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Read All About It! AMS News and Local Updates

Thank You!! AMS Employees of the Month – April 2018

Employee appreciation - AMS FulfillmentCongratulations to the AMS Employees of the Month for April 2018! We are very pleased and proud to recognize Michelle S., Madoya W., Marquita J., Ashley G., and Ana C.

AMS is a large fulfillment company, with several facilities and several hundred employees, located in Valencia, CA, City of Santa Clarita. We are recognized within the community as a company that cares, through training and development of a diverse workforce. Our employees are the reason for this reputation and a very big part of our endeavor.

Every month the supervisors at our facilities nominate individuals who are doing an outstanding job for the clients. These nominations and supervisor comments demonstrate that the individual being recognized has not only been noticed, but has served the clients, the company and the community in a way that is exemplary!

Thank You to the following members of the AMS Family!

Michelle S., Billing Coordinator (October 2010)
HQ Administration, 29010 Commerce Center Drive

When I began working here, Michelle was my primary trainer. It was a difficult time, due to the unexpected exit of a major team member, and Michelle took on greater responsibility in a period of urgency. She appeared calm and patient while sharing with me the numerous steps of information, locations, and client peculiarities that are inherent to this business. It was as if she had nothing else to do but show me, often repeating how the job is done. She is thorough, intelligent, and understands fully the process of billing and managing the team we work in cooperation with. Because of her patient and thorough instruction, I was able to create SOP’s for billing storage, services, and freight invoices. Granted there is more to learn, but Michelle made it easy to learn. She is a valuable employee.

Madoya W., Receiving Clerk (November 2015)
HQ Warehouse: 29010 Commerce Center Drive

Madoya is reliable, trustworthy, dependable, honest, hardworking, great contributor and a good role model for all employees! This is why I would like to nominate him for Employee of the month.

Marquita J., General Warehouse (November 2016)
WIT: 28624 Witherspoon Parkway

Marquita is always ready to work and help the team. She pushes herself and others to get orders done on time; she takes on additional tasks and is eager to learn new things, always staying late whenever asked to help the team during crunch time. Marquita learned the client system and helps process freight and she can help in other departments when needed too. Great employee!

Ashley G., General Warehouse (November 2017)
SCO3: 27801 Avenue Scott

I would like to nominate Ashely for EOM. She goes above and beyond to get the job done. She is always at work, on time and has a great attitude. Ashley has taken responsibility in training all new personnel for a direct to consumer program which she takes great pride in and does an amazing job at it. She came up with the idea of going paperless for one of our picking programs.

Ana C., General Warehouse (January 2015)
WIL: 28936 Avenue Williams

I have been working with Ana 3 years now at AMS and she has shown growth in all areas of the warehouse. She has taken on a plethora of responsibilities and never complains about the workload she is given. She exhibits honesty and is extremely reliable. She always pays attention to her work and gets the job done no matter what the circumstances are. She takes the initiative every day and is a self-motivator.

* * *

No matter which department they work in, which task they do, which location we find them in or which month of the year, our outstanding employees are the reason that AMS succeeds so well and continues to grow. Thank You from the entire AMS Fulfillment Family!

Ana C.
Ashley G.
Madoya W.
Marquita J.
Michelle S.
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AMS Holds Communication Team Luncheon

In order to improve communication between different branches of management, the AMS Executive and HR teams organized a Team Lunch for Managers, Directors and Executives. The luncheon took place in the on-campus Advance My Skills Learning Center in June. The task of participants was to learn methods of communicating effectively, and then utilize those methods in communicating with members of different teams.

The teams were: Operation Directors, Client Service Senior Account Managers, Sales Team, Client Billing Leadership, IT, Facility and Core Operations and Human Resources.

The teams were asked to first enjoy lunch with their own group and discuss communication within their workgroup function area, covering what is working and what needs improvement. They then watched a short video on communication in the workplace and ‘broke up’ into four other groups to discuss different aspects of effective communication.

The questions that the new groups considered, were: 1) what are the areas of current communications that you see need improvement, 2) what are the key things you see will improve communications, and 3) what are some things you will do differently in your communications after participating in this Team Lunch?

