Company News and Highlights

June 10, 2016

AMS Family Recognizes Employees of the Month

Congratulations to the AMS Employees of the Month for May 2016! We are very pleased and proud to recognize Sergio S., Silvia S., Lorenzo G., Jonathan E., Silvia M. and Cynthia M.

AMS is a large fulfillment company with a lot of employees, and one might think in such an environment it’s hard to notice and give credit to individuals. But we have chosen a different route in growing to this size: from the beginning and to this day we value a close environment that takes note of and cares about the individual employees, their wellbeing, and their job satisfaction. That’s why it’s such a pleasure to recognize “Employees of the Month”. Our people are much more to us than human resources… we are the AMS family.

We have a number of facilities, and every month we receive nominations from each facility. All facilities are in Valencia, CA. The nominations and comments demonstrate that the individual being recognized has done an outstanding job during the month, and deserves to thanked and appreciated for not only doing a job well, but for caring enough to go above and beyond.

Sergio S., Assistant Account Manager, (July 2015)
HQ Office: 29010 Commerce Center Drive

Sergio is a dedicated hard worker who has performed very well. He is such a great guy with a great attitude. Sergio has shown incredible growth, he is a fast learner, takes ownership of his tasks and is a team player always willing to help. He has expressed interest in growing within AMS and he shows it with his hard work and dedication, taking on responsibility and working well with the entire team. “It is great to have him as part of our team.” “Thanks for all your hard work Sergio!”

Silvia S., Shipping Lead (January 2004)
HQ Warehouse: 29010 Commerce Center Drive

Silvia is a very hard working person and is always at work every day. She is a very dedicated employee, always on point, and knows everything there is to know about the client she’s serving. She takes on a large workload and still finds ways to help others as much as she can. She always stays busy and is cross-trained on multiple clients. Silvia has a strong sense of pride in the job she has done for AMS for more than 10 years. She is very reliable and we can count on her to question things, making sure the job is done smoothly and correctly.

Lorenzo G., Supervisor (April 2015)
IND1: 28220 Industry Drive

Lorenzo always is at work on time with a good vibe and smile on his face. Nothing can affect his mood and he is always willing to help everybody. He is one of the youngest supervisors at AMS, and he has shown himself to be capable in handling the responsibilities given to him. He’s learning and improving daily and is someone you can truly count on.

Jonathan E., General Warehouse (February 2016)
SCO3: 27801 Avenue Scott

Jonathan has dedicated himself to the position of Lead Operations and has become very good at it. He always has a great attention to detail and is always here on time. Jonathan is a great worker and has learned fast, doing a great job for the client’s team. His amount of work in a very short period of time is impressive. “Jonathan is our fastest B2C Picker.” He is here always on time, gets along well with his co-workers and is willing to work at other buildings and in other departments.

Silvia M., Clerk Level 1 (December 2015)
WIT2: 28624 Witherspoon Parkway

Silvia is always greeting others with a smile and is eager to help in any way. During our safety walks she always asks how the walk went and wants to assist in any way. Silvia is a team player and wants to perform at the highest level as she works to continue to learn the business and excel to the best of her ability. Sylvia is deserving of this nomination because she is a very hard worker, excellent with instructions and goes the extra mile.

Cynthia M., Receiving Clerk (May 2015)
Will: 28936 Ave Williams

Cynthia is doing a great job shipping orders, communicating with Client Service and Data Entry. If she doesn’t know how to do something or how to process an order she always asks. When she finds the answer she always passes the information to other employees so that they know for future reference. She always has a good attitude and never complains if things change. Cynthia has a good relationship and respect for other employees at all times. “She always says Good Morning with a smile.”

Employees of the Month recognition is meant to be a sincere Thank You from the AMS Fulfillment Family! Whether part of the management team, client services, technology, accounting, fulfillment operations, facilities, the warehouse team, taking inventory, answering the phone, training people, making decisions, doing payroll… you are the reason for our success and we Thank You!

June 9, 2016

On the Job Training: A Big Win for All

On the job training is a wonderful solution!

One of the greatest frustrations for people engaged in a job search, is the ‘experience required’ stipulation. Talented, energetic people who want nothing more than a chance to prove themselves are turned down simply because they haven’t done the job before, or even because they haven’t been able to find work for a while. It often seems unfair, but one can’t blame the employer for seeking the best candidate.

