, putting up barriers, providing more bathrooms, and preventing surface contact with the virus through a vigorous sanitizing schedule among other things.

Social Distancing

While we were dealing with work station distancing, we also needed to accomplish distancing in the office, meeting and social spaces. We started scheduling different times for lunch and breaks and we opened up more lunch areas. We located and installed barriers in the lunchrooms so that employees could still sit and eat together while protected and distanced.

AMS has sent as many of the office personnel as possible home to set up an office and work from there. Zoom communication is now being used between the office and warehouse personnel and it is used for all conferences.

We discontinued all non-essential meetings, gatherings, and educational classes for the time being. We also stopped any shared food, buffet, pizza lunches – opting instead to have bag lunches brought in when appropriate. The changes at AMS have been very significant, and they have affected our social and educational life at AMS. We are grateful that our employees have adapted extremely well to the changes, and they appreciate all of the efforts to keep our AMS family safe.

In our next safety blog we will talk about how AMS is handling visitors, vendors and delivery personnel.

Click here to access the LA County recommendations for business

August 26, 2020

Series: What B Corporations do for the World #2

For AMS Fulfillment, being good for the world for the past few months has meant placing extraordinary effort into the safety of our employees and the changing needs of our clients. As an ‘essential business’ AMS Fulfillment is working at high speed to serve the needs of all of our people.

B Corporations are dedicated to the ideal of being good for the world, holding to a higher standard that does not put profit above people and the environment. The B Corporation community is made up of all types of businesses, big and small. In this series of blogs we will share information about what some of these businesses are doing to be of service in their own way.

The following three articles from the “B The Change” website demonstrate a very wide spectrum of service. The first is about the B Corp, Stonyfield Farm and how that company has dealt with the dairy market troubles due to COVID. The 2nd is about a business called Creature Comforts Brewery – a B Corp that hosts community organizations and organizes volunteers. The third is about Flock Freight; a company that is working hard on green shipping practices.

We hope you enjoy learning about the B Corp community.

* * *

How Strong Relationships with Organic Farms Can Build a More Resilient Dairy Market

B Corp Stonyfield Farm Avoided Dairy Market Troubles During COVID-19 Through Sustainable Supplier Network

When COVID-19 emerged, the stay-at-home orders that closed most schools and many workplaces meant more of us were eating at home, ordering less at restaurants and buying more at local grocery stores. In the wake of this sudden change, many farmers who supply restaurants and schools faced a halt in orders and scrambled to find new outlets for their products. So even as shoppers flocked to grocery stores, the existing supply chain structure posed a distribution challenge and led to increasing food waste as some farmers had to destroy their crops, dump milk and throw out perishable items that couldn’t be stored or moved to new outlets in time. Read the full article here.

* * *

Brewing a Successful New Idea: Customers Can Be Great Volunteers

Creature Comforts Brewery Develops a Model of Community Engagement

The brewery is in an old warehouse — a former car dealership — in downtown Athens, Georgia. In pre-coronavirus times, customers gather at a bar and big wooden tables. Every Wednesday, those tables host representatives of community organizations, from homeless shelters to a student enrichment program. They educate brewery patrons about their organizations’ work and involve interested customers in a volunteer activity: for example, making a blanket for the local homeless shelter or preparing sack lunches for underprivileged children. Read the full article here.

* * *

The Missing Piece in Any Sustainable Supply Chain: Shared Truckload

B Corp Flock Freight Aims to Transform Freight Industry

America’s freight industry is in no position to ignore its impact on the environment and the greater good. Luckily, at least one logistics provider is committed to reducing the industry’s carbon footprint. Flock Freight is transforming the $400 billion freight landscape by eliminating inefficiency and waste through green shipping practices. The company’s shared truckload shipping solution — which enables several shippers to share trailer space in one full semi-truck — helps businesses meet their freight needs without overconsuming natural resources. Read the full article here.

* * *

In future blogs we will continue to share articles about the outstanding efforts of B Corporations during this important time.

News

Read All About It! AMS News and Local Updates