Carleen, Forrest, and Beth prepare to donate at a local Red Cross.

We are thankful that there never seems to be a slow day at FSI.  There is a perpetual race against the clock to get countless thousands of pick/pack/ship orders and kit packing projects out the door.  But despite the ongoing scheduling challenges, we still know the importance of taking time out to give back to the community.

FSI employees recently participated in a local blood drive and in the Christmas Feed the Hungry with the AAAG (http://www.theaaag.org/AAAG_Official_Website/Welcome.html).  The food drive was held on Christmas weekend and helped to feed over 3,000 people. 

In regards to priceless blood donations, the human body is able to safely donate every 56 days.  We do our best to go as a group every 56 days, and we welcome you to join us.  Find a blood drive near you and donate today (http://www.redcrossblood.org/)! 

FSI employees are also encouraged to participate in community involvement activities throughout the year, both corporately and individually.  We appreciate the business our clients give to us, and we want to show that appreciation by giving back to the community with our time, talents, and treasures.  Thanks to our clients for helping make this possible, and to our amazing employees for their spirit of generosity!

Lots of people lined up to help feed the hungry...

...and lots of people lined up to receive. "We're all Americans"

So many members of the FSI team have a knack for blending into the background, and yet without them FSI just wouldn’t work.  That certainly is the case for today’s interview.  Let’s get Tchal’s perspective on life at FSI.

 

How long have you worked at FSI, and what is your role?
I have worked at FSI for 8 years.  I am the Line Leader in the warehouse at the Pick/Pack/Ship area.  When orders come to the warehouse, I oversee the pick ticket distribution to our pickers, to make sure the large volumes of pick tickets (packing slips) are processed quickly.  I also make sure all orders are packaged well.  You never know what type of item or combination of items will come down the line to be packed, and it is a bit of an art and a science in packing an order so it arrives securely at its destination.  Literature items such as brochures require one type of package, apparel requires another, ceramic mugs requires another, and so on.  At last count we have upwards of 22,000 items in our warehouses, so you can imagine our packaging approach isn’t one-size-fits-all.

When orders containing several types of items come down the line, such as apparel and food products, you have to make use of a combination of packaging techniques.  Depending on the requested shipping method there are weight limits to consider, but at the same time you want to use as few packages as possible to keep our customer’s costs low.  So packing a single 15-lb box usually is less expensive than packing three 5-lb boxes.  There’s a lot more to it than simply putting something in a box, and that doesn’t even take into consideration the custom and branded boxes some of our clients require.      

What did you do before FSI, and how in the world did you get roped in with these guys? Before coming to FSI, I was in the restaurant business. I grew tired of that industry and decided to try warehouse work. I called FSI's Warehouse Supervisor, Charlie Hayes, whom I have known for years, and he made arrangements for me to apply with FSI.


What do you enjoy about the fulfillment business?
I enjoy learning more about the different types of business that we handle, and I enjoy the fact that our industry is so unique.


What have been some of your memorable moments from your time at FSI?
The memorable moments would be the employee dinners and the quarterly meetings where the company comes together and reviews recent successes. After the annual FSI Fishing Trips, I also enjoy seeing the pictures and hearing about the great times everyone had. (I’ve been invited to go, but I do not like to be on the water). Also, it’s great seeing one of our founders, Hoyt Marbutt, visit on occasion even though he is retired.


What do you think separates FSI from other fulfillment companies?  What makes FSI different?
FSI is great. We are different because we act as one family. We love our “FSI Rocks!” tee shirts because so many people tell us how much we help their business. So it feels good to be part of all of these projects.


FSI has enjoyed some growth (13,000 ft² - 150,000+ ft²), longevity (15+ years), and won some awards along the way since the business began in 1996.  What do you think FSI must do in order to continue being successful?
Our success comes from Ken, Hoyt and Forrest taking the time to focus on the things they know best fits the company. They are fair, honest, and well respected by their employees.


It's safe to say you have your hands full here. What do you enjoy doing with your spare time outside of FSI when you’re not working with inventory, picking/packing/shipping orders, and so on?
I love spending time with my family.

Throughout our 15-year history, FSI has always been able to handle any size shrink wrapping job our clients have needed.  Depending on the size of the job, we might have had to put in some overtime, work double shifts, work weekends, whatever it takes to complete the job on time.  But just like any other job FSI takes on – we ALWAYS meet our deadlines.  Evolving client needs have prompted FSI to decide it was time to increase capacity again, this time in the area of shrink wrapping.  Our new shrink wrap machine, combined with our existing equipment has increased our capacity five-fold.

Ideal applications for shrink wrap include literature, books, retail products, and promotional items of all types.  Shrink wrapping the inner components of kit to be packed later is also popular, as is shrink wrapping the outer boxes or envelopes to be mailed.

Whatever your shrink wrapping needs, talk to FSI today, and be sure to check out FSI’s YouTube video of our newest shrink wrapping machine hard at work:

Up close with the latest in shrink wrap tech

All in a day's work - a long line of bins filled with freshly shrink wrapped products

The various inventory functions at FSI represent the core of our business, so as we wrap up 2011 it is fitting that the final blog post of the year highlight one of the individuals who helps make it all happen.  Let’s see what Kenneth Hayes has to say about life at FSI.

How long have you worked at FSI, and what is your role?

I have worked at FSI for a year now.  I work in the inventory department as a receiver, so my main role is to receive inventory as it enters the warehouse.

What did you do before FSI, and how in the world did you get roped in with these guys?

Before FSI, I worked in the quality control department for a poultry processing plant, and I wanted to change to a better job with more room for advancement.  I came across FSI and thought it would be a great fit for me.

What do you enjoy about the fulfillment business?

I enjoy the nature of the business and the service that we provide to the customers, and the fact that it’s always changing.  There’s never a dull moment.

What have been some of your memorable moments from your time at FSI?

The most memorable moment for me at FSI is a time we all got together on a Saturday morning for a 5k walk (see picture below).  It was great to see everyone have a great time and trying to compete.

What do you think separates FSI from other fulfillment companies?  What makes FSI different?

In spite of its size and growth, FSI remains a family-owned business and we tend to pull together like a family.  It is a great place to work.  All the people in the warehouse are like family in every sense of the word.  I think that’s what separates FSI, not to mention FSI’s superb customer service and IT team.