AMS Fulfillment of Valencia, along with the City of Santa Clarita, College of the Canyons, South Bay Workforce Investment Board and JVSLA, have found a solution that really has no downside. The communities benefit, the company benefits, the social service organizations succeed, and the people who have been looking for a chance to prove what they can do for themselves and their families find an open door.

In a recent interview with Scott Tsunoda, Talent Acquisition and Development Manager at AMS, the benefit to all involved was explained. Scott said, “We are often in a position to hire seasonal staff, special project staff, and even full-time staff here at AMS. Most of the positions are in the warehouses, doing picking, packing and shipping and operating a forklift. These organizations have made it possible for us to serve the community and the job-seekers by providing on-the-job training.”

Scott explained that the City of Santa Clarita and College of the Canyons work together to find the candidates, and when the candidate is hired, they pay a share of the salary while the employee is being trained. “This allows us to take the time in training the candidate,” he explained, “giving them job skills to go on their resume, or, they may become permanent employees. The South Bay Workforce Investment Board does a similar work in partnership with the Jewish Vocational Service LA (JVSLA). The employment candidates are offered by these organizations, and when we have open positions we let them know.”

An additional benefit to AMS, according to Scott, is that the employment search is eased, especially when AMS has a seasonal rush or a big project requiring staffing for 4-6 weeks. Scott said, “By partnering with these organizations, we continue our community involvement and service, and it allows us to leverage the opportunity to utilize additional labor and funding sources to assist in creating more employment opportunities as well.”

AMS has a long history of community involvement, employing veterans, the developmentally disabled, at-risk youth, seniors and college students. “We do it because it works,” Scott said, “and it does feel good too, to know that people who may have needed a job for some time, now can have the training to make themselves employable in the future, either here at AMS or elsewhere.”

May 27, 2016

AMS Fulfillment Recognizes Employees of the Month

Congratulations to the AMS Fulfillment Employees of the Month for April, 2016! We are very pleased and proud to recognize Natalie Barba, Steve Perez, Ana Rodriguez, Terry Gilmore, Andres Camas and Matt Lombardoz.

The greatest resource of a successful business is the human being: the person who leaves home and family and spends the day serving clients and laboring to make the company, and themselves, successful. Success is measured in satisfaction, and a big part of satisfaction for all of us is working within the “AMS Family Atmosphere” that our employees create every day.

The nominations and comments below demonstrate that these employees deserve to be recognized and appreciated for not only doing a job well, but for caring enough to go above and beyond.

Natalie Barba – Receiving Clerk (August, 2015)

Natalie has dedicated herself to the position and has become very good at it. She is a very hard worker, always on time, and it is a pleasure to have her on the receiving team. She has learned fast and she’ll do very well at AMS if she keeps applying herself the way she has done.

Steve Perez – Security/Safety Manager (August, 2012)

Steve is always friendly and willing to help out in any capacity to ensure the team is successful: great attitude and co-worker, professional and compassionate.

Ana Rodriguez – Operations Lead (September, 2015)

Ana has been working in Operations for a short time and has already made a great impact with the Sole Society Team. She is always willing to learn and has a great attention to detail. She has fully taken the lead of the hand-held picking and is doing a great job.

Terry Gilmore – Janitorial/Custodial (March, 2014)

Terry is a hard worker, consistently on his job and a great presence to be around. He always has a great attitude. He is willing to help others and always is very punctual. He helps multiple clients and departments without complaining. Terry is consistent with his work, always at work and hardworking.

Andres Camas – Production Lead (July, 2008)

Andres is an outstanding worker who gets things done and is always a pleasure to work with. Andres excels in all of the assignments given to him. He has many years of experience working for AMS and has a great attitude.

Matt Lombardoz – Supervisor (October, 2014)

Matt is a very strong Supervisor who has very good skills and is always here to motivate his employees. He is always available and has all his tasks done before the timeline and is very accurate and detailed on what he is doing. He makes sure all the work he is doing is secure and safe. He trains new employees and explains the process and implements it with them. He never complains when things change or if there is something last minute. He runs the receiving department smoothly and always respects his employees.