In the days following the lunch, several Sr. Account Manager team members came back with even more responses to the third question. In stating what she will do differently, Evelyn said, “Know your audiences, this will help to know how to communicate with each person.” Michael emphasized one of the points from the video, “Communicating with a positive tone can make all the difference. Starting off a conversation with a negative tone will cause the listener to lose focus on the details and topics thereafter.” Zuleka added, “It’s not what you say, it is how you say it!”

Thank you to all participants for a very successful workshop!

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AMS Celebrating 16-Year Anniversary!

AMS Fulfillment has been celebrating! June is our 16th birthday and also the 15-16 year employment anniversary of 21 individuals who have been with the company since it began. When AMS first came into being in 2002–2003, the company had 35 employees. For 21 of these friends and associates to still be with AMS is a heart-warming achievement.

The birthday party and 15-16 year employee celebration took place at the home of CEO Ken Wiseman and BettyLou Wiseman, EVP of Client Services. Jay Catlin, President and founder of AMS and David Catlin, Board Chair, were in attendance as well.

Ken welcomed the awardees and Jay followed up with a history of the company. Both recognized the employees for their amazing tenure. With over 385 clients served in AMS’ 16 years, there was time spent in reminiscing about the favorites, accomplishments, and the challenges that AMS faced.

The evening celebration was followed by an AMS afternoon event to recognize additional employees who had been unable to attend. All of AMS’ 15-16 year employees received a certificate and $500 gift card.

A celebratory luncheon was also held at the AMS campus for our 10-14 year employees with 23 associates being honored. Two individuals were marking their 10th year and the rest were celebrating between 11 and 14 years with AMS. Many members of both groups had started in the warehouse and worked their way up to management positions.

Recently Ken spoke about the anniversary celebrations and the employees: “Paradoxically, in the midst of these two celebrations, we had an additional recognition cake and cookies event for two employees moving on to other career opportunities outside of AMS. It speaks to our culture that we would find celebration in both. We do hope to be a place where individuals can grow and be long term contributing associates, yet we also can celebrate when a valued employee chooses another great opportunity. Either way, we hope to have been a wonderful part of their career.”

AMS is understandably proud of its growth and achievements as a company that cares for employees, clients, the environment and the community in which it operates. To have so many employees rising through the ranks and helping build the business still in the employ of AMS is indeed remarkable.

Jay summed it up with these thoughts: “We were very fortunate to have assembled such an amazing crew, right from the company’s inception. The stars were aligned in such a way for AMS Fulfillment, it’s almost as if we were destined for greatness. Our success has been driven from the thoughts, energy and efforts of many valued employees throughout our 16 years, but in looking back I gave thanks to our 15+ year employees for setting the stage for us all.”

Congratulations and Happy 16th Birthday AMS!!!

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AMS: At the Forefront of Change

Change is constant. Children revel in it, adults move with it, elders might resist it and a business is wise to anticipate it. We all are involved in creating this particular change, as it’s a revolution in the way we shop and buy. With technology came the Internet, with the Internet came e-commerce. Now it appears that with e-commerce we’re seeing changes in the physical landscape and social landscape as well.

A recent article in Bloomberg talks about the impact of e-commerce on mall owners who are seeing their real estate decline in value. Their choice appears to be attempting to sell the lower-tier malls and transform the more profitable ones. Apparently selling mall real estate is becoming difficult with buyers demanding steep discounts due to the risk. The article goes on to talk specifics about the difficulties mall owners are facing as this change expands.

AMS Fulfillment is very much involved in the rise of e-commerce and for us this change presents new challenges. Early on we anticipated the need for skilled workers in the warehouse who are trained in logistics, and we entered into collaboration with SCV College of the Canyons (COC) in an effort to develop our workforce. We equipped a full classroom with computers in order to accommodate the training.

AMS and COC experienced such success with their initial efforts that they collaborated on a first of its kind Logistics Apprenticeship Program. This innovative solution to training a skilled logistics workforce is in process, and it can now serve as a model for other community colleges and businesses involved in warehousing and logistics.

