Jason is an extraordinary leader in the Zappos Kentucky Family on the floor, as a Lead in the Picking Department, and after hours. While volunteering for the Zappos Packs for Kids: Backpack Buddy program February 27^th – March 2^nd, Jason not only gave his time, he also packed 100 bags of food and wrote 100 notes for children in need. The Backpack Buddy program was started by Dare to Care in 2004 as an effort to bring nutritious food to children on the weekends, when free and reduced-priced breakfasts and lunches are not available.  This year, the Zappos Kentucky Family teamed up to pack over 2,000 bags of food and draft over 2,000 notes to the children in our area.  These will be distributed in new, sturdy backpacks.

We asked Jason a couple of questions about this project that is near and dear to his heart:

What drew you most to helping out with the Zappos Packs for Kids Backpack Buddy program?

J:   It’s for the KIDS!  How can you not?!

What brought you to Zappos?

J: The culture!

 If you won $1,000,000 to be donated to charity, what organization would you donate to and why?

J: Any charity [that assists] kids. They can’t help themselves.

What is one thing you had as a child that you still have or use today?

J:  A baseball.

What are three words you would use to describe yourself?

J: Spontaneous, Humble, Motivated.

The Holiday Season signifies countless things to different people.  For some, it is time with family and friends.  For others, it’s the chance to give back to their community.  There are individuals that thrive on the celebrations and songs, and still more live for the gifts they give and receive.  At the Zappos Fulfillment Center, the holiday season means all of these things and more. 

Whether taking time out of a hectic year to enjoy a meal together, or simply utilizing dress-up days to honor team unity and personal creativity, the Zappos Kentucky Family has always had a knack for closing out the year in style.  This season was no different, including potluck lunches, charity outings, and even a genuine Santa’s Sleigh parading through the warehouse. Welcoming the winter months has never been as warm as in 2011.  

With a busy Peak Season in full swing, and long hours away from family at home, the Zappos spirit truly came out. Several groups brought joy by caroling through the Fulfillment Center with original jingles, creating a little fun and weirdness and serenading with a whole lot of cheer.  Santa, along with his elves and reindeer, delivered candy canes, smiles, and delight.  From a ZFC-wide gift drive, to serving hot meals, to fixing up a home in need, the family circle enveloped not only the walls of the FC, but encompassed the community as well.  And for those dedicated to WOW-ing customers through the holidays, parties, celebrations, thumb wars, and theme days allowed team members to join together to ring in a great end to 2011. 

Now, with both peak and the holiday season in the rearview mirror, there is one more event around the corner.  Tonight, the Zappos Kentucky Family, along with some very special guests, will put the exclamation point on a fantastic year with our annual holiday party!

Happy 2012 from the Zappos Kentucky Family!  May this year be merry and full of possibility!

Here at Zappos, we love our vendors!

The KY Content team was especially lucky when Jose Andrade, Visual Coordinator-America for Vivienne Westwood, stopped by to share some knowledge with the team.  Check out what Zappos Stylist Gar-Ye had to say about her day of Pursuing Growth and Learning with Jose!
 
Z: What was the most fun part about working with the Jose from Vivienne?
G: Typically when shooting inventory I will pair the new item with a non-inventory piece (basics that we have in the bays all the time).  In anticipation of Jose’s visit, we pulled all of our Vivienne Westwood inventory, new and old, to have a special shoot where he demonstrated how he styles the items with other pieces in the collection.  His best advice:  Always pair the pieces with the unexpected.  A top may look really dressy, but it’s meant to be worn with jeans; or, try wearing two different plaids together!

Z: What was your favorite piece he highlighted?
G: I’m partial to dresses, so I really love Vivienne’s Temperance dress.  It is so simple in color, and is simple in design, but the construction/draping of the dress is extremely complicated.  There are so many ways to interpret where the fabric should be tied in a knot or loose and flowing.

Z: What was the most interesting tip he gave you about styling/presentation?
G: Vivienne Westwood pieces tend to have a lot of folds and tucks in them, so often times when pieces come in, it looks like it has flaps all over it.  He showed us a simple way to figure these flaps out.