May 12, 2016

AMS Fulfillment Invests in Employees

AMS Fulfillment Invests in Employees through Adult Education

A unique experiment has been going on wherein Santa Clarita Valley’s College of the Canyons (COC) is collaborating with AMS Fulfillment in presenting free classes to AMS employees either at the COC campus or at the at AMS Valencia facility.

There are several ways in which these first-of-a-kind collaborations are taking place. The most recent, scheduled to begin in May of 2016, will be a class in beginner Microsoft Excel. These beginner class take place on the COC campus. The future hope of AMS is to continue these classes into intermediate and expert levels, and provide them at the AMS campus location. This way AMS employees can easily take the class, advance their skills, and put them to use at AMS or with other companies as their careers grow. As an added attraction to members of the public who live nearby the AMS Valencia campus, all COC classes held on the AMS campus are open to the general public through COC.

Santa Clarita’s College of the Canyons (COC) and AMS Fulfillment have been working together in this exemplary way for well over a year. Their collaboration, which has been a first between the college and a business, is a win-win for all, benefiting the students, the business, the broader community and the college.

For more details on how the classes work: Registration for the classes is done through COC, and instructors come to the AMS facility from the college. The classes are majority funded by the Employee Training Institute (ETI), with partial funding by AMS, including the books. Employees of AMS and members of the general public are invited to attend not just the Excel class, but all classes that have been taking place so far.

In February 2016 a very interesting and highly beneficial class began on the AMS campus. It is the adult education non-credit ESL (English as a Second Language) beginner course. Thirty-four students are attending the twice-a-week level one class at this time. When this level is completed, AMS will continue offering classes through level four, which will be the entire non-credit ESL offering of COC.

For AMS employees, the ESL class is very beneficial with regard to their work, in that most of the positions in the company do require an ability to communicate in English, especially with regard to correspondence. In addition, having gained a greater command of English, new opportunities within the company and within COC will open up for those who are attending the classes.

Concurrent with offering the English as a Second Language class, AMS and COC are collaborating in offering the Lean Six Sigma (LSS) Green Belt course. Like the ESL classes, all levels of the LSS training are taking place within the AMS facility and are majority funded by ETI with partial funding by AMS. LSS classes teach a business management philosophy that is meant to improve the efficiency of a company, its effectiveness, and at the same time improve the customer experience. The LSS classes are and taught by COC instructors, and they are currently ongoing as students reach the higher levels of training. Prior to these two courses, AMS also hosted a Lean Enterprise Six Sigma course that was very well attended and received.

AMS is now looking into offering two more courses: A GED course to equip individuals who haven’t completed high school with the knowledge and skills necessary to attend college, and a citizenship preparation class where students can learn the naturalization application process, US history and government, and the English vocabulary and skills that are necessary for the citizenship test. It is easy to see the benefits of both of these courses to the individuals involved, to AMS and to the community.

The advantage of offering classes to AMS employees in collaboration with College of the Canyons will be mentioned in a future blog from the AMS CEO, with regard to some well-thought-out strategies on how to incorporate minimum wage increases while reducing any negative impact to the company.

[email protected]

www.google.com/+Amsfulfillment

March 9, 2016

AMS – Fulfillment for Mega Ships

Did you know, AMS’ Witherspoon facility in Valencia could hold nearly 3 ½ Mega Ships the size of the Benjamin Franklin?

Mega Ships, Ports, and the Flow of Goods

AMS likes to be up to date with what’s going on in the ports around the world, and of course there’s a reason. If there is a work-stoppage, backlog or congestion, or construction at a major port, it affects everyone who ships products. We are a large international fulfillment company located near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, we do a lot of shipping for our clients, and we also are a Foreign Trade Zone. This gives us the ability to act as a port, admitting merchandise into the Zone for clients that import merchandise through U.S. Customs.

Recently conversation has turned toward Mega Ships, and the arrival in December of the largest container ship ever at a North American port. The ship, named the Benjamin Franklin, was 80% full, with a capacity of 18,000 20-foot containers. And still, as huge as this ship is, it is not the largest container ship in the world. The largest ship, which is too large for a U.S. port, travels the Asia-Europe route, holding 20,000 20-foot containers.

