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reversemoon255 · 3 years

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(From September 2020 to February 2021, I worked on a Pokémon themed Dungeons and Dragons campaign for a few friends. We didn’t get very far, but I put a significant amount of work into the world, story, and several Pokémon that would appear throughout, including an original set of starters. I want to to leave some record of my work, so I thought I’d write a few summary posts. And while I designed these Pokémon, their fantastic art was done by @extyrannomon on Twitter. I highly recommend you check them out.)

Dungeons 'n' Dragonites - Phase 1: Hello Stelopy City

Our story starts in Stelopy City, located in the Wellou Region. We get a brief introduction from DJ Tomomitsu, a radio host, before each player got their own brief story segments. Our first player was Ethan, as aspiring chef, who lived on campus at his high school. Ethan was approached by one of his dorm mates with a favor (to get him out of the building), as well as having an attractive girl meandering around the kitchen (if he wished to try flaunting his culinary skills). He would then get to choose to either finish up his side-quest or go to the local fisher's market, with him transitioning between those locations taking him to the area where he would meet his starter Pokémon:

"As you enter the alleyway, the walls are covered floor-to-ceiling in moss that seem to appear as soon as the shadows overtake the sunlight. The farther you walk, the more weeds you see popping through the cracks. Once you reach the half-way point, you come to a small open space. With the sunlight now flickering down through the plants brave enough to venture off the verdant walls, the entire area shines a bright, emerald green. In the center of this area is a decently sized fountain. It's no longer flowing, but there's a decent amount of rain water filling it up close to the brim. As you approach it, even through the murky iridescent waters, you can see a thick, fuzzy amount of lichen growing all throughout the inside of the basin. As you pass by the fountain, you hear an audible sploosh. Do you turn around? (Y/N)"

There he would meet the first of our new Starter, the Grass-Type Flymph. I kept it secret that I was doing original Starters. Part of my personal excitement in planning everything was the eventual reveal of these designs I had created. Kept me going when things started feeling like a grind.

Our second player, Johnny, started off at home, woken by his father asking him to run an errand. After being able to talk to his family a bit, he proceeded to a somewhat beaten-up house on the edge of the Pokémon-overrun abandoned district where he would receive some boat parts before leaving and the sidewalk underneath him collapses. Stumbling around the abandoned subway tunnels for a bit, he would run into our second Starter, the Fire-Type Calfyre.

Johnny's player wanted to become an entertainer, which didn't give me a lot to work session one, so a lot of his opener was focused on expanding the world and giving everyone an idea of areas they would be exploring later.

Third was Orion who had a quiet morning at home before being provoked via text messages from his siblings to chase down a mysterious "Wailord in a Top Hat." This pursuit would also lead him to the fisher's market and the nearby docks, where, after just catching sight of his quarry, he would encounter the Water-Starter Squisque.

Orion's player wanted a lot of his story to be based on his relationship with his father, so most of his opening was based on reinforcing his family dynamic. Not home, everyone’s busy, focus on work. This particular Saturday was strange in that Orion didn’t have anything going on.

Our last player was Arthur, who also lived on campus. While our other three players started their segments in bed, Arthur was playing lacrosse. After having an opportunity to show off (or fail), he would be told by a friend that he had upset his girlfriend that morning (kitchen girl from Ethan's story), and needed Arthur to pick up her favorite dessert while he attempted to woo her for the rest of the day. After doing so (while being given a chance to explore some of the local stores) he encountered a hungry Houndoom who proceeds to chase him up a fire escape. Once up there he encountered our final Starter, the Fairy-Type Utaw.

After each player met their Starters, they would have a brief tutorial battle against three Pokémon they were advantageous against before running into each other, and were subsequently arrested for "stealing" Pokémon, which would cap session one.

=====

Let's talk design. Stelopy City is loosely based on Chicago, is a portmanteau of "Steel Canopy," and Wellou is a joke on Illinois. The vast majority of the campaign was to take place in this location. Most of my players had very busy schedules (so busy it took us three sessions to get through the above opener), so DJ Tomomitsu was a way for me to easily start each session with a list of things to do (side-quests), and they as a group could decide which they were the most interested in based on time. Tomomitsu himself was based on DJ Sagara from Kamen Rider Gaim, with Tomomitsu being the name of the actor who played him.