In developing its workforce, AMS has done well at anticipating and responding to the e-commerce revolution. Certainly more can be anticipated as e-commerce continues to expand into new markets and blockchain technology enters the logistics arena.

A second, and vital way that AMS has responded to the surge in e-commerce is with technology improvements that keep us at the forefront. Jay Catlin, President of AMS, had this to say about the expansion of AMS technology: “Our amazing team of developers and engineers are continuously making impactful change with analysis, processes improvement and new technology. You have to stay nimble when you manage a large and diverse client base with a wide array of commodities and order metrics, but AMS has managed to innovate in a way that works across the entire business.”

But when looking at mall real estate, the Bloomberg article does not paint a comfortable picture. Larger, more popular malls that have added attractions e-commerce cannot provide, are expected to survive. For others, the recommendation is… “If you’re thinking about selling an asset down the road, it would be wise to think about pulling it forward and selling now.”

We invite you to visit our website and contact AMS for E-commerce Fulfillment, Drop Shipping, Amazon Prime, Infomercial and all Direct to Consumer Fulfillment.

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AMS/COC Pre-Apprenticeship Program Set to Begin

Apprenticeship - AMS FulfillmentAt the beginning of 2018, after having successfully planned, created and brought into reality a groundbreaking Logistics Apprenticeship program, AMS Fulfillment and College of the Canyons announced their intention to start a new Pre-Apprenticeship Program.

Over the past few months they have continued their efforts until recently they met to discuss the launch of the Material Coordinator Pre-Apprenticeship Program. Once again we see the unique partnership between an employer, AMS Fulfillment, and a community college, SCV College of the Canyons, breaking new ground in workforce development.

The Pre-Apprenticeship program takes place for 10-12 weeks with job shadowing, on the job training, and coursework. It will be focused on individuals who are struggling to maintain employment by providing the opportunity to learn basic employability skills and specific skills to enter the logistics field, which is one of the fastest growing industries in LA County.

Upon announcing the new partnership, Ken Wiseman, CEO of AMS, said, “This program is designed for employees struggling to get themselves established in the job market. We are trying to help these pre-apprentice candidates get their hands firmly around the first rung of the employment ladder, and empower them to start their climb.”

The pre-apprenticeship training from AMS and curriculum from COC will be augmented by other wrap around services to help trainees overcome obstacles such as single parenthood, homelessness, and other circumstances that get in the way of starting and holding a job. AMS has worked with resource groups in the community to identify candidates.

Jeffrey Forrest, VP of Economic and Workforce Development at COC recently announced more details about the program:  “Administered by the Strong Workforce Apprenticeship Group (SWAG), participants will receive training in soft skills, Excel, Warehouse Operations and Safety. Upon graduation, they will be eligible for the company’s apprenticeship program that is registered with the Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DAS) and the US Department of Labor (US DOL).”

On the SWAG website we find a definition of apprenticeship that includes the new developments we see taking place at AMS and COC in response to the needs of job seekers and the SCV community:

“Apprenticeship is a training model that is used to enable companies to develop a pipeline of talent for critical positions within their organizations. An apprenticeship consists of two components: 1) On-the-Job Training (OJT) and Related Technical Instruction (RTI). The OJT is developed by the company and involves a set of skills the apprentice is expected to master based on work experience. The minimum OJT experience is one year and can extend to up to four years depending on the occupation. RTI is generally offered by a Community College or other Local Educational Agency and consists of course work relevant to the skills being gained from the OJT experience.”

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AMS: Celebrating With Natasha

It was almost a year ago, early in July of 2017, when we reached out to the public and asked our friends in the community and at the SCV Signal Newspaper to help one of our AMS Family members – our driver and in-house messenger, Gene.

Gene’s daughter Natasha had lost her eyesight at age twelve due to a rare condition called Stargardt’s disease. She lost all central vision and was left with limited peripheral sight. At that young age she was informed that there is no cure and that her vision would decline further. But even as she moved on, there were advancements in technology being created that would change her life.