Z: If you dressed Vivienne Westwood for Halloween, what costume would you put her in?
G: I would dress her up as the Queen of Hearts from Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland!  Vivienne Westwood has that awesome red hair and attitude (in terms of spunk) to match.  Or go completely in the opposite direction and make her the quintessential Stepford wife just because it's not her at all.

Z: Where did you take Jose while he was here in Kentucky?
G: We took him to Ramsi’s Café on the World for dinner and drinks.  He had duck mole and a glass of wine!  YUM YUM YUM!

It’s no secret that we have some amazing benefits as being part of the Zappos Family. From free health insurance, to wellness fairs and workshops, our Benefits team definitely takes great care of all of us!

But did you know that we also have an added adoption benefit? Zappos.com has recently earned a spot on the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s 2011 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List, due to the great adoption reimbursement benefit we are offered.

Many adoption-related costs, such as attorney fees, application fees, travel and adoption counseling, are eligible for a $6,000 reimbursement under this amazing benefit.

Baby Theo, Dwight and family

Dwight J., one of our Zappos Kentucky Family members, recently added a new member to his family by way of adoption. We decided to ask him a couple of questions about his experience, and how the adoption benefits played a role in the process of finding their new baby boy.

How long ago did your adoption journey begin?

D: We started our journey about 2 years ago and in between that time we had experienced 2 failed adoptions. 

What deciding factors led you to choose adoption?

D: We always knew that we would eventually adopt, since there are so many children out there that need good homes.

When you finally met your son Theodore, what was that moment like?

D: It was absolutely the most joyous moment of our lives. Theodore almost didn't make it through the birth, so it was also an extremely intense ride, too. Here was this little 5 pound 13 ounce human being that I was going to help raise into a man. That is a pretty awesome feeling.

In what ways did the company benefit towards adoption help you in the whole process?

D: Those who have gone through the adoption process know about how expensive it can be. Any, I mean any help that you receive financially is a huge bonus. This benefit allowed us to pay some of the legal fees and travel fees during the time of the adoption. We are very fortunate to have this benefit at Zappos, and not many employers offer it.

What’s your favorite part about being a new dad to your son?

D: Wow, where to start? I love seeing the development process each and every day. No matter how bad your day may be, when you come home and see your son and his smile, it just makes everything else go away. I like to shop for him as well; he has a nice tennis shoe collection already! More importantly, the best part is being able to share this experience with my wife, Rebecca, and also our friends and family who have been with us and supported us throughout this entire journey.

The Zappos Kentucky Family rocked it out in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5K walk this past Sunday, October 23rd in Louisville, Kentucky. Our Heroes for Hope and a Cure team had an amazing time strolling next to the mighty Ohio River, and we raised a total of $3317.48!

We ranked #8 among all companies in Louisville and had the MOST participation of any registered company with 65 superhero participants! Heather B. was our top fundraiser this year, having brought in $220 for the fight against Breast Cancer.

Safety comes first in the Zappos Kentucky Family!

Recently the Zappos Safety Idol was held within the fulfillment center to promote our number one priority! Departments got together to create musically inspired safety songs and to have a little fun, of course. Glenn L. was announced the winner of Zappos Safety Idol at our All Hands meeting July 27th where he performed his fabulous song Zappos Fulfillment Centers, Inc. Glenn makes safety rock!

Every Month, Zappos Fulfillment Center, Inc. invites a group of employees from different backgrounds to learn and work in the FC. The job functions are usually much different, but usually directly affect their own jobs in many ways. For instance, If you are an employee of Zappos CLT, Inc., you may wonder how items are processed, how long they take to ship, etc. With the FC hero academy, employees get a hands on experience that they can use, learn from, and share with other team members for years to come.

Thank you Zappos Kentucky Family for giving us the chance to see your amazing facility!

The Zappos Kentucky Family requested all team members to report to the Break area for a "Special" Meeting. Unbeknownst to them, they were minutes away from a 2 hour break from their work. The ZFC operations managers had been planning the event for several weeks, and kept it a secret up until just minutes from the event. Thank you for all your hard work ZFC TM's!