Compare this to ten years ago when the average container ship was 1/3 the size of the average ship today. Ports have had to keep up, and over the years we’ve seen the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports undergo projects costing millions of dollars, deepening channels, investing in cranes and equipment, and expanding terminals in order to handle the arrival of the larger ships. These hugs ships, bringing in such high volumes, put pressure on the entire supply chain, including dockworkers, truck drivers and rail carriers.

We might ask why the mega ships are being built, and are they a benefit or detriment to the ports, to the flow of goods, and to international fulfillment companies. Apparently, with borrowing costs so low, the investment in building such a large ship was considered good business; a way of cost-cutting through consolidation. Looking forward to moving more goods, and using less fuel, a number of these ships were built. But apparently too many of these ships were built, so now the ships have greater capacity than there is demand. This leads to falling cargo rates and shipping companies engaging in vessel-sharing in order to make sure the larger ships are full.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are large enough to handle a vessel this size, and for the arrival of the Benjamin Franklin they had advance notice of nearly two weeks, as well as a great deal of information on the cargo. This information helped Port officials and the dockworkers, truck drivers and rail in coordinating their efforts in order to handle the challenge and the work flow. Vessel-sharing also complicates matters for the Port, so all of the information shared by the Benjamin Franklin was vital to the success of that visit.

The Benjamin Franklin is expected back again in February, with the Ports once again required to go above and beyond with regard to planning and coordination. There are questions as to how the Ports can sustain this level of planning routinely. So, while the mega ships may be cost-cutting for shipping, and while there is no measurable impact on international fulfillment, the ships are presenting a challenge to ports, dockworkers and transportation.

Just to give an impression of how much cargo comes in on one of these ships, imagine this: If the ship is full, and the containers are unloaded and lined up end-to-end, what distance do you imagine they would go? The answer: From Santa Monica to Santa Barbara!

[email protected]

www.google.com/+Amsfulfillment

February 10, 2016

Fulfillment During Chinese New Year

Ready for a Global Festival? It’s Chinese New Year in the Fulfillment Business!

The 4713th Chinese Year! The official Chinese New Year celebration began on the 7^th of February and continues through the 13^th. This is the year of the Red Monkey. What that means could be good luck or bad luck, depending on which character of the Chinese zodiac is related to a person’s particular year of birth.

For the fulfillment business, Chinese New Year does have an impact. It isn’t just a day; it’s a global festival, celebrated by 1/5^th of the world’s population. The dates are public holidays around the world. In China, school children get almost a month off, and universities even more. Another interesting fact is that people travel long distances to celebrate and the numbers are astounding. There are almost 3.5 billion journeys of over 50 miles during the holidays as compared to 100 million traveling long distances during the Christmas holidays.

The best cities for Chinese New Year celebrations in the U.S. are considered to be San Francisco, Chicago and New York. The list of things a person might enjoy in these cities, and many others as well, is long. There will be storefront decorations, flowers, vendors, glitzy costumes, hundreds of thousands of firecrackers, streamers, dancers and drummers, arts and crafts and novelty toys for sale, lanterns, concerts, and the Big Excitement… lion dance teams in parades, with floats and marching bands.

In Chicago, a 100-foot long dancing dragon will make an appearance. In San Francisco the parade may draw a million people. In New York, Columbus Square will be filled with flowers and at least 600,000 firecrackers will announce the beginning of the parade. And of course, people will eat and drink, and restaurants will be full to the brim. The most important days of this celebration will be February 7, Chinese New Year’s Eve, which is the time of family reunions, and February 8, Chinese New Years Day, the day of close family visits.

How does this global holiday affect the fulfillment business? First of all there is a tremendous amount of buying and selling as people wear new clothes, give gifts, clean their houses, and buy lots of decorations. Secondly, Chinese port operations are slowed, and this would include loading and barging schedules that would affect product availability. Many factories and businesses will shut down for at least a week, and this can be felt in a number of countries. And finally, traffic will be very congested, affecting freight moving to and from China.

When a celebration is this big, and this worldwide, an international product fulfillment company such as AMS Fulfillment will have taken take note of the dates and times, making sure that they are staffed and ready.

Now for the curious readers wondering, “Am I a monkey,” here are the dates: if you were born in 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004 you will be an intelligent, playful monkey with a magnetic personality. With regard to luck, you will have to make your own in 2016.