FSI has enjoyed some growth (13,000 ft² - 150,000+ ft²), longevity (15+ years), and won some awards along the way since the business began in 1996.  What do you think FSI must do in order to continue being successful?

FSI employees have a “get it done no matter what” attitude.  No job is too hard and we have to remember the reason we get many of the harder jobs is because other companies aren’t set up to do them that well.  All of the employees are proud of our accomplishments, and the various incentives and quality control plans we have keep us on our toes.

What do you enjoy doing with your spare time outside of FSI when you’re not receiving inventory, picking/packing/shipping orders, kitting, etc.?

Well, I love to work in the yard, play basketball, and shoot pool.  I guess you can say I’m an outdoor person.

 

Check out FSI’s latest video:  A Day in the Life of FSI.  It’s a time lapse video of our main order packing and shipping lines encompassing 1 full day’s work at FSI.  It condenses approximately 10 hours of video to 2 minutes 37 seconds.  It begins with us turning the lights on to start the morning and ends with us turning the lights off when we leave at the end of the day.  This is what takes place throughout the day, every day at FSI.  This is what systematic, strategic order fulfillment is all about. 

Fulfillment begins with orders arriving 24x7x365 from a dizzying and constantly growing variety of sources.  On the pick/pack/ship side, typically one or two thousand orders a day or more will be transmitted in real time via web service technology, straight from our client’s systems.  Then we have all the web sites FSI manages directly, followed by phone orders, fax orders, and EDI.  Then we have bulk kit-pack orders that usually come to us in file format, with each file containing anywhere from a few orders to a few thousand orders.

Whichever way the order arrives in our system, our award-winning CSR team handles the initial order processing and bring the pick tickets to the warehouse.  Order pickers retrieve these incoming pick tickets throughout the day and work their way throughout our warehouse on their order pickers, forklifts and carts.  As orders are picked they are bar code scanned for verification and then brought to the main lines for packing.  Verified orders are packed in packages of all types and sizes - small boxes, large boxes, 1 piece folders, tubes, full cases, broken cases, envelopes, padded mailers, and so on.  They are shipped small parcel and LTL to both B2C and B2B clients through UPS, FedEx, USPS, various trucking lines, courier, and customer pick up.  And we do all of this while following each of our 80+ clients’ various special packing and shipping requests.   Because of the technology and careful planning employed, all of this activity flows through the various stations seamlessly like a symphony orchestra.  Each section of the orchestra plays their part to ensure that our customers’ orders are sent out on time and correct.  It’s a total team effort!  Did we mention that we do all of this with a sustained track record of a 99.9% order accuracy rate?! 

In the video you’ll witness approximately 2500 orders, 4500 line items and over 15,000 pieces flowing through our warehouse.  Yes, all in the same day!  For our existing clients, we thank you for helping make this possible.  For our potential clients, we look forward to including your packages in these figures in the future.  Don’t let the volume scare you, as we work with clients of all sizes.  Many of our largest clients were once tiny start-ups who had a dream and needed FSI to fulfill their orders so they could focus on growing their business.  We’ve all grown together.  If you’re a business who thinks they might be too big for us, well let’s talk and we’ll see if it’s something we can’t handle.  In our 15 year history, there’s never been a job or any volume of pick/pack/ship orders that we couldn’t handle, and you’d recognize the names of some of our clients on the Fortune 500 list.  (We’re on the Inc. 5000 list ourselves!)   Our systems and processes are very scalable to be able to handle just about any sized growth.  In fact, we plan for and fully expect it.  FSI started out 15 years ago in 13,000 ft² of space and today is using 155,000 ft² of space.  You provide the order volume and we’ll provide the space, labor and resources to get them out the door.                  

And this is just part of what is taking place at FSI.  We’ve got other kit packing jobs being handled elsewhere in the warehouse.  There’s also shrink wrapping, receiving, inventory management, mailings, data entry, sweepstakes management, website building, and more going on.  All in a day’s work!       

Enough talk, let’s check out the video:

Atlanta is well-known as the distribution center of the southeast.  For anyone who has wondered what part of Atlanta FSI is located in, we are right in the shadow of one of Georgia’s biggest attractions: Six Flags over Georgia.  Most people around Atlanta know where Six Flags is, so that makes it even easier to find FSI.  Downtown Atlanta is just minutes away from FSI, as well as being conveniently located close to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.  Being close to the airport makes it convenient for late package pickups from our small parcel carriers, UPS and FedEx, when needed. 

Our close proximity to the busiest airport in the world is one of the many reasons why our out-of-state and international clients use FSI.  They first selected Atlanta as the geographic region of choice for their fulfillment needs, and then they selected FSI out of the Atlanta area.   We even have some who fly their own planes to and from Fulton County Airport – Brown Field (see below).     

Here’s where Six Flags and FSI are in relation to Atlanta. Notice how
close Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is.

Here’s what Six Flag’s roller coaster, Goliath, looks like from FSI’s rooftop.
We're almost close enough to pick off one of the riders with a well-placed
roll of packing tape. (Employees are discouraged from doing so.)

Linda Williamson, Hope Hemmila, and Jan Stephenson are ready to brave Goliath.

We've come to respect this ride for having more twists and turns than a million-piece
kit pack job. Here’s what it looks like to ride Goliath at Cobb Chamber of
Commerce’s networking event FSI recently attended. Dizzy yet?

Whether you’re an Atlanta native, from out of town or out of the country, FSI can handle all your fulfillment needs.  Let us manage your pick/pack/ship, inventory management, kit packing, online catalog/e-commerce, custom online reporting, sweepstakes management, handwork, etc., so you can focus on what you do best – growing your business.  We’ll even take you to Six Flags if that’s what it takes!  

The more inventory that comes in, the more racking FSI needs to put up.  Keep those pallets coming in, and we’ll keep finding room for it.  FSI’s 155,000 ft² building is more than capable of handling whatever size kit packing or pick/pack/ship job our clients can throw at us.  If we ever run out of room, we’ll get more.  We’ve been growing since opening 15 years ago in our first 13,000 ft² building, and we don’t plan on slowing down anytime soon. 

It’s nice to be in a position where we have to keep getting more racking to accommodate our growth.  Thank you to our clients for their business that have necessitated this growth, and we look forward to working with all future clients.  Let FSI handle your inventory management, order processing, pick/pack/ship, etc. so you can focus on what you do best - growing your business!  When our clients grow, we grow together.  