As for the starters, I tried to stick to the reoccurring themes we’ve seen over the past 8 Generations. Flymph's name is a portmanteau of Dragonfly, Errol Flynn, and Nymph (the larval form of a Dragonfly). He's meant to be a special attacker, but, like an early DND Wizard, doesn't have access to a lot of them so he brandishes his sword-like arms to intimidate his foes instead. His diet consists entirely of lichens, algae, and similar flora, storing them in his transparent stomach pouches, and can be seen sunbathing in the water, belly up, feeding the plant matter the sunlight they need to grow. He also does not like Bug-Types, and isn’t Bug himself because of Grass/Bug’s myriad of weaknesses (for balancing), plus he changes Types after his first evolution. The theme of Grass Starters is extinction, which won’t become clear until his final evolution, but you may be able to guess how he relates.

Fire Starters are themed after the Chinese Zodiac, and of the remaining four yet to be used (including Snake, Ram, and Horse), I went with Ox. Calfyre's name is a play on Calf and Fire, and is meant to play like a Barbarian. When it comes to personality he's very timid and unsure of himself like a first-time DND player might be acting in a group. Unlike most Fire-Types, Calfyre lacks a Flame Sac. Instead, his spiral horns are filled with a freon-like liquid that, when swirled, rapidly absorbs energy from the air, which he uses for attacks. This chills the air around him, and makes him one of the few Fire-Types that are cold to the touch. Which sucks, because he’s a snugly sleeper.

Water Starters are usually themed after a weapon or character class. This usually shows in the later evolutions, but it's pretty obvious Squisque (a portmanteau of Squirt, Squire, and Bisque) is themed off a lance and shield. He's a paladin in both role and personality, charging in at the slightest sign of trouble, even if there isn't any real danger. It's the typical non-nuanced idea of what people think when they hear "Paladin." He was to a degree supposed to play a catalyst role, charging into situations the players may not want to in order to force them into helping people or combat if need be. He was also the first design I settled on, being based on an old Kaijin idea I had of a lobster-knight using its asymmetrical claws as different medieval weapons.

Utaw is unique, not just in that he was a fourth or Fairy Starter, but in conception. I was only supposed to have three players, but ended up with four. As such, his design is responsive to the others. Why a dinosaur? Because I had a mammal, crustacean, and bug, was unsure if I wanted a bird or reptile, and decided to meet half-way. Why is he Fairy? Because it has very little interaction with Fire, Water, and Grass, while still having defined weaknesses and resistances to certain types. (Also, this player wanted a Dragon-Type.) He’s based on a Utahraptor, hence the name, and is misspelled to include “Claw” or “Caw.” He’s meant to play team Bard, and uses sound moves. As for personality, he's a bit of a birdbrain who enjoys fighting. Not maliciously; it’s just fun, again acting like a new DND player who’s more interested in combat than role playing.

The idea with the personalities was that each Pokémon was supposed to start out like a rookie DND player on their first campaign. Not knowing how to play their class, being uncomfortable acting in front of a group, leaning too hard into your role without bending, or just fighting everything you see without diplomacy. It felt like a fun extra layer to each of these Pokémon that tied them just as much into the DND side of things as the Pokémon.

=====

Back to our story, after being briefly detained (mostly as an excuse to give the players time to introduce themselves to each other, something my DMs have struggled with), they meet Professor(-in-training) Bianca. The four Pokémon had been found by Silph Co., and had decided to donate them to the Unovan Pokémon Research Lab. However, after seeing the Pokémon interacting with these people, Bianca decides to give them up instead. "Pokémon should be with people," after all.

I had three side quests set up following this (after they all go to the DMV to get their Trainer's licenses). The first was a general "there's wild Pokémon here" quest where they could train and catch things. There was a sale at the mall where they could get some cheap held items and have their first trainer battle, and an event at the fisher's market where they could win some free items and would lead into their first dungeon.

The dungeon was what I was hoping they would pick, and would have them chase a group of Poipole through a warehouse, with them having different battles if they chose to enter from the front or the back. After defeating them, the Poipole would be sucked through a spontaneously generating Ultra Wormhole, with a high enough perception check revealing a strange laugh, or on a 20 have them catch a glimpse of a grey Charizard O_O

From there it was a matter of coming up with (or possibly recycling unused) side-quests until we reached the point where the Starters were about to evolve. I had a few things planned; introductions to a few reoccurring NPCs, a field trip to the local museum where they would be able to catch a Yamask (and possibly learn something about the origins of their Starters), and a raid battle against a group of Onix who would recur through the campaign.