Author: Ida Lawrence
[email protected]

www.google.com/+Amsfulfillment

December 9, 2015

AMS: Giving for the holidays!

It’s Holiday Fulfillment Time! Who is Your Chief Giving Officer?

Corporate social responsibility – it’s a subject we seldom think about. What do we expect of a corporation when it comes to charitable giving and responsibility to the community in which they do business? What does a responsible corporation look like? From what we’ve seen, a business that is personally and financially involved with the community is very definitely an exception to the rule.

Any company that designates a Chief Giving Officer has to be doing some giving! Recently we talked with Raul Domrique, who is the Chief Giving Officer and a Client Services Account Manager for AMS Fulfillment. AMS is a privately owned corporation located in Santa Clarita Valley, California.

With holiday fulfillment in full swing, we recently interviewed Raul about his tasks this season. Raul said that AMS has created an employee friendly atmosphere, and that the people are really there for each other like a family would be. “We have such good vibes,” he said. “We know that the people with the best attitude get the best outcome in life, and that works for a company too.”

Raul went on to explain how the atmosphere at AMS carries over into the community. He is in charge of all donations in and out of AMS but focuses on the Thanksgiving and Christmas outreach, which are stories of ‘happiness’ for the AMS family. In addition to AMS employees, the happiness is spread around between the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Department and Officer Bryan Rooney, Ralph’s Supermarket, Vallarta Supermarket, lots of local families and plenty of little kids.

For the last four years, during holiday fulfillment time, AMS has participated in the Santa Clarita Youth Activities League’s ‘Adopt a Family’ program. Officer Bryan Rooney of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Department runs the program and selects the families for both the Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations.

For the Thanksgiving holiday, AMS partners with Ralphs Supermarket in creating full Thanksgiving dinners. This year AMS sent invitation cards to 36 families to come to the Youth Center where they received their gifts from AMS Executives Ken Wiseman and Jay Catlin, Marco Pelaez and two of the youth workers who are employed at AMS.

Christmas is an even more personal event for AMS employees. Officer Rooney gives AMS the family list and the employees who wish to participate personally purchase and wrap gifts for their chosen children and family members. AMS also partners with the Vallarta Supermarket, allowing employees to pre-purchase dinners in the form of coupons. Families that receive a coupon can go and pick up their freshly cooked Christmas meal at the supermarket.

When the time comes for the one-on-one gift distribution, AMS employees meet with the families at the Youth Center. Every year it becomes a joyful celebration for all – one of the favorite events shared by the AMS family.

Raul, the AMS Chief Giving Officer, recently received his own gift for the holidays. He was granted a scholarship from the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) for his focus on education and networking of supply chain students and professionals. He will be finishing up his Associates Degree in Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship, Spring 2016, and will be starting a Bachelor’s Program in Biological studies in the hope of one day owning his own biological testing facility.

Thank you Raul and AMS Fulfillment for helping to make another Thanksgiving and Christmas full of joy for Santa Clarity Valley families.

Author: Ida Lawrence
[email protected]

www.google.com/+Amsfulfillment

November 18, 2015

The AMS Fulfillment Family is a Family that Cares

There are few things more damaging to the mental and physical health and wellbeing of the individual or family than being homeless. And homelessness can come about for any number of reasons, not associated with drug or alcohol abuse or mental illness.

In moments of vulnerability, many of us have come to realize how close to homeless we would be if we lost a few paychecks, or our good health. So, it makes sense that caring for the homeless is a sign of a healthy community, made up of people who are not only kind-hearted, but wise, as in the proverb, “There but for the grace of God, go I.”

AMS Fulfillment is a Santa Clarita Valley business recognized as exceptional in its community involvement. The company nurtures the ‘AMS as a caring family’ ideal, with management and employees volunteering and giving to the community in many different ways. The benefits of being committed to the community are seen in the sense of personal worth and wellbeing of employees, and their dedication to the company.

Among the many community help organizations that AMS supports is the Santa Clarita Valley homeless service agency, Bridge to Home. Not only does Bridge to Home provide emergency winter shelter from November to March, they provide an exceptional shelter; safe, warm, welcoming, with beds, showers and three meals. Last year, Bridge to Home’s shelters served a total of 772 individuals, of whom: 55 were chronically homeless; 45 were veterans; 53 were victims of domestic violence; 130 had disabilities; and 124 had mental illness. Its other programs served 300 additional homeless and low-income clients.