Today we continue with our employee interviews.  Let’s see what Caidena has to say about her time here at FSI.

 

How long have you worked at FSI, and what is your role?

I joined FSI in 2008, so that makes 3 years.  My role is to do receiving, pulling, picking and packing orders, and sometimes shipping. 

What did you do before FSI, and how in the world did you get roped in with these guys?

I came to FSI through a temp agency, and my last assignment was working for a food distributor building kits.  FSI had a need for additional warehouse help, so my temp agency sent me.  After a short while, FSI brought me on board full time and it has been a great ride.

What do you enjoy about the fulfillment business?

I like the fulfillment business because there are so many different things to do.  I like to see new clients come in with their new products, and every day seems to bring something different.

What have been some of your memorable moments from your time at FSI?

The most memorable moment was when we had a surprise 15 Year Anniversary party earlier this year.  While telling the employees how we act as superheroes for our clients pulling off incredible feats of getting their kits packed and orders out the door, the managers came out in superhero costumes.  What a sight to see!  If that wasn’t surprising enough, they revealed to us that the purpose of the wetsuit costumes was that they had a dunking booth set up for us to dunk the manager of our choice.  There were also carnival games set up, and everyone really enjoyed it.

What do you think separates FSI from other fulfillment companies?  What makes FSI different?

FSI is different because we do what it takes to make each client happy.  There are so many good people to work with who really care that the job is done right. 

FSI has enjoyed some growth (13,000 ft² - 150,000+ ft²), longevity (15+ years), and won some awards along the way since the business began in 1996.  What do you think FSI must do in order to continue being successful?

Keep doing what we’ve been doing.  Don’t fix what is not broken.

What do you enjoy doing with your spare time outside of FSI when you’re not receiving inventory, picking/packing/shipping orders, kitting, etc.?

I like to go out to the movies and hanging out with my family.

Got any good movie recommendations?

Hangover 2 and Toy Story 3 are a couple of good ones.  I can’t wait to see the new Transformers movie.

 

Every FSI employee has a great story to tell, and the guest of honor for today’s employee interview is no different.  If you had to take a guess as to who this is, one clue would be that he laid claim to the title of champion of the 2011 FSI fishing outing.  Let’s see what Joey has to say about his time at FSI.

 

How long have you worked at FSI?

I have been with FSI almost four and a half years.

 

What is your role at FSI?

After 20 successful years in third party warehouse operations FSI offered me a chance to work in sales. It is something I have always wanted to do but previously had very little experience in. In sales, I have the opportunity to put my operational knowledge and people skills to work with some of the most talented people in the industry.

 

What did you do before FSI, and how in the world did you get roped in with these guys?

I decided it was time for a change from operations, but I wanted to remain in the warehousing and fulfillment industry. Awhile back I had met Ken Marbutt at a social function and he invited me to take a tour of FSI. Long story short, the relationship worked out very well and he gave me the chance to work in sales. It has been a wild ride and I love it. 

 

What do you enjoy about the fulfillment business?

I enjoy connecting with new people who are chasing their dreams, often starting exciting, new businesses with little more than a spark in their eyes and a great product to offer. Knowing that superb product fulfillment can make or break their chase, I enjoy getting them set up with the various fulfillment programs at FSI, which are the best in the business. These tools give companies their best chance to be successful. Sometimes I run across a competitor who can offer a good program, but when you peel away the bark, they cannot begin to match FSI’s total package. That certainly makes my job easier!      

 

What do you enjoy about sales?

I get to meet creative people with a variety of interesting ideas. I find people’s passion is always the same no matter the size of the idea. There are large companies with big needs and small start-ups who just need someone to help them get their dream going. Watching those dreams come into fruition is very rewarding.  

 

What have been some of your memorable moments from your time at FSI?

Meeting people like Ted Turner, Leonard Rowe (formerly Michael Jackson’s concert promoter), Dewey Tomko (poker champion) and countless others. Then I talk to someone with a husband and 2 kids and a simple idea to organize her pocketbook. Meeting people like her is every bit as memorable as the celebrities, and in fact she is well on her way to becoming a celebrity herself. 

 

What do you think separates FSI from other fulfillment companies?  What makes FSI different?

Being a family owned operation. Not the huge mega corporation. You will find every customer service representative, warehouse worker, supervisor and manager has one goal, which is to do the job right the first time. And 99.98% of the time they do. Our customers always talk about the partnership they have with FSI and how we have been a part of their success. 

 

FSI has enjoyed some growth (13,000 ft² - 155,000+ ft²), longevity (15+ years), and won some awards along the way since the business began in 1996.  What would you attribute FSI’s success to?

FSI was created with one vision in mind. That was to be a top-notch fulfillment center. We have stayed the course for over 15 years and have not diluted that goal with other ventures. With that goal, we have worked diligently to grow and improve on that core philosophy.  Strong leadership, careful planning and great execution have given FSI countless success stories. Once a project is set in motion, there is a comfortable feeling that it will be a success. That confidence sets us apart. 

 

What do you enjoy doing with your spare time outside of FSI?

I enjoy family, friends, church work, fishing, a good movie, dining out and a road trip anywhere. I work hard on the farm and play harder when we get the chance. A road trip with my daughters to see their brother play college football is special as well.

 

Today we interview one of our longtime warehouse experts. Few people realize how much of a challenge and how much pressure it is dealing with upwards of 20,000 different products in multiple warehouses, but we have one person in particular who can tell you all about it. Let's see what she has to say.

How long have you worked at FSI?
I came on board in early 2006, so I’ve been with FSI for nearly five and a half years.

 

What is your role at FSI?

I am the Inventory Control Supervisor. Pretty much anything related to inventory is part of my job description.

 

What did you do before FSI, and how in the world did you get roped in with these guys?

For 18 years I was a warehouse manager for a printing company in Connecticut.  We eventually relocated to Georgia to grow my husband’s Pest control business. When I got settled in I looked through the phone book for companies in the fulfillment business, faxed in my resume, and the rest is history.

 

What do you enjoy about the fulfillment business?

I enjoy the demands of the business and the challenges of meeting deadlines. Believe me, there’s never a slow day at FSI.