The end of Phase 1 would come about with another dungeon. In the middle of the night, Ethan and Arthur would be awoken by their Pokémon to a group of Durant having busted through the floor of the dorm and raiding their kitchen. Easily driving them off, their Pokémon would encourage them to pursue. Later, full party in toe, the four of them would explore the Duranthill. There would be a number of possible encounters, but only one mandatory fight before reaching the depths. In said encounter, while being surrounded by a group of Durant, they would receive unexpected help from this Pokémon:

With some interpretation, they would discover that this Princess Durant was afraid for the sake of her colony. A new queen had taken up residence there, and was commanding the Durant to attack the surface and steal food for her. With additional party member in toe, they would descend further with better direction, eventually discovering the lair of the Queen Durant...

#Pokemon #Dungeons and Dragons #DND #DND Homebrew #durant

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orbemnews · 4 years

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As Online Shopping Surged, Amazon Planned Its New York Takeover When the pandemic gripped New York City, it propelled an enormous surge in online shopping that has not waned, even in a metropolis where stores are rarely far away. People who regularly bought online are now buying more, while those who started ordering to avoid exposure to the virus have been won over by the advantages. The abrupt shift in shopping patterns has made New York a high-stakes testing ground for urban deliveries, with its sheer density both a draw and a logistical nightmare. It has also highlighted the need for an unglamorous yet critical piece of the e-commerce infrastructure: warehouse space to store and sort packages and satisfy customer expectations for faster and faster delivery. Amazon has spent the pandemic embarking on a warehouse shopping spree in New York, significantly expanding its footprint in the biggest and most lucrative market in the country. It has snatched up at least nine new warehouses in the city, including a 1 million-plus square foot behemoth rising in Queens that will be its largest in New York, and today has at least 12 warehouses in the five boroughs. And it has added to its roster more than two dozen warehouses in suburbs surrounding the city. No other large competitor has a single warehouse in the city and Amazon has largely left most of its chief rivals, like Wal-Mart and Target, behind. “Amazon had people making deals,” said Adam Gordon, whose real estate firm Wildflower owns several warehouses in the city. “And they were outcompeting.” While New York’s narrow streets, chronic traffic jams and brutal lack of parking are all formidable challenges, the city also has a severe shortage of warehouses just when they are most needed to properly grease an efficient delivery system. New York has about 128 million square feet of industrial space, far less than many smaller cities. Indianapolis, whose population is just one-tenth that of New York’s, has nearly double the space. Chicago is the nation’s leader with more than 1.2 billion square feet. Many packages come to New York from New Jersey and Pennsylvania, where there is room to build bigger and cheaper warehouses. And in the past year Amazon has added 14 new warehouses in New Jersey and on Long Island, totaling more than 7 million square feet. But having warehouses in the city is more cost effective and can trim roughly 20 percent off delivery expenses compared with deliveries that originate in New Jersey. “We are excited to continue to invest in the state of New York by adding new delivery stations,” said Deborah Bass, an Amazon spokeswoman, adding that the company’s goal was to “become part of the fabric of New York City by embracing the people, the needs, and the spirit of the community.” Amazon’s rapid expansion in New York has also drawn more scrutiny to the treatment of its workers, an issue that the company has faced in other parts of the country. Amazon has sought to quash efforts by warehouse employees to form unions — including on Staten Island — and a high-profile battle is currently being waged in Alabama. In New York, the attorney general has sued Amazon over conditions at two of its local warehouses, accusing the company of failing to properly clean its buildings and conduct adequate contact-tracing, as well as of taking “swift retaliatory action” to silence employee complaints. An Amazon spokeswoman disputed the allegations and said the company cared “deeply about the health and safety” of its workers. Amazon’s growth in New York comes two years after it abandoned plans to build a gleaming new headquarters in Queens. A chorus of lawmakers and progressive activists had opposed granting one of the world’s wealthiest companies billions of dollars in government incentives that the giant retailer had won by making cities compete against each other. But New York remains an alluring prize, and Amazon’s string of warehouses in the city puts it in a strong position to benefit from the huge spike in online shopping set off by the pandemic. Roughly 2.4 million packages are delivered in the city every day, nearly half a million more than before the pandemic, and city data shows that 80 percent of deliveries are to residential customers, compared with 40 percent before the outbreak. The torrent of e-commerce crosses all categories: daily grocery deliveries have more than doubled, restaurant and prepared food deliveries have increased by 12 percent and household goods deliveries have jumped by 24 percent, according to an analysis by José Holguín-Veras and Cara Wang, professors