A few days ago our home community of Santa Clarita suffered a tragedy; there was a shooting at our local Saugus High School. The awful fear that this invoked in the children, and families and friends of the children, will never be forgotten. While news reports focused on the details, at AMS we dealt with the reality of our own families being at risk.
Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of children who lost their lives, and our prayers for recovery go to those who were injured and traumatized. It goes without saying that we never imagined such a thing occurring in this peaceful, thriving community of Santa Clarita. Like millions of others, we ask why.
What caused this destruction of life and trust? Why did a 16-year-old come to this moment and make this decision? Did our culture encourage this? When we know the cause, then how can we improve the culture?
School and workplace violence have been on the rise and a great deal of conversation is taking place on how to deal with this reality. We understand that statistically, among places of business, a fulfillment company is at low risk. Nonetheless, there is no logic in some of the violence we are seeing, making even low risk environments vulnerable.
At AMS the safety of our employees is a very high priority. We take safety training seriously, with continuous training and education. Still, today we realize that we are now called upon to do even more to see to the safety of everyone on our campus.
AMS is attempting to build a workplace culture where every human being in our employ is respected, valued as a contributor, and cared for as a person. That has been our goal from the beginning, today exemplified in our B-Corp commitment. We believe that business can and should create a positive culture, in support of the community; especially those individuals who are struggling for one reason or another.
AMS extends its sympathies to the Saugus High School staff and students, the City of Santa Clarita, and all who have been impacted by this tragic event.
Jay Catlin, AMS CEO, speaking on behalf of AMS:
“This heartbreaking event took place in close proximity to our home base at AMS. It serves as a sad reality that any one of us may be impacted by this type of violence on any given day. While we grieve for those who have suffered, we must go forward with hope for a brighter future, kindness and respect for those around us and consideration for what meaningful change should look like in our communities.”