 

What have been some of your memorable moments from your time at FSI?

Definitely our company gatherings.  They have all been memorable.  One that sticks out was playing “Deal or No Deal” at a Christmas party awhile back.

 

What do you think separates FSI from other fulfillment companies?  What makes FSI different?

I would have to say FSI’s Order accuracy and ability to offer customized online programs.  It’s definitely different than other fulfillment companies, and with 18 years at a different fulfillment house, I can say that from experience.

 

FSI has enjoyed some growth (13,000 ft² - 150,000+ ft²), longevity (14+ years), and won some awards along the way since the business began in 1996.  What would you attribute FSI’s success to?

Very simple, it is FSI’s determination to be the best in the business.

 

What do you enjoy doing with your spare time outside of FSI?

I enjoy spending time with my family, fishing, and playing football with my boys.

Today we interview another one of FSI’s terrific employees.  She is the first one to greet our fabulous customers and the last one to see them out the door each day.  What would we do without her?

 

How long have you worked at FSI?

I have been with FSI for almost three and a half years.

 

What is your role at FSI?

I am the receptionist.

 

What do you enjoy about your job at FSI?

I enjoy being able to see the different products that we ship for our customers. We have some great customers and so many of them have fascinating stories behind their products.

 

What did you do before FSI, and how in the world did you get roped in with these guys?

Where do I start?  My background includes payroll, production payroll, accounts receivable, accounts payable, customer service, administrative assistant, stock photography librarian (a boring job to be sure but I loved it), receptionist, and even real estate.  I came to FSI through a staffing agency.

 

What have been some of your memorable moments from your time at FSI?

One memory that sticks out was during the regional flooding Georgia experienced in September of 2009.  There basically was only one way to get to work.  Like so many who work in the Atlanta area I live on the west side and everyone that lived on the west side was afraid the Department of Transportation would close a key bridge in an area that was particularly hard hit.  If they had done that we would not have been able to get home.  So while I love working at FSI, I didn’t want to camp out here for three days!

 

FSI has enjoyed some growth (13,000 ft² - 150,000+ ft²), longevity (14+ years), and won some awards along the way since the business began in 1996.  What would you attribute FSI's success to?

That’s an easy one.  Very good customer service!

 

What do you enjoy doing with your spare time outside of FSI?

I don’t get to do it as often as I used to, but I love singing and dancing.

FSI recently expanded our warehouse capacity by opening up another 35,000 ft² within our existing 155,000 ft² building.  We outgrew our storage and staging needs for the often massive kit-packing projects we handle, and had to knock holes in the wall and expand into the suite next door.   Our visitors would agree that FSI certainly has come a long way since our first 13,000 ft² 15 years ago.  We must be doing something right by continually needing to secure more warehouse space.

So what does this mean?  Lots and lots of clean warehouse space that is just waiting for you to move your pick/pack/ship program into.  It means lots more room for FSI to handle your kit packing jobs.  As a welcome bonus for some of our clients, the space is already FDA approved and set up to handle your food handling needs.

We still have more office space than ever, far more server room capacity than in our previous building, and a greatly expanded infrastructure that makes it easy to plan for and execute a diverse array of ever-changing projects.  So when that pilot project of 1,000 kits unexpectedly balloons into 500,000, you know who can deliver.  Check FSI out today!

Think this will be enough for your next project?


Director of Operations Bobby Bounds oversees some construction work.



Just think: this racked space used to look nice and
clear like the space we just moved into.

The drought is over.  After 4 tries and 4 long years, Joey Harp – Captain of the fishing team, Strategic Fishing Partners, can finally lay claim to the title – CHAMPION!  Most men would give up after suffering such past defeats.  But not a member of FSI’s sales team – no sir!  Joey would not be denied leading his fishing team to victory this year.  Yes, you’ve read that correctly – Joey Harp was the captain of the winning fishing team in FSI’s 10^th annual fishing outing.

It’s an annual tradition for FSI to show our clients, partners and employees our appreciation for their business and for their commitment to FSI’s ongoing success.  Each year, we take a group of about 20 on a fishing trip to West Point Lake in LaGrange, Georgia.  We divide teams into 4 boats and have a great time of fellowship, smack talking and fishing.  Each boat has a team name and a captain.  There are winners for most fish, biggest fish, etc.  I head up Team Reel-Time Fishermen, and have only won the event twice.  President/Owner/Founder, Ken Marbutt, heads up Online Hookers and is the winningest (probably not a real word, I know) captain in FSI fishing history with 4 titles.  Team Catch-em/Pack-em/Ship-em usually has a captain rotation by a different FSI employee and has won 3 times under Co-Founder, Hoyt Marbutt, warehouse supervisor, Charlie Hayes and Director of IT, Daryl Gramling.

We’d like to think that all of our clients do business with us because of our exceptional fulfillment services, our commitment to getting their orders out on time and with more consistent accuracy than anyone in the industry, our custom IT online solutions, etc.  But we do have to be honest that there may be some who do business with us just so they can earn a spot on this coveted event.  No matter what your motivations are to do business with FSI, we can take care of your fulfillment needs. 

Thank you to all of our clients who were able to make it this year.  We look forward to next year where Joey will be handing the FSI Cup over to me.  Yep, I’m calling it now…Forrest Marbutt, Captain of the Reel-Time Fishermen wins the 2012 FSI Cup.  Might as well go ahead and get the trophy engraved.  For all you future clients out there, when you call us, go ahead and put in your request to be on my team for next year.  Great fulfillment service and being on the winning fishing team – what more could anyone ask for?       

Have You Seen this Man?  He’s been nicknamed the SpongeBob Bandit.  Cobb County police are looking for a teenage bank robber who is apparently a fan of the popular children’s cartoon and allegedly robbed a local bank while sporting his “SpongBob SquarePants” hat.  If you’ve seen him, please contact Cobb County police at 770-499-3900 or call 911.  For more information about the story, check out the ACJ article here: http://www.ajc.com/news/cobb/cobb-police-hunt-spongebob-991772.html.