at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute who work on transportation issues. “The challenge now is urban deliveries,” Mr. Holguín-Veras said. “And if you look at the numbers, they are only going to increase.” While there will likely be some decline in orders as the outbreak eases, the overall trajectory is clear, experts say. “The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of e-commerce by five years in one year because users have been forced to adapt,” said Marc Palazzolo, a transportation consultant for Kearny, a consulting firm that has advised the city’s business leaders on e-commerce. By 2045, the total volume of freight moving through New York City is expected to hit 540 million tons a year, up from 365 million tons today, according to city data. Still, the online shopping boom will only worsen problems like congestion and pollution that were already bad before the pandemic, sending flotillas of delivery trucks across the city and flooding sidewalks and lobbies with packages. It has come during a perilous period for New York’s small businesses, which have been battered by the pandemic with nearly 3,000 having closed for good as of last August, according to the most recent data available from the city comptroller’s office. Small businesses struggle to compete online with retailers that typically charge less for the same items and have a far more robust delivery infrastructure. “Building e-commerce capabilities isn’t easy,’’ said Jonathan Bowles, executive director of the Center for an Urban Future, a research organization. “It requires a lot more than just having a website.’’ For larger retailers, having warehouses closer to consumers will become more crucial in an increasingly competitive online market. But the city, once a manufacturing center filled with factories, is not particularly welcoming. To try to protect residential neighborhoods from pollution and traffic, zoning rules limit the construction of warehouses to designated manufacturing districts. “There’s no more space to build new warehouses, so it’s leaving most retailers out of the growth,” said Gabriel Cepeda, the founder of Pickups Technologies, a storage and logistics company. Construction is underway or about to begin on new factories that will have roughly 8.7 million square feet of space in all, including a 1.2 million square-foot UPS site in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Three warehouses under construction will have multiple levels, which is common in Asia, and multiple loading docks that can be used by one company or divided among several. Amazon has signed leases at two of them. The opening of warehouses has brought some economic benefits, leading to the hiring of thousands of workers — some part-time jobs start at $17.25 an hour — at a time when many city residents are jobless. Mr. Cepeda is creating a homegrown distribution system of “mini-warehouses.” He has recruited more than 1,000 residents in Manhattan and Brooklyn who will get paid to use their apartments to store goods for retailers and send them out for delivery. Amazon, which owns Whole Foods, has also used the grocery stores to fulfill online orders, with its workers often outnumbering store customers. Walmart had a warehouse in the Bronx through Jet.com, a now-defunct shopping site it owned, but later vacated the property, which is now leased by Amazon. Wal-Mart — which has no stores in the city — uses warehouses in Pennsylvania to serve online customers. Target, which started same-day delivery in the city in 2017 and has about two dozen stores in New York, has used its stores as mini-distribution hubs, in part because it is cheaper to fulfill an online order in a store than at an out-of-town warehouse. Many smaller companies are feeling the pressure to expand their online and delivery operations. Stop & Shop has hired hundreds of workers to increase its online grocery service in the New York area, including at a warehouse in nearby Jersey City. Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors, the butcher for many high-end restaurants, has spent more than $1 million on its online and retail sales operations, selling to shoppers on its website and through Amazon Fresh and ShopRite. That business made up as much as 90 percent of the company’s sales in 2020, up from 15 percent before the pandemic. “Home delivery will be prominent for the next decade,” Mr. LaFrieda said. “It will be key to our success.” The company has reconfigured its New Jersey warehouse to prioritize retail sales and designed new packaging for online customers. While Amazon is laying the foundation for online dominance in New York, Mr. Gordon, the owner of several warehouses, said other retailers would also need to become more nimble to respond to the new ways people are buying. The e-commerce demands also place added pressure on warehouse workers and drivers to fulfill and deliver orders on time, as customers now expect. “Just-in-time delivery and last-mile delivery is what it means,’’ Mr. Gordon said. “You need to be very close to your customer to provide the level of service that people now expect.” Source link Orbem News #Amazon #Online #planned #Shopping #surged #takeover #York

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smthjones-blog · 4 years

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Warehouse for Sale in Chicago in Lincolnwood

This Chicago warehouse boasts high visibility among the other commercial buildings surrounding in the area. This 45000 sqft property is located near many shops, parks, and eateries, within walking distance of the Lincolnwood Town Center. 22′ceiling height. 14 docks. 6 drive-in doors. Utilities include lighting, water, sewer, and electricity. Visit the website for more details!