Additional vital services are offered as well, including the opportunity to receive case management, health services and referrals for additional programs including job placement. Jay Catlin, President of AMS, recently expressed his desire to work with Bridge to Home in identifying homeless persons who qualify for employment, so that AMS can do its part and offer jobs when they are available.

AMS is already involved in supporting an important Bridge to Home fundraising event, their Soup for the Soul Fundraiser, which takes place in November. AMS has joined with a number of other SCV Businesses who have become sponsors of this event. Sponsors are invited to join in a meal of various soups, breads, desserts and beverages, and enjoy entertainment as well. November 14 will be the third time this event has taken place in recognition of clients, staff and donors.

Santa Clarita’s homeless population is growing and AMS is happy to be able to help in meeting the service demands. Last year a number of homeless individuals in Santa Clarita lost their lives from illness and exposure to the weather. These tragic losses served to increase the dedication and drive to help Santa Clarita’s homeless residents, assisting them to transition out of homelessness. Key goals of Bridge to Home include the relocation of the temporary Shelter to a permanent location and further expansion of services that will provide comprehensive care, including: medical help, mental health assistance, job resources and placement, case management and access to affordable housing.

Job resources and placement is where AMS Fulfillment has proven itself to be of great benefit to so many. For a number of years AMS has been working with at-risk youth and hiring disabled persons, veterans, members of the aging population and students. We look forward to the opportunity of working in support of Bridge to Home.

Management and employees of AMS are proud of our company’s commitment to the community. CEO Ken Wiseman has often said how warm his heart feels when walking through the offices and warehouses, and seeing people that he knows have been greatly helped – people whose lives have been turned around simply because AMS is a family that cares for its community.

Bridge to Home: Soup for the Soul

Author: Ida Lawrence
[email protected]

www.google.com/+Amsfulfillment

October 9, 2015

AMS Fulfillment Values Employees With Disabilities

Friday October 9, 2015
October is National Disabilities Employment Awareness Month, commemorated across the US. This year happens to be the 70th anniversary of the commemoration, which makes this month a special time to observe what has been achieved. At many events, recognition will be given to the people who fought for better laws, demanded better treatment, and overcame ignorance of and indifference to developmental disabilities.

Despite all that people with disabilities contribute to society and the workplace, they are still underemployed, they still face discrimination by employers, and they have limited access to skills training. But, fortunately those things are changing, due in part to the efforts of various city governments and companies such as AMS Fulfillment.

A recent event, attended by AMS CEO, Ken Wiseman, highlighted the importance and the benefit of hiring persons with disabilities. Like many other cities across America, the Santa Clarita Valley Mayor’s Committee for Employment of Individuals with Disabilities celebrated National Disabilities Employment Awareness Month. As part of the celebration, the SCV Mayor’s Committee held an Employer Recognition Event that honored employers who not only hire people with disabilities, but know first-hand how valuable these employees are.

AMS Fulfillment was invited to attend this recognition event due to their longstanding involvement with Pleasantview Industries & New Horizons. Some years ago AMS initiated a program with Pleasantview Industries, which has as their mission providing employment opportunities to Developmentally Disabled Adults. Ken Wiseman spoke about how pleased AMS was to begin working with the program: “Our first recruit from Pleasantview so warmed the hearts of our staff with his dedication, hard work and positive spirit, that AMS now employs 18 adults from the program.”

National Disabilities Employment Awareness Month dates back to 1945, when Congress declared the first week in October “National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week.” The word “physically” was deleted in 1962 to acknowledge individuals with all types of disabilities. The week was expanded to a month by Congress in 1988 and its name was also changed to NDEAM. When the Office of Disability Employment Policy was created in 2001, it was given responsibility for NDEAM, including selection of its annual theme. The official theme for the observance this October is: “My Disability Is One Part of Who I Am.”

AMS Fulfillment can certainly verify the truth of that statement, knowing that their employees with disabilities are people first, and the disability is just one part of who they are.

Regarding the Employer Recognition Event, Ken expressed his support and gratitude for the work of the SCV Mayor’s Committee, and his pleasure at being in the company of other employers who share the same heartfelt commitment to employing people with disabilities: “Some decisions are key to good business, and others are key to the heart. Our decision to work with these organizations are key to both.”