Most of our clients know FSI for our kit packing and Pick/Pack/Ship capabilities.  Many of our clients also make use of another strength of ours which is handling sweepstakes promotions, rebate and redemption programs, check distribution, etc.  FSI can take in entries through mail-in (PO Box) and online.  We can validate entry requirements, perform data entry to build databases, perform drawings, handle winners’ affidavits, distribute prizes and mail checks, among other things.  With this service comes periodic check deposits to keep cash prize accounts stocked with money for the winners.  FSI’s Director of Administration, Carleen Blakes, found herself making a deposit for such an occasion yesterday.  The robbery occurred while Carleen was in the branch and before she could make her deposit.  No one was hurt in the incident.  The robber passed a note to the teller with instructions claiming to have a weapon, but never produced one.  He simply took the money he was given and walked out.  Of course, everyone freaked out immediately and the police showed up soon thereafter.  No one could leave while they were all being questioned by police about what they saw.  It all happened so quietly, and Carleen was so focused on the task at hand that she didn’t even notice the event happen. 

Most people might have gone home or left as soon as they could.  But Carleen’s dedication to the client came through and she still got the deposit made after the dust settled.  We jump through fires for our clients, and now we can say crime can’t even hold us up.  At FSI, we are dedicated to making sure your jobs are taken care of!

If you haven't yet seen the post about FSI's 15-year anniversary, please do so. We added the videos after the post was completed so for those who haven't seen the videos, here they are!

I love Memorial Day, and had the opportunity to spend Memorial Day weekend doing something unique that I would highly recommend to everyone.  I had the chance to spend a couple of nights aboard an aircraft carrier - the USS Yorktown at Patriot’s Point in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, near Charleston. (Check out www.patriotspoint.org to learn more about this amazing place.)

Sure, we all know what Memorial Day is about.  We stop to remember those who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.  But do we really stop to remember, or do we simply look forward to a much needed 3-day holiday weekend?  Don’t get me wrong – there’s certainly nothing wrong with getting together with family and friends for barbeques, going to the lake, playing games, or just getting things done around the house.  But after experiencing in a small way life aboard an aircraft carrier, I have a new and profound appreciation for the enormous sacrifices that have been made to help ensure our freedom and way of life.  It’s fair to say that starting now, I will take Memorial Day much more seriously. 

At Patriot’s Point, you get to see up close just how massive and awe inspiring an aircraft carrier can be.  You see how sailors lived, slept, ate and fought during various combat engagements, mostly during World War II.  You learn about Navy aircraft, ships and submarines.  There’s also a Congressional Medal of Honor Museum, a Cold War Submarine Memorial and a replica Vietnam support base.  There’s a movie theater playing the Academy Award-winning documentary “The Fighting Lady” every hour, which was actually filmed aboard the Yorktown.

Pulling orders, packing kits, managing inventory, and offering great customer service are what we here at FSI focus the majority of our efforts on, but it helps to have a little perspective thrown into your life every now and then to stop and reflect on some of the other important factors of life.  Visiting Patriot’s Point was fun, educational, and most of all a reminder to say “Thank You.”

So from all of us at FSI, a heartfelt thank you to those who have fought to preserve our many freedoms, and thank you to those who continue to serve today.  If you haven’t done so, I strongly encourage you to visit places like Patriot’s Point to learn more about the history of our great country – you’ll be glad you did.

Below are some pictures of some of my children and friends

FSI “recently” participated in a charitable scavenger hunt race in Atlanta called Expedition Give.  Okay, we’re a little behind in posting this, but what can we say, we’ve been really busy fulfilling orders.  Anyway, Expedition Give is put on by Giving101 (www.giving101.org) – a nonprofit dedicated to developing the next generation of givers, civic leaders and philanthropists.  The charity’s programs educate the public about charitable giving, inspire individuals to act, and provide people with tools, information, and resources to make a difference in the lives of others.  Expedition Give is Giving101’s annual charity scavenger hunt where teams of 2 race all over Atlanta collecting items, taking pictures and completing charitable tasks to earn points.  At the end of the 5-hour event, the teams with the most points win.

 

FSI is a proud sponsor of Giving101 and we had 4 teams entered into this year’s race.  While FSI didn’t have any of our teams to place in the overall competition, there was still quite a bit of bragging rights to be won internally: 

 

 

You might be wondering why the 2 sets of scores.  We went with 2 sets because for some reason the folks putting on the race had different scores than what we came up with on our own. No problem, I'm sure there's a good reason, and the order of everyone's finish didn't change, only the margin of victory. We can only assume that they either got some of our points mixed up seeing as we had similar team names (FSI Rocks - Teams 1, 2, 3, etc.), or maybe they didn't count some of our items that we did complete.  Maybe we didn’t do them right, oh well.  But as far as our internal jawwing back and forth, we know what we completed, and the order didn't change, and most importantly, it was for charity who was the ultimate winner. In fact, together all the race participants:

• Collected more than 1,000 lbs of food for the Atlanta Community Food Bank
• Made more than 25 fleece blankets for the Women's Resource Center to End Domestic Violence
• Prepared over 200 sandwiches for the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless
• Wrote more than 150 letters of encouragement and thanks to the families of GA soldiers
• Donated over 500 articles of winter clothing to MUST Ministries
• Sorted over 1,200 items into care packages for our soldiers
• Etc, etc, etc...

 

Here are a couple of videos with highlights from the race and afterwards at FSI:

 

 

At FSI, we strive to get every order shipped correctly and on time.  We’re not afraid of boasting that our order accuracy rates are 99.9% or higher every year, and when you’re dealing with high-end Clients with over 13,000 different items in over 19,000 bin locations, that’s saying something.  There are endless things that can potentially go wrong with an order.  For starts, each order must be entered correctly with the correct quantity of each item. The correct shipping method must be selected, and in many cases there are custom routing guides, custom packing slips, and custom processing requirements. 

Even before an order is entered, inventory has to be received correctly and stocked correctly.  And all inventory is not the same, even if the item looks the same.  Is the item sold in eaches, packs, kits, or cases?  Maybe it’s sold in all the above and the client needs 3 Cases of Packs of 3 shipped to 3 stores in 3 states.  Get’s very confusing, doesn’t it?  After all of that, the order still has to be shipped on time, along with thousands of others.  We count all of those categories to arrive at our 99.9% order accuracy rates.  For those clients who’ve been working with us, you’ve grown accustomed to counting on our high order accuracy rates, and our CSR Team has a significant hand in helping make sure this all happens.  Bar coding and other technology investments play a huge role in helping meet these high order accuracy rates, but another big reason (other than our top notch CSR Team) is that our employees are incentivized to meet these rates each month.   Which brings us to our announcement.    

FSI’s CSR Team met their order accuracy incentive each month for the entire years of both 2009 AND 2010!

After pulling this off again, we felt that we needed to celebrate a little more than the usual monthly cash incentive.  The 2010 banner will be put up in the warehouse to match the 2009 version commemorating this feat.  Since the CSR Team was taken out to lunch last year when they accomplished this, they’ve been asking where they were going to get to eat this year.  The CSR Team was treated to a special lunch at 6 Feet Under and also made time to tour Historic Oakland Cemetery across the street (see picture below).  Thank you Beth, Hope, Sandi, Mary, Tammy, Tora and Karen for your ongoing contributions to FSI’s success.  Our CSR’s truly are special and they make up a key component of why many of our clients do business with us.  They’ve been with FSI an average of 7 years with the longest tenure being Karen who has been with FSI all 15 years we’ve been in business.  It won’t be long before we’re celebrating 3 years in a row!

Today we interview another long-time employee of FSI, Linda Williamson. Let’s see what Linda has to say about life at FSI.

How long have you worked at FSI?

I have been at FSI for a little over five years.

What is your role at FSI?

My position at FSI is Business Development Manager, which allows me to do what I love. I get to work with prospective customers and help them find just the right match of FSI services.  As a bonus, I get to manage a team of great people! 

What did you do before FSI, and how in the world did you get roped in with these guys?

I have been in the fulfillment industry for about 15 years, working for a competitor before coming to FSI.  Seeing the need for a positive change, I actually approached Forrest and Ken about a position with FSI (what was I thinking?)  It was not long before I had found my new home at FSI and it was the best career move I’ve ever made.

What do you enjoy about the fulfillment business?

Fulfillment is unique. Managing fulfillment means there are many different goals and objectives that can vary significantly from client to client. What works great for one client might not be useful for another, and tailoring our approach for a “best fit” rather than a “one size fits all” helps ensure success for everyone.  Between all the different kit packing projects we work on, to new types of fulfillment programs, e-commerce system integrations, EDI, sweepstakes management, and so on, it is something new each day.

What do you enjoy about sales?

Solving tough problems and helping customers is what I like the most.  If you are confident you have a solid service offering and believe in the company you are selling for, the sales process becomes easy.  I really enjoy identifying the unique set of challenges that every program presents and helping to develop solutions.  It builds a partnership that starts strong and stays strong over time.

What have been some of your memorable moments from your time at FSI?

We have a great culture where events such as FSI Anniversary celebrations, potluck dinners, Christmas parties, etc. have been amazing.  We work hard and have a lot of fun doing it, which makes this place pretty special.  Big wins for the sales team are always memorable. Just for the record, fun times like “Easter Bunny punked my ride” and “decorating King Fisherman’s office” were not my idea…alone. Happy employees do better work, so we see nothing wrong with some occasional humor in the workplace (see picture below).

What do you think separates FSI from other fulfillment companies?  What makes FSI different?

Definitely the people.  Our team is made up of industry veterans, each bringing their expertise and ideas to the table to help customers and make FSI better.  Together, we can develop solutions and put them into action better than any other fulfillment company.

FSI has enjoyed some growth (13,000 ft² - 150,000+ ft²), longevity (14+ years), and won some awards along the way since the business began in 1996.  What would you attribute FSI’s success to?

Strong leadership has been the key to FSI’s continual growth over the years.  Owners and managers who truly care about their customers, vendors and their employees are destined to go far.  Careful planning and great execution have positioned FSI to continue to grow for many years to come.

What do you enjoy doing with your spare time outside of FSI

Gardening and travel, especially going to our house in Dahlonega.  Enjoying good food, good wine and good times with family and friends.

 

FSI takes a few moments out to enjoy some good workplace humor. With FSI's VP and General Manager Forrest Marbutt being such an avid fisherman, bestowing upon him the title of "King Fisherman" was just too easy.

If you manage your own fulfillment with your own warehouse space, there are endless things to consider about how to manage this process most effectively.  You must set up the various systems to handle order and inventory management.  There are racking and equipment considerations that tend to be quite expensive. Then, of course, there are complex personnel requirements.  How many employees will it take to ship your orders on time, process returns rapidly, and handle customer service with a smile?  Can your personnel handle rapid fluctuations in order volume?  The number of people you need on Mondays, during promotions, and around the holidays is probably different than what is needed on other days.  And don’t forget the space requirements – how much space do you need?  When you have a fixed amount of space, you pay the same amount whether it’s overflowing or half empty.  Are there adequate contingency plans to handle the temporary need for extra space? 

All of these are things to consider if you manage your own fulfillment.  Of course, there is an easier way, such as outsourcing your order fulfillment to the professionals at FSI.  We manage all of these decisions for you.  Our clients only pay for the amount of personnel they need to fulfill the orders they have as volume fluctuates.  They also only pay storage for the space they need as their inventory levels fluctuate.  Outsourcing fulfillment allows our clients to focus on what they do best, selling their product, while FSI focuses on our core competencies, which are order fulfillment and kit packing. 

Still, some companies manage this process themselves, and for those who do, there are some tips that can be learned about reducing your warehouse costs.  A recent article featured in Multichannel Merchant magazine from fulfillment industry expert Curt Barry, helps highlight some of the ways that fulfillment companies like FSI or those handling fulfillment internally can help reduce their warehouse costs through labor measurement, slotting and bar coding.

http://multichannelmerchant.com/opsandfulfillment/reducing-warehouse-costs-0901/index.html

FSI is proud of all our departments, and our Warehouse Team is the group that makes the shipping magic happen. Today our employee interview focuses on one of our long-time shipping clerks, Jackie McCain. Let's see what's on Jackie's mind.

How long have you worked at FSI?
I’ve worked for FSI for 5 years.

What is your role at FSI?

My primary role is to work with the Warehouse Team to pull orders, pack them, and ship them.  Beyond that, anything I can do to help keep the warehouse moving!

 

What do you enjoy about the fulfillment business?

Our Clients have some very interesting products, so I enjoy learning about each customer and their products.  I also enjoy meeting different Clients when they come to visit.

 

What have been some of your memorable moments from your time at FSI?

I’ve had many memorable moments at FSI, but the ones that stand out the most are the times when we get together as a team on special occasions and during the holidays and show our love for each other (See photo below).  Being with the same people 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, you can’t help but to love them.

 

What do you think separates FSI from other fulfillment companies?  What makes FSI different?

No matter what it takes, FSI gets the job done even if we have to stay over or work the holidays.  We care about the customer and it shows.

 

FSI has enjoyed some growth (13,000 ft² - 150,000+ ft²), longevity (14+ years), and won some awards along the way since the business began in 1996.  What do you think FSI must do in order to continue being successful?

Keep doing everything we’ve been doing and continue to keep both our Clients and our employees happy.

 

What do you enjoy doing with your spare time outside of FSI?

When I’m not at FSI I enjoy spending time with my family and shopping.

FSI associates enjoy food and fun at a recent company gathering.

Daryl Gramling:  Director of IT, husband, father, friend, 100-mile bike rider, author. 

AUTHOR?! 

Yes Folks, FSI’s Director of IT, Daryl Gramling, has become a real life published author.  His book titled “100 Tough Questions for God” is now available at Amazon.com and Winepress Books.  We are so proud of Daryl for accomplishing this.  This book is 4 years in the making, and from what we’ve seen so far, readers are in for a treat.  We at FSI aren’t too surprised though.  Daryl has always been a gifted writer putting together a lot of FSI’s written material.  He’s written a lot of our marketing materials and content for our website.  Any time there’s a question about grammar or spelling, Daryl’s the go to guy to clear anything up.

For those of you out there who rely on Daryl’s expert IT skills to keep your online shopping carts, reporting sites and other IT related solutions going, you can rest easy.  I have Daryl’s word that he won’t be getting all famous on us and quitting his day job anytime soon. 

Order your copy today from his web site at www.100ToughQuestionsForGod.com.

We’ve interviewed a number of long-time FSI employees and will continue to do so in the coming weeks.  Today however we’d like to have a chat with the one who started it all.  Ken Marbutt is the founder and President of FSI, a long-time leader in the fulfillment industry, and remains a driving force in the vision behind FSI.  With apologies to Lexus, Ken has relentlessly pursued perfection in the fulfillment business since 1996. Let’s see what he has to say about these past 14 years.

 

How did you get into the fulfillment business?

I had the good fortune of taking a position with a company called American Graphics (AG) in the early 80’s which was one of the best printing companies ever.  AG was a very forward thinking company that began a program with the soft drink industry which was referred to as 3^rd Party Marketing.  AG printed the point of sale materials, warehoused it, marketed and distributed directly to the bottling divisions of major soft drink companies including Coca Cola.  This soon expanded into other industries, and fulfillment became a vital part of their business model.  AG eventually was sold to a company called Cadmus Communications and I had the opportunity of working with several of the Cadmus companies assisting them with fulfillment operations. I had always dreamed of operating my own company and finally made the decision to take the risk.  So I resigned my position and opened FSI on April fool’s day, 1996. 

Many times companies feel they can do the fulfillment themselves.  Why should anyone outsource fulfillment?

There are many reasons such as cost, manpower, warehouse space, IT systems and core expertise.  Many people think fulfillment is simple.  You put some stock on the shelf, take an order and ship it. But those 3 steps are nothing but a summary of a hundred procedures that cover a thousand details.  That order must be accurately packed, ship on time, and arrive in good condition.  It sounds simple until people are faced with the realities of inventory management, order tracking, customer service, backorder management, returns, credit card processing, data security, systems management, and so on. It becomes even more complex when you consider fluctuations in order volumes, so what do you do when you have ten orders one day and a thousand orders the next? Rapid changes in volume can cripple companies that aren’t prepared to ramp up staffing at a moment’s notice, turning what should have been a financial windfall into a chaotic nightmare.

So to handle these challenges you outsource to a trusted company that specializes in fulfillment.  FSI invests hundreds of thousands of dollars annually maintaining our order processing and warehouse management systems, effectively sharing the cost with many clients and reducing the overall cost to any one client.  From a pure economic sense, a company cannot handle fulfillment in house as efficiently and cost effectively as a fulfillment company.  Then there is the hassle factor.  You may have a great product and be really good at marketing it, but you don’t need the daily distractions of product fulfillment.  Wouldn’t you rather focus on building sales rather than building kits?    

 

Before starting FSI, you worked for a printing company that had an in house fulfillment division.  FSI often competes for fulfillment jobs with printers.  Knowing your printing background, when should a printing company handle the fulfillment themselves, and when should they outsource it to a fulfillment company? 

Fulfillment can be a value added service for printing companies if handled properly.  If you’re simply producing a printed product and immediately drop shipping it to the destination, then by all means do it yourself.  If however it requires warehousing the product, taking orders electronically, picking, packing, and shipping the order, providing customer service, funds management, returns processing, etc., then you might want to outsource to a trusted fulfillment company where that is their core competency.  Understand that printing companies handle fulfillment because it represents an additional revenue opportunity for them, but when they do it badly it really bites their clients in a visible and damaging way.

So for the majority of businesses, it makes far more economic sense to use FSI rather than to risk product fulfillment to a printer that lacks the depth of experience to make it all happen. Exceptions still exist, but most printers aren’t equipped to handle fulfillment in a way that reflects well on their clients.  A fulfillment company does this for a living.

 

What separates FSI from other fulfillment companies?  What makes FSI different?

FSI has invested heavily in IT from the very beginning. We have the ability to track an item from the time it reaches our warehouse floor to the final shipping destination, online and in real-time. We rely on barcode technology rather than hoping people pick the right quantity of the right items, drastically improving accuracy. FSI has an in house programming staff providing the expertise to maintain the systems and provide customizable solutions.  This enables a consistent, yet tailored approach for our clients as their business requirements change, so our clients never outgrow us. Rather, we grow with them. Few companies our size can match those capabilities.

 

FSI has enjoyed some growth (13,000 ft² - 150,000+ ft²), longevity (14+ years), and won some awards along the way since you started the business in 1996.  What would you attribute your success to?

We listen to customers, respond to their needs, and treat each and every order with the utmost of importance. It starts and ends with the right personnel, so we are fortunate to have some of the best talent in the industry employed at FSI.  It isn’t the 999 perfect orders that our customer remembers, it’s the “ONE” that wasn’t.  So through multiple incentive programs and a constant quality review, we keep the pressure on to stay on top of our game

 

How has the fulfillment business changed since you started the business in 1996?

