One World Direct has expanded! We now have a Los Angeles area order fulfillment center that is fully operational. We're in Ontario, to be precise, a couple of miles from the UPS hub and only a minute off of the 10 Frwy.

This expansion was months in the making. Our VP of IT, Stewart Buskirk, directed his team to completely standardize our fulfillment systems. Because our IT staff believes me to be dangerous to myself and others, they color coded, simplified and otherwise dummie-proofed our systems. It worked. I was able to ruin nothing during the set-up of our IT infrastructure. More impressively - it all works exactly as they promised it would.

Karen Torevell, our Controller, joined us for nearly three weeks to prep the building and prepare for Parcel #1. She has been tireless in organizing and executing - our Jill of All Trades.

Gail Baumann, a fulfillment specialist from Mobridge, and Kyle Baumann, the manager of our Mobridge facility, led the client transition team. They started in Oakland on a Friday night and hit Ontario on Sunday morning with two trucks. It was a flurry of activity that included a nearly 100 hour week!

Chris Dominguez, our LA Manager, spent a month in South Dakota training and preparing to launch the new Southern California facility. It's been a baptism by fire for Chris, but he's been game throughout the process.

On November 2nd, we shipped our first parcel. Within no time, that number hit 1,000.

Thank you, team. What do you say we do it again? Maybe next time on the East Coast.

And what is Business if it isn't creative? Growing up, I dreamt of being a world-class musician. Business seemed so boring and dull to me. As I made several unplanned turns away from music and into e-commerce, I realized that entrepreneurship is one of the most creative things a person can do. My training as a musician served me well. I understood the nature of risk taking (improvisation), of working with a team (ensemble) and of hiring great executives ("A" players).

Over the years - first as a musician, then as an entrepreneur and now as an executive - I've had nothing but a Mac at my side. Apple's ethos of individual creativity and empowerment always resonated with me at a fundamental level. Sitting down at my Mac and soaking in the beautiful and elegant design of the machine somehow gave me hope that I could borrow just a bit of that creativity and work it into my life. Recently opening my new MacBook reminded me again of the value of beautiful packaging, the value of commitment and the value of a Brand Experience.

It's no accident that all of our executives have a Mac on their desk. I hire creative, energized people who share my values. They get to choose any machine they like. It's always a Mac. And it's probably not a surprise that companies who choose One World Direct choose us because of our entrepreneurial ethos, our flexibility and creativity; our passion for the little details and our commitment. It's in our DNA thanks in no small part to Apple.

Like most of us, I never met Steve Jobs, but I'll miss him. Or, at least I'll miss what he meant to me: creativity, risk taking, elegance and true belief in the mission.

Thomas E. Unterseher
Co-Founder & CEO
One World Direct
www.owd.com

The story detailed how the heat index at multiple Amazon fulfillment centers became unbearable and unsafe. At one Amazon fulfillment center, the heat index hit 112 degrees, causing 15 workers to collapse. At another, ambulances stood by to treat the ill. The Times reported that employees who left work due to the heat were disciplined.

It's stories like this that make me cringe for fulfillment centers. The article paints a very unflattering picture of a publicly traded Goliath treating its employees very poorly. The conditions conjure up 3rd world images. But certainly, not every fulfillment company share's the ethos of Fulfillment by Amazon.

As a kid, I watched my parents run small businesses. My father, now nearly eighty, still owns a diesel truck shop (where I learned the finer art of toilet cleaning and floor sweeping). He would always refer to his mechanics as "the Boys." They were his family. He paid them well, treated them really well and kept them. Spending time with people who work with their hands; with people who sweat for a living, has had a big influence on how One World runs its fulfillment center.

Several years ago, One World expanded its fulfillment center. From the beginning, we considered how the new building itself would impact the health of our employees. To that end, we installed in-floor radiant heat (winters in So Dak get cold). We also installed air conditioning. The entire building was fully insulated for comfort, health and environmental reasons. For the final touch, we installed huge skylights that provide daylight throughout the new facility. During the installation of the skylights, some of our employees scoffed at the added expense. But no one scoffs now. The new building is a joy to work in, due in large part to the natural light and comfortable temperature.

Any third-party fulfillment company is only as good as its least motivated employee. Our clients count on us to execute at 100% accuracy. That's unlikely to happen with unhappy employees. It certainly can't happen with a staff who's collapsing from heat exhaustion. With that in mind, I always encourage potential clients to consider what it means to closely partner with a fulfillment company. How does that fulfillment company treat its employees? Does the fulfillment company share the client's values? There are clients who think spending money on the health and happiness of our employees is silly. They care only about the cheapest price. To them, I've suggested that they choose a different partner, as they simply don't share our values.

As Fulfillment by Amazon has shown, sometimes cheap has a high cost.

Thomas E. Unterseher
Co-Founder & CEO
One World Direct
www.owd.com

• Is he excited to hear from you or does he sound annoyed that you interrupted his nap?

• If you had to leave a message how quickly did she return your phone call? If there was a long delay, did she explain or apologize?

• When attempting to schedule an interview time, did he seem hard to work with or reasonably flexible?

• Was her voicemail message professional or did you get something like, "You know the drill..."

• Contact the applicant's references BEFORE the interview. Calling references before an interview can provide you with additional insight as well as equip you with questions that are more specific to the applicant.

These pre-interview interactions can be an indication of candidate responsiveness, enthusiasm, flexibility, and professionalism. Before you meet the candidate in person, you should have a good idea about whether or not this is someone who shares your company's values and would be an asset to the company.

1) Accuracy
Your customers expect their package to arrive quickly and accurately every time. You could make sure every item is barcoded (generate barcodes and apply them if need be) and buy some barcode scanners, but why? There are companies who have invested in this infrastructure so that your company can look good and impress the customer every time.

2) Access to more information
A reputable fulfillment company should be able to give up-to-the-minute information on order status, tracking numbers, inventory levels, receiving and returns status, reorder alerts. Their system should also be able to manage recurring orders and backorders. If your internal systems aren’t set up to do that then you’re missing important business information.

3) Expertise
While you might be an expert at selling your widget, having a fulfillment house that can give you advice about best practices gives you an advantage and can make your business more efficient.

4) Accountability
If your in-house team makes a mistake, you pay to fix it by sending the correct item. An order fulfillment company should guarantee accuracy and pay to fix their mistakes.

You might pay a little more to outsource to a fulfillment company that provides all of the above. But if outsourcing gives you more time to grow your company and a better image with your customers, then those dollars are likely well spent.

How to measure and monetize social media was a constant topic throughout the conference. Unfortunately, no one possesses absolute answers. Certainly, "listening" to reviews and Facebook pages is of utmost importance. Those E-tailers who quickly resolve negative reviews and feedback - and turn those negative touches into positive interactions - are the ones making the most of Social.

High-touch customer service continues to be the hallmark of successful E-Tailers regardless of geography. Several companies noted that they had abandoned low-cost call center providers and focused on native language contact centers to provide a positive customer experience.

Dealing with complex regulatory issues in both the EU and the U.S. occupied most of One World's forum on "Going Global." For companies on both sides of the Atlantic, the other's taxes, tariffs and regulations create a fog of uncertainty.

High-quality order fulfillment continues to be a competitive advantage on both sides of the pond. Quick turnaround times is still important to consumers.

In the end, it comes back to taking care of the customer and taking care of the Brand.

- Thomas Unterseher, CEO

e-Tail London: http://www.wbresearch.com/etaileurope/home.aspx