Picture: Ken Wiseman, AMS CEO, with The Mayor’s Committee returning keynote speaker, actor Robert David Hall, who for the past 16 seasons has starred as Dr. Al Robbins, medical examiner on “CSI: Crime Scene Investigations.” Mr. Hall told the inspirational story of his journey through a near fatal accident, recovery, dealing with disability issues, and his life today.

Author: Ida Lawrence
[email protected]

www.google.com/+Amsfulfillment

August 17, 2015

AMS: Family, Community & Paying it Forward

Family, Community & Paying it Forward:
Although the general public may not have a clear idea of what the fulfillment industry does, product designers, manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers certainly do. At AMS Fulfillment we deal with information, products, packaging, warehousing and shipping, which in industry parlance is called Order Management, Warehouse Management and Fulfillment Services.

AMS is very focused on the nuanced needs of every client, and they serve a very broad range of clients, so the management and employees really do have to be committed: nothing can be slack, response cannot be slow, details cannot be overlooked. One of the reasons AMS employees work so well together is that a family and community supportive atmosphere is very much a part of the company.

For this reason it’s very difficult for AMS to reduce staffing when the need calls for it, and the company is delighted when they can re-hire and rebuild. You’ll read about one of the difficult situations that turned into a great succes in the AMS story in a recent Checkworks.com article.

http://www.checkworks.com/blog/index.php/ams-the-magic-of-a-winning-corporate-culture/

About CheckWorks:

CheckWorks, Inc. manufactures and sells checks directly to Consumers and through Banks and Credit Unions. CheckWorks is known for Innovation in Check Printing technology and Unique Personal Check Designs at Cheap Prices. CheckWorks is a privately owned company and is not affiliated with any other check printing company.

At CheckWorks, our goal is to bring you the best the marketplace has to offer for the least amount of money. You’ll find a wealth of money-saving tips on our blog to help you trim costs without sacrificing quality. Did we mention that we sell top-quality personal and business checks at prices up to 50% cheaper than the banks and other major providers?

July 16, 2015

California Drought: How Does the California Drought Affect Non-Agricultural Business

The California drought is all over the news, and people around the world are concerned, with those in the USA deeply concerned. California is a major agricultural producer for the nation, so when people see images of dried up reservoirs and read news reports about how Californians are dealing with water restrictions, they’re interested.

Readers also want to know how non-agricultural businesses are impacted by the drought. Is it affecting business with higher prices or other pressures? How is it affecting the employees? Are there worries about no water? Are California citizens thinking about solutions and adaptations, and if so, what solutions are they moving to, and will these solutions affect business?

One of the many California industries not dependent upon water availability is fulfillment. AMS Fulfillment is a large company that warehouses and ships products around the world. AMS is located in the Los Angeles area, which is logistically perfect, having close proximity to the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach. Tthis is a benefit to clients, to the ports, and to the California economy.

AMS is in the perfect location, we don’t depend upon water to do business, and we wouldn’t want to relocate out of California, so are we affected by the drought in any way? For answers, we talked to Jay Catlin, President of AMS.

Jay first expressed the concern he shares with others about what’s going on with regard to dwindling water resources. “The drought is something every Californian needs to take seriously. While people might be concerned about restrictions on water usage, or higher prices for water, it seems we really haven’t started to take it personally, or at least the awareness is not widespread,” he said.

“I do take it personally, my family does, and AMS Fulfillment does. And we notice some changes in public awareness, which are encouraging,” Catlin said. “We’re seeing more homeowners and businesses moving to synthetic lawns, and others are changing to semi-desert landscaping. The synthetic lawns are very realistic, and a perfect solution for those who enjoy the aesthetic appearance of a green lawn, or appreciate a lawn as a play area for their children.”

Catlin went on to talk about how he expects real growth in the businesses that manufacture and provide synthetic landscaping of all types. “We’d love to do the fulfillment for these manufacturers, as they are prospering, and will continue to do so,” he said.

California’s drought is now in its fourth year, and the economic impact on the agricultural sector indicates more than two billion dollars lost, and 17,000 seasonal jobs. In addition to agriculture, the businesses hardest hit by the drought are food processing, semiconductors, energy (hydroelectric power), tourism and leisure, and water utilities.