Several years later Natasha was told that there is now an ‘eyeglass type’ of device that would allow her to see using a high-speed, high-definition camera. She qualified medically for the device and even wore it for a brief trial. During the trial it was a thrill for her to see people’s faces, look at pictures… all of the things we take for granted. Natasha wanted and needed those glasses.

She started raise the money to buy them through a company called “E Sight”. This was when AMS became aware of her efforts, through her father Gene. We undertook to spread the word of her fundraising campaign and people responded very generously. But the cost of the glasses was high. When the donations slowed and seemingly stopped, she was less than halfway to the goal.

There followed a time of true perseverance searching for solutions with the eSight company. Finally, when hope was nearly lost, Natasha received a surprise. “Back in March I sent one last email explaining all that I had done to fundraise and how disappointed I was with their progress. I was surprised to get an email back almost immediately. Apparently eSight had been trying to come up with a solution to help me for a while without telling me. The email said they would take what I had raised so far and I’d be given a refurbished pair. I agreed, and received my glasses maybe a week later!”

In her email to AMS, Natasha described how this gift of sight has changed her life:

“I use them everyday for everything. I had to be trained to use them which I did through video conference with another eSight user. It took two weeks to fully adjust to using them all the time. The battery lasts for about eight hours. It’s incredible being able to just read my own mail or decide what I want at a restaurant all on my own. It’s the little things like that that make my day so much better and easier.”

Natasha goes on to say, “Since your last article, I married the man of my dreams who also works with my dad. Patrick and I are expecting our first child, Zayne, and he is due to arrive July 6th. All I want is to read to him and now I can. I won’t have to worry about the things I can’t see to keep him safe. With your help and everyone who donated I’ll be able to care for my son like every other parent and that’s a gift I am truly so grateful for. Thank you so much for all you’ve done for me and my family. Words cannot express how beautiful this new world really is for me.”

Thank You from AMS to all who played a part in this wonderful outcome.

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AMS: A New Approach to Work

How often do we hear the words, “I Love my job?” For far too many working people, jobs are considered tiresome, uninteresting and something that has to be done for survival. Some might even look upon their job as detrimental to their health and happiness. So when you hear “I’m working for a great company – I love my job,” it’s good news, and we’re interested in creating more of that.

At AMS Fulfillment, we really do think differently about what ‘work’ should be. According to AMS’ CEO, Ken Wiseman, “Work needs to be a place where people have friendships, challenges, a place to grow, and a place to feel that one’s contributions are valued.”

From the beginning, AMS’ top management has held a firm commitment to create a ‘corporate family’ environment, i.e. a foundation of interdependence and support. Like many other B Corporations, we are well aware that employees who enjoy being at work put far more thought and care into what they do and that benefits us all. The realization that we can practice greater humanity and enjoy financial success as a result, is the core belief of a social enterprise (B Corporation).

Is this small but growing realization a harbinger of greater changes to come in society? Results of a 75-year long Harvard study indicate that such a change has proven successful. We are learning how to live happily and prosper, and it involves putting thought and humanity into our work.

To quote the study: “The deeper and more transformative your daily experiences, the more perspective you’ll have into what the world needs. The better you’ll be at your job. The happier you’ll be as a person – despite experiencing hardships throughout life. When you have people around you who love and help you, you become a different and better person.”

AMS Fulfillment is recognized as an innovator in workforce development; in our efforts at training, mentoring and educating our employees. We are also known for giving opportunities for stability and growth to people that face challenges entering and staying in the workforce.

AMS Fulfillment clients experience no loss of efficiency because of our social commitments. They stand to benefit when their products are handled by a trained, educated and ‘happy with their job’ workforce, as this workforce will appreciate the client and work on their behalf.

We encourage businesses looking for fulfillment services to consider B Corporation Certification a valuable plus!

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AMS Thanks Employees of the Month – March 2018

Employee appreciation - AMS FulfillmentCongratulations to the AMS Fulfillment Employees of the Month for March! We are very grateful to these outstanding members of our corporate family! Thank you Mark F., Angelic A., Jose D., Erick R., Moran M., and Andres C.

In 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. But even though we are large, it’s not difficult for us to notice individuals and their achievements. In fact, we make a point of it.

Each month the supervisors within AMS’ Santa Clarita, CA (Valencia) 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:

Mark F., Maintenance Manager (October 2013)
HQ Administration, 29010 Commerce Center Drive

Mark is a hard-working, intelligent and consistent contributor to AMS on so many levels. His leadership in controlling supply purchases, pallet purchasing/exchanges, building maintenance and recycling has been a great benefit to AMS financially. Mark always puts his thought and energy toward helping AMS be successful in this regard. Mark has also been a true leader in the company’s Green Team initiative, and it’s clear that he believes in our mission to be a good citizen of the earth and reduce our carbon footprint as a conscious “B Corporation” business. Thank you Mark for ALL that you do for AMS and for the planet!

Angelic A., Receiving Clerk I (April 2016)
HQ Warehouse, 29010 Commerce Center Drive

Angelic is a great team player. When given a task she will complete it on time and precisely. She is very dependable and you can count on her to be there and rise to the challenge when she is called upon. It’s a joy and privilege to have her on the HQ team. Angelic is always a pleasure to work with because of her positive attitude and eagerness to learn. She recently switched to a new position within the company and her hard work shows daily. She completes her tasks with a smile on her face even when things get hectic. Thank you Angelic.

Jose D., Operations Lead I (July 2007)
WIL1: 28936 Avenue Williams

Jose is a team player and is always there to support any department or client in WIL. He is professional and a pleasure to work with. Jose is helpful, patient, courteous and a very reliable employee. He is a great person to have working for your company!

Erick R., General Warehouse II (April 2014)
SCO3: 27801 Avenue Scott

Erick has recently been stretched very thin at work. He is our only lift driver and always stays if needed. Erick is a very hard working employee who cares about AMS. Thank you Erick!

Moran M., Shipping Clerk I (February 2016)
WIT2 28624 Witherspoon Parkway

Morgan has shown that he is a very hard worker especially when it is crunch time. He is always ready to help others. Morgan is also a Clerk Mentor when new employees are assigned to our department. He gives clear and accurate information needed to complete the task correctly. We truly appreciate him.

Andres C., Production Lead I (July 2008)
IND1: 28220 Industry Drive

I would like to nominate Andres for employee of the month. He is as dedicated to AMS as they come! He manages a client that is competitively priced and manages it well. He is aware of the RPH, how many units we can do in an hour and he gives motivation to always improve. He is definitely one who should win employee of the month for March.

***

Whether these outstanding employees are 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… they are the reason that AMS succeeds so well and continues to grow.

Employees of the Month recognition is offered as a sincere Thank You from the AMS Fulfillment Family!

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Local Entrepreneurs Win YEA! Competition

According to one local teen, creative ideas combined with skillful training can translate into sweet success. A member of Santa Clarita’s AMS Fulfillment corporate family, Cheyenne, and her younger sister Layal, who is a high school student, have started a rapidly-growing, successful online business. An extra sweet outcome of that business is Layal’s upcoming participation a national event for young entrepreneurs.

In late 2017 Layal was nominated by her school, Desert Sands Charter High School, for inclusion in YEA! Young Entrepreneurs Academy. She was chosen as one of 12 students from the area schools to participate in a 21-week course designed to mentor young people along the path to self-employment. The culmination of this training was a competition that Layal won, earning her the right to participate in the YEA! Saunders Scholars Competition and Conference on May 5 in Rochester, NY.

The competition consists of presenting a ‘Shark Tank’ type pitch, complete with business plan, product and projections, to a panel of investors. All six individuals who competed in the first competition were granted a bit more investment money than they asked for, including Layal. In the upcoming semi-finals the top student businesses from each YEA! class around the country will be competing to win scholarship dollars, and business start-up prize packages. Winners of the semifinals competition will advance to the finals in Washington DC.

Cheyenne and Layal’s business is interesting, trendy and smart enough to win a competition. Their online strategies have taken them from a small Etsy account selling handmade jewelry to a store at depop.com with 1,900 followers who regularly shop for their vintage thrift store finds. Their fashion sense, modeling, photography and social media marketing skills have made their store, Garden Apparel, something to really be proud of.