#Chicago warehouse #warehouse #Chicago #warehouse for sale

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womenofcolor15 · 5 years

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YIKES! Amazon Warehouse Workers In 10 Warehouses Worldwide Have Tested Positive For Coronavirus

Amazon workers have been sounding the alarm about working in unsanitary conditions. Now, there are reports that warehouse workers worldwide have tested positive. Details inside…

Last week, we told you about Amazon warehouse workers who were sounding the alarm about working in unsanitary conditions. Warehouse workers in New York and Chicago told The Washington Post that Amazon isn’t taking enough precautions as orders pile up, forcing them to work in unsanitary conditions. Workers made claims their co-workers were only sent home if they had coughs.

Now, there are reports that Amazon workers across 10 of its warehouses globally have tested positive for COVID-19. The company is now being pressured by unions and workers-rights groups to shut down its facilities.

Business Insider rounded up several recent news articles that report workers who have tested positive for the deadly virus in New York, Kentucky, Florida, Texas, Michigan, Connecticut, and Oklahoma.

Last week, Amazon announced that workers at three warehouses in Europe (two in Span and one in Italy) had tested positive for the virus, but they never closed the warehouses, which resulted in Italian workers to strike. As they should.

So check it, Amazon confirmed that at least one worker at its largest NYC warehouse (located in Staten Island) tested positive for COVID-19, but its STILL open - filling orders and making shipments. As custodians work on cleaning and sanitizing the facility, warehouse workers STILL instructed to pack boxes for delivery and have reportedly received very little information from management about the person's diagnosis, according to Athena, a workers-rights advocacy group. The infected NYC employee was last onsite on March 11th. Amazon has reportedly asked anyone who had contact with them to take 14 days of paid leave.

“We are supporting the individual who is recovering,” a spokesperson for Amazon told Motherboard. “We are following all guidelines from local officials and are taking extreme measures to ensure the safety of employees at our site.”

It's reported Amazon is currently consulting with health authorities about "how to handle building closures for deep cleaning when employees test positive for COVID-19, and that that process includes an evaluation of where the infected employee worked, how long they worked, and how much time had passed since an employee was in a building, among other factors." In the meantime, warehouse workers are terrified about coming to work while the company "figures out" its next move.

"I'm scheduled to work on Saturday and Sunday, but I'm scared especially finding out that they had a positive case and didn't shut down the warehouse or nothing," Rina Cummings, who inspects packages on the ship dock at the Staten Island Amazon warehouse told Motherboard. "I don't get how they can get away with that stuff. It's not right. There are a lot of people who work there, and who take a crowded bus to work together. They can call what they're doing social distancing but with the way that virus spreads, it's not enough."

On the bright side...

In the middle of a pandemic, we won PTO for ourselves and ALL Amazon workers. This is *how* we did it and how you can join us. Hopefully it serves as an example of how ya'll can get started too! https://t.co/BBIZpeazQE

— DCH1 Amazonians United (@Dch1United) March 22, 2020

Amazon workers in Chicago were able to win paid time off (PTO) for ALL Amazon workers. Here's how they did it:

"We heard that Sacramento Amazon workers started a petition for PTO. We saw pictures of them bravely walking out, demanding a meeting with their regional manager. We decided that we had to take action too. We managed to get 251 coworkers to join us in signing our PTO petition. Three crews from three different shifts turned the petition in to our top boss at three mandatory “All-Hands” meetings. More than half of our coworkers started wearing “Amazonians United for PTO” buttons at work everyday. We went up against the wealthiest man in the world and we won. We’re growing our movement, join us! This is just the beginning and this is the story of how we’ve been winning.

Congrats to them! You can read more here.

By the way, Amazon recently announced they were suspending shipments of all nonessential products to its warehouses. They will now only accept shipments of "household staples, medical supplies, and other high-demand products" to its warehouses until April 5th to deal with the high demand of those products amid the Coronavirus crisis.

The company also also said it planned to hire 100,000 warehouse and delivery workers to help manage the increase in sales. Folks should think twice about applying for these new jobs considering the potential dangers people already employed by the company allege.

Get it together, Amazon!

Photos: Sundry Photography/Shutterstock.com

[Read More ...] source http://theybf.com/2020/03/25/yikes-amazon-warehouse-workers-worldwide-have-tested-positive-for-coronavirus

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delightfulconnoisseurgentlemen · 3 years

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Huge Growth of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Forