Zappos is excited to continue its commitment to cleaner highways by renewing its partnership with Adopt A Highway for the ninth year.  When Zappos moved to Las Vegas in 2005, we were only able to sponsor three miles of highway. But every year since then, we’ve been able to adopt more miles with Adopt a Highway. Now in 2013, Zappos sponsors 158 miles of highway in the Las Vegas valley and we’re on the waiting list for 20 more miles! We are excited to say we’re the second largest sponsor of highway cleanup in the nation!

Adopt a Highway crews clean the right shoulders of these sponsored highways up to two times a month. In 2012, 9,300 bags of garbage were collected along the roadsides, equaling roughly 40 tons of waste. We don’t even want to imagine how things would be without this amazing program! Needless to say, we’re proud to continue our support of keeping Nevada’s highways clean.

Photos courtesy of Adopt a Highway

Spirit Week has been a highly anticipated, widely celebrated, and often promulgated tradition at Zappos.  This year, the Zappos Fulfillment Centers, Inc. not only showed its love for both the Zappos and Amazon families during the ever-popular Bald & Blue/Yell for Yellow day, it participated in the face-painting, head-shaving, temporary-tattooing, and hoop-hollering good time for a great cause!

In a show of community involvement and support, Zappos donated on behalf of each participant (up to $5,000) who took to the spray-can, the razor, nail polish bottles, and more.  In addition, the three warehouses in Shepherdsville, KY pursued a side bet: collect the highest total of personal donations in a single warehouse, and see a “celebrity volunteer” get buzz cut.  Raise $1,500 of personal donations from members of the Fulfillment Center as a whole, and see the new General Manager Al O. get his inaugural head shaving. 

The team members banded together and accomplished both feats. More than 1,000 team members participated in the various displays of Zappos spirit and went home covered in yellow and blue. With the maximum Zappos donation; in addition, team members contributed their own funds in droves, raising well over the $1,500 minimum and cheering as both Hector E., Process Manager in W2.5, and Al O., GM, went under the razor.

The 2012 Spirit Week was a great success, and the Zappos Kentucky Family enjoyed fun, friends, and family festivities.  Over $6,500 was donated to The American Cancer Society.

So, how did KY Team Members earn these Zappos donations?

• Spray Your Hair Blue and Yellow: $1
• Get Tattooed: $1
• Polish Your Nails Blue and/or Yellow: $1
• Wear a Blue and/or Yellow Hair Ribbon: $1
• Wear a Blue and/or Yellow Shirt: $1
• Shave Your Head
  • over 12 inches: $100 (Males)/$150 (Females)
  • 6 inches - 12 inches: $50 (Males)/$100 (Females)
  • under 6 inches: $25 (Males)/$75 (Females)

The Kentucky Derby Festival: A two week celebration leading up to the greatest two minutes in sports – The Kentucky Derby!   How does a state, known for bourbon, horse racing, and “The Turtle Man” ring in the first race of the Triple Crown?  By lighting up the Ohio River, flying high in the sky, sampling the best food and drink that Kentucky has to offer, and so much more!

The Kentucky Derby Festival, attended annually by an estimated 1.5 million people, had an extra-special participant this year as Zappos.com joined the sponsorship team for the first time!  The Zappos.com hot air balloon delighted morning commuters in the Rush Hour Race, placing second with veteran pilot Charlie H.  The race preceded the breathtaking Balloon Glow that occurred on Friday, April 28^th, lighting up the Kentucky night sky to the delight of at least 180,000 people.

But the balloon wasn’t the only way Zappos’ presence was felt at the 57^th annual Festival.  Zappos employees and guests had the best seats in the house for the kick-off airshow and fireworks display, Thunder Over Louisville.  Spectators watched the largest fireworks presentation in the nation from the Second Street Bridge, with a vantage point that not only gave them an up-close perspective of the pyrotechnics, but allowed for a view of the Indiana and Kentucky shows, synced up as they blasted on both sides of the bridge.  The presentation of the Zappos.com Balloon was scheduled for the Fest-i-Ville Balloon Glimmer, that, despite weather cancellations, allowed for a fantastic time at the large, catered Zappos tent closest to the main stage action!  In addition, over 250,000 people lined the streets to see the floats of the Pegasus Parade, the Zappos Zone filled up with 3 sections of fans, both employees (who donated to Relay for Life in exchange for coveted bleacher seats), and members of the community who were randomly selected to join in the family fun!

More entertainment was slathered on the two week celebration as Bed and Steamboat Races took off, free music concerts, including Eddie Money, George Clinton, and AWOLNATION, rocked the river, and nearly 18,000 pairs of feet and wheels pounded the pavement of the Derby Festival Marathon and Mini Marathon.  Some familiar faces could be seen among the runners bounding towards the finish line.  Zappos employee Kari H called the 13.1 miles “a lot of fun”,” running with her father who had come from Atlanta, GA to participate in his first half-marathon.  The 8th mile was the highlight for many runners, when the course rounded the infield in Churchill Downs -- an area that would look dramatically different the following weekend, when the crowd descended on the 138^th Kentucky Derby.

The Kentucky Derby Festival has come to represent the spirit that enlivens the city of Louisville.  Hopefully Zappos.com can continue to add its own energy to the celebration for years to come!

Fast Facts:

Attendance Numbers

Thunder Over Louisville- 400,000

Balloon Fest-i-Ville and Glimmer (with Zappos Zone catered tent) - 55,000

BalloonFest Balloon Glow - 180,000

Derby Festival Marathon/Mini/Expo - 19,733

Derby Festival Marathon/Mini Finishers - 16,500

Pegasus Parade - 250,000 ticket holders (more without tickets)

Pegasus Parade Viewership - Televised to over 140,000 viewers on NBC affiliate Wave3 ALONE!

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!

It’s almost here! Zappos Now (ZN for short), is the brand new digital magazine iPad® app that is dedicated to style.

Browse through style editorial spreads, read articles about fashion, gifting, travel and much more. And of course, since we’re Zappos and all, we’ve made it super easy for you to shop all featured items directly on the ZN app! ZN readers also enjoy our fast and FREE next business day shipping, free and easy return shipping, 365-day return policy and our world-class 24/7 customer service with every order. (Whew! That was a mouthful!)

The ZN app will be available for free download in the iTunes AppStore in early December. Stay tuned for more details!

Zappos VCC Andrew with Nick Stagge, Global Training Manager for Skullcandy

Z: What was the most fun part about working with Nick?

A: There were a lot of cool things about working with Nick. Mainly it didn’t even feel like I was working with someone I just met. Nick reminded me of a bunch of my friends, so it just felt like we were just kicking it with one of my homies!

Z:  What was your favorite feature he highlighted?
 

A: We learned a lot from him just going over some of the technology.  Mic 1 and Mic 3 tech was cool.  Skullcandy has the new Fix’d headphones coming out and to see him demonstrate how good they stay in the ear was cool. He hung some pretty heavy boxes from his ears. Pretty tight.

Z:  What was the most interesting tip he gave you about presentation?

A: The sense of just being yourself while explaining the headphones.  You start to learn from just seeing the product in your hands after he's explained what the thought process was going into making the certain model headphones.

Z:  Where did you take Nick while he was here?

A. He decided to leave a lasting impression on us by kicking a hole in to the wall. He did make a pretty sweet “Z” shot though. After work we ended up shooting around on the basketball court for a bit while we waited on traffic to die down. After ballin, we headed downtown [Louisville] to eat at Doc Crows. The food was great and the converstations were even better. While everyone got beer and or sodas, I proceeded to get the manliest drink ever--the Shirley Temple.

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!