We are grateful that organizations like the Young Entrepreneurs Academy are in our community, supported by Chambers of Commerce, as they positively impact the entire community, including the AMS corporate family. Congratulations Cheyenne and Layal – we wish you much success in the upcoming competition.

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AMS: Recognizing Earth Day Every Day

April 22 was the 48th year of us celebrating Earth Day. We reflect on how much has changed, and ask, “Is it enough?” In 1970 the awareness of environmental damage was increasing due to a number of disasters and a great deal of evidence coming to light. One book with a strong impact was Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, which revealed the effects of DDT and other pesticides on wildlife.

Laws had not protected the people and environment from industrial pollution, and it was rampant and dangerous. It was a turning point for the environment when President Nixon signed a law (NEPA) to require the federal government to use “all practicable means to create and maintain conditions under which man and nature can exist in productive harmony.” That same year (1970) Earth Day was founded. Since then we have seen massive change, with increasing awareness that more is needed.

One of the changes that have come about over the years is the birth of a ‘socially responsible corporation’ – B Corporation (B-Corp). For a B Corp, every day is Earth Day. The B Corp voluntarily holds itself to a standard that benefits the environment and the community in which it operates. AMS Fulfillment (AMS) is understandably proud of its certification as a B Corp, and of its commitment to keep pace with the most environmentally conscious businesses in the US.

The theme of Earth Day this year is ‘End Plastic Pollution’. According to the Earth Day Organization, “Earth Day 2018 is dedicated to providing the information and inspiration needed to fundamentally change human attitude and behavior about plastics.” The commitment this year is to reduce the use of plastics. That is a commitment we can all support as individuals and as businesses.

Since AMS began as an environmentally conscious business by recycling bottles, cans, corrugate materials and plastics, the awareness among employees of the company’s environmental footprint is high. Several years ago AMS employees created a volunteer GREEN TEAM that monitors the business practices and recommends additional ways that AMS can be an industry example of a green company.

This year, when various departments were asked if they could see more ways to reduce the use of plastics, replies came back that even though recycling is always done, more efforts are always made to reduce the use of plastics. Mark Fese, AMS Facilities Manager, reported that the company is trying out methods of plastics reduction, in particular the stretch-wrap they use for a dock to location application. In-office recycle bins are also being looked at as possible ways for further reduction.

AMS President Jay Catlin noted that the company has been focused on reducing the use of paper by updating and improving routine business practices where printing is involved. “We’ve always recycled paper, but now with our efforts to reduce the use of paper, the recycle bins are taking much longer to fill up which is great news! In looking at plastics, AMS continues to recycle discarded stretch-wrap and plastic strapping along with plastic bottles, and we’re now exploring how best to make an impact on the usage.” Mr. Catlin went on to mention that they encourage clients to avoid strapping inbound cartons as much as possible, and the focus now is on limiting the use of stretch-wrap without sacrificing warehouse safety for the proper handling of pallets.

AMS Fulfillment does its best to uphold the commitment to community and to humanity as expressed in this excerpt from the B Corporation Declaration of Interdependence. We look forward to the time when we no longer need an Earth Day to remind us that all of life is interdependent and no one profits when the Earth is harmed with pollution.

“We envision a new sector of the economy which harnesses the power of private enterprise to create public benefit. This sector is comprised of a new type of corporation – the B Corporation™ – which is purpose-driven and creates benefit for all stakeholders, not just shareholders.”

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AMS: Committed to Inclusive Workforce Development

Social Enterprise - AMS FulfillmentHow much of a positive impact can a Social Enterprise Corporation (B Corp) have on the communities in which they operate their business? AMS Fulfillment, operating in the City of Santa Clarita, in the Valencia area of Southern California, could be a model to look at when answering that question due to its long-established commitment to workforce development and service to the surrounding community.

AMS was granted B Corporation status in 2017 due to its groundbreaking efforts in education and training and its hiring practices. Operating under a business model that is committed to uphold social goals, AMS is keenly focused on the underserved job seekers in the community. The underserved that AMS is actively working with span a wide demographic from single mothers to the homeless, to veterans and seniors, to individuals with a felony record and to individuals with disabilities. The focus of research in this article is on individuals with disabilities.

AMS CEO Ken Wiseman currently serves as Chair of the Santa Clarita Mayor’s Committee on Employment of Individuals with Disabilities, so he is doubly involved as both an employer and an advocate. The Mayor’s Committee promotes awareness and enables communication between local businesses and community organizations in an effort to assist businesses in finding appropriate candidates for employment.

Are the efforts making a difference? Can we see a change for the better?

An article published by PsychCentral, discusses some very positive conclusions reached by the Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire, Institute on Disability. The study is quoted as follows: “The findings show that disabled people are actively engaging in job preparation and job search activities, and successfully negotiating barriers at work.” This one sentence speaks volumes.

The report goes on to say that among those surveyed, around 69 percent are striving to work and overcoming barriers to finding and maintaining employment. This is a very encouraging number and it seems to answer our question with good news. More good news has been compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to bolster the report:

“Workers with disabilities made significant employment gains, however. According to BLS, the participation rate in the labor force for working-age people with disabilities increased from 28.6% in March 2017 to 31.7% in March 2018. The National Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE) report, issued by the Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire, Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD), said that the latest jobs numbers marked 24 consecutive months of ongoing employment gains for people with disabilities, outpacing the employment gains of people without disabilities.”

A third and similar article based on data from the study goes one step further, suggesting a shift in the way people in the US think about people with disabilities. They are seeing a fourfold jump in employment, and they conclude that television and other media have helped as well. They conclude, “At the macro level, we are absolutely seeing a shift in societal attitudes toward people with disabilities.” They also make it clear that getting hired is still very difficult. Even though there is positive news, there is still a great deal to be done.

These conclusions and statistics encourage us to believe that change is taking place. Appreciation for the progress can be offered to all parties concerned. The corporation does its part, helping job applicants over obstacles; the Mayor’s Committee does its part through advocacy and bringing parties together, the community organizations do their part preparing individuals for work and individuals with disabilities do their part by seeking fulfilling employment.

For AMS, reports and statistics are not the only things that measure the progress of their efforts. Employees who are happy with their work, who are engaged in in training and advancing, who are better able to provide for themselves and their families make for satisfied clients and a successful business.

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AMS OSHA Safety Challenge: Congratulations Witherspoon!

Warehouse Safety - AMS FulfillmentThere was a competition going at AMS on April 11, and everybody won!! Wednesday morning a select group competed in the first AMS Safety Challenge. The competitors are graduates of the AMS OSHA Safety Program, which began in the fourth quarter of 2016.

Each warehouse appointed a team of three graduates to represent them in the competition. The teams were given the task of spreading out in a specific building and finding staged safety violations.

There were 27 placed safety issues in a 100K sq. ft. facility. Items like plastic wrap hanging from a pallet, chains not across an open door at the loading dock, multiple extension cords used in tandem, broken equipment not red tagged and in proper zone and a safety matt with a rolled edge making it a tripping hazard.

The competition went very well. There were five teams of three, each representing a different AMS facility in Santa Clarita. They were given 45 minutes to walk a route around the entire warehouse and attempt to find the hazards.

The team from AMS’s Witherspoon Building won first place and will house the trophy until the next event when they will compete to keep it or give it up to another building. AMS hopes to do these events at least two times per year for the alumni of our OSHA-based safety training.

The Witherspoon team received $50 each, the pride in bringing back the trophy to their building, and a pizza lunch for their building. Congratulations Chardae W., Marquita J. and Jeremy C.!

AMS CEO Ken Wiseman shared his thoughts: “There before me at the start of the event were many of our most motivated and upward mobile employees. It was so much fun to see them compete, and to see the competitive spirit and the skill in which they had developed. I was proud of all of them!”

The event was coordinated and run by Facility Manager, Mark Fese, who did an outstanding job orchestrating the event. AMS is committed to keeping safety at the forefront and this fun competition has shown us how well we’re doing. Everybody won!

***

Photo left to right: Jeremy, Chardae, Marquita and their Proctor, Stacy C

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