When I started FSI there were only a handful of companies advertising themselves as fulfillment providers. Now there are hundreds.  Almost every printer includes fulfillment as one of their service offerings.  They may do some form of fulfillment, but most cannot offer the wide array of fulfillment services that we do.  In addition, when we first started most customers were satisfied with shipping an order within two to three days.  Now almost everyone wants their order shipped the same day. This changes the dynamics of the business tremendously.  Your staff must handle order volumes that literally change as the day progresses. Then there is the IT piece, which many fulfillment providers treat as an afterthought.  But our customers have the ability to see a real-time picture of their orders and inventory through their web browser.

 

What do you envision for the future for FSI?

We have worked very hard to position FSI as one of the most trusted and respected fulfillment companies in America.  We have built a reliable, expandable model that will enable us to grow exponentially over the next few years.  We are ready for that growth and look forward to seeing the fruits of our labors. So we certainly expect to defend our position as the best fulfillment company around. 

 

As a business owner you can never stop thinking about your business, but what do you enjoy doing in your spare time? 

I love to golf, fly fish, travel, and spend time with my grandkids.  I have enjoyed building and growing FSI tremendously and I’m very proud of the team that continues to run the company on a daily basis.  I will probably never fully retire, but I love having the freedom to enjoy things outside of FSI, knowing that every client remains in great hands.   

 

Today we continue with our employee interviews by speaking with FSI’s New Account Implementation Coordinator, Hope Hemmila.  Hope has been with FSI for 5 years and has a total of 15 years of experience in the fulfillment business.  New accounts entail a significant amount of behind-the-scenes setup and coordination between all departments at FSI to ensure a smooth transition for the Client.  Accounts here at FSI simply do not fit into a standard cookie cutter way of business.  Each has unique requirements regarding how orders will be received, fulfilled, packed, shipped, stored, and so on.

Each account has a dedicated Customer Service Representative (CSR) whose job is to ensure that these special requirements are followed.  Hope’s job is to take on the new account from the Sales Department and make sure these special requirements are understood and handled correctly from the beginning, then transition the account to the dedicated CSR going forward.  A careful coordination between the various departments (I.T., Customer Service, Warehouse) is absolutely essential, and it is Hope’s job to make sure new accounts are set up the best and most efficient way possible complete with detailed internal documentation and training.  Hope acts as the dedicated CSR for a short period of time until the account is set up and running smoothly and can be turned over for the CSR to manage on a daily basis.  So let’s see what Hope has to say!   

 

How long have you worked at FSI?

I have been with FSI for five years.

 

What is your role at FSI?

I am the Implementation Coordinator for new accounts.  My primary responsibility is to ensure a seamless transition of new account activities between the Sales and Customer Service departments.

 

What did you do before FSI, and how in the world did you get roped in with these guys?

I was employed with a smaller fulfillment company, and I was invited by a previous co-employee to consider FSI. Going with FSI was the easiest decision I’ve ever made.  

 

What do you enjoy about the fulfillment business?

The wide variety of clientele and the fast paced nature of the fulfillment business. This business is constantly evolving and tends to be on the leading edge. You never know what challenges will come your way – it’s very exciting.

 

What do you enjoy about customer service?

It’s all about satisfaction. It doesn’t necessarily matter if the Client or management is aware of how a problem or task was completed; it’s the satisfaction that comes with “getting it done”.

 

What have been some of your memorable moments from your time at FSI?

Two things come to mind.  I think moving into our new, far larger and superior facility a few years ago was a gigantic step forward for FSI, and then the massive Guitar Hero project helped move us to a new level.

 

 

What do you think separates FSI from other fulfillment companies?  What makes FSI different?

It has to be teamwork and flexibility. We don’t think in terms of “whose job is this?” we think more in terms of “let’s make this happen”.  Also, we have a management team that is very creative and is willing to be flexible – being willing and able to work outside of the box.  That definitely sets FSI apart.

 

FSI has enjoyed some growth (13,000 ft² - 150,000+ ft²), longevity (14+ years), and won some awards along the way since the business began in 1996.  What would you attribute FSI’s success to?

The ability of FSI to embrace an ever-changing business environment and a desire to keep moving forward and help our Clients grow their business is the key to our success.

 

 

What do you enjoy doing with your spare time?

Football in the fall (my son plays for West Georgia), and decorating my home. I don’t let a holiday or season pass undecorated.

 

Most of FSI's employees have been with us for a very long time, and today's employee profile is no exception.  Patty's smile and hard work make her right at home as part of our stellar production team. Let's see what Patty has to say about life at FSI.

 

How long have you worked at FSI?

I have been working at FSI for 9 years.

 

What is your role at FSI?

I am in production.  My daily activities include kit packing, handwork, assembly, shrink wrapping and other areas of the order fulfillment process.

 

What did you do before FSI, and how in the world did you get roped in with these guys?

I worked at a fulfillment warehouse in Marietta that moved out of state.  I have a friend working at FSI who also used to work for this former fulfillment company, and he put me in touch with the owners here at FSI.

 

What do you enjoy about the fulfillment business?

I like the fulfillment business because you are able to do different things and you don’t get bored.  There’s always something new and challenging!

 

What have been some of your memorable moments from your time at FSI?

I have enjoyed getting together with family and friends, also working to help organizations for charity such as the 5K runs (see photo below) and various other events FSI gets involved with.

 

What makes FSI different?

FSI is different from other places because of the nice people you work with - that makes the difference.  You can tell they care for us and others.

 

FSI has enjoyed some growth (16,000 ft² - 150,000+ ft²), longevity (14+ years), and won some awards along the way since the business began in 1996.  What would you attribute FSI’s success to?

FSI satisfies the needs of each client, and does whatever we can do to make sure clients are always happy.

 

What do you enjoy doing with your spare time outside of FSI?

I have 2 girls and we help our church in different ways together like cleaning and gardening.  There are also classes we do or complete their sacraments like first communion and confirmation.  We’re also active in other activities with the young people like choir and Bible studies.

 

Patty (pictured 3rd from left), along with her two girls and FSI
friends, participates in a benefit walk for the Race for the Cure.