“It is hard to assess these stresses in relation to how they affect all California businesses,” Catlin said, “but the impact on the fulfillment industry, which is international in its scope, is very minimal. We’re grateful for that, and grateful that we can add to the California economy and employ as many people as we do.”

Catlin went on to say that the company and its employees do face water restrictions and higher prices for water, but these things are taken in stride. He’s aware that long-term changes in water usage could affect the price of food, and if consumers become concerned for the future it could affect consumer purchases. For this reason he would like to see care for the environment a part of everyday life, as it always has been for AMS in its focus on conservation and ‘green’ living.

It’s not expected that the drought will have a significant impact on statewide economic activity, or that it will significantly affect state and local tax revenues, but it is changing agriculture. Farmers will fallow more fields, and switch to crops that require less water, so if a community economy is concentrated in one particular aspect of agriculture, it could be severely affected. That is where experts expect the greatest impact… in local economies and food-related manufacturing.

All in all, the impact on California-based businesses is small, and the people are well able to handle the changes that they are experiencing. “But we can do better,” Catlin said. “We can always do more to protect and care for the world we’re living in.”

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May 14, 2015

AMS Fulfillment Leases Former Hitachi Building

Article by Jana Adkins SCVBJ Editor (May 13, 2015)

It’s not quite as dramatic as the phoenix rising from the ashes, but each time AMS Fulfillment is met with a business challenge, the Valencia firm confronts and overcomes it quicker than most companies can plan a strategy for their next move. And that phoenix just acquired another building on Witherspoon Parkway.

The full-service order fulfillment company experienced a meteoric growth in business in the past decade – at one point it occupied 13 warehouse buildings in the Santa Clarita Valley. As the Great Recession darkened, the company continued to grow and add employees.

Last year AMS said farewell to its largest client, Toms shoes, when it couldn’t find an existing building large enough to accommodate a new automation system and process for the retailer. Graciously, AMS ensured Toms was able to make a successful move over to one of their competitors.

AMS downsized staff and planned to terminate leases on several of its warehouses when the team found it had generated more new business – in part due to the good relationship they maintained with Toms. That new business led to some rehires and of some of the buildings they were about to let go of, they kept.

Fast forward to later in 2014 and AMS had been re-growing so quickly it needed a larger building to accommodate its new growth. Management had been in preliminary negotiations with a developer to build a larger warehouse for them, when an existing one suddenly became available.

“Our immediate need for a new facility made the availability of the existing building a better option rather than building from scratch and waiting until December 2015 for it to be ready,” said Ken Wiseman, AMS CEO and managing partner along with President, Jay Catlin.

The building that previously housed Hitachi Power Tools on Witherspoon Parkway became available when that company moved to new space, and a chance encounter at the groundbreaking for the new IAC Commerce Center last November led to an important introduction, Wiseman said.

“We hit it off at the event to introduce the commerce center we’re developing,” said Michael Daniels, managing director for IAC. “We realized what they needed for space and knew that we had the Hitachi space coming up so we negotiated a mutually beneficial deal.”

The deal officially closed April 3, but AMS had been allowed inside earlier to start setting up racks to receive inventory. It’s a 7-year lease on 210,000 square feet of space, Wiseman said. And a much better deal than the one the company had been looking into because for one, AMS could move in quickly. Doug Sonderegger with CBRE handled the transaction.

“Our growth was just outpacing our ability to get into a building fast enough,” Wiseman said. “The new building will be almost exclusively for client growth. We only let one smaller lease go – 40,000 square feet on Franklin.”

Indeed, within a month of first moving racks into the Witherspoon building, AMS has filled nearly the equivalent of five football fields full with merchandise. And most of that inventory is from just four clients who are rapidly growing, he said.

As for future growth needs, Daniels from IAC said the two continue to have dialogue and as the needs of AMS increase IAC will be there to accommodate them.

“We’re very excited about the new relationship with IAC,” Wiseman said. “We can foresee that their strategy of putting up new buildings could align well with our growth.”

This story published in the May 2015 edition of the SCV Business Journal. Photo’s by Dan Watson.

The article may be found on The Signal website as follows: http://www.signalscv.com/section/24/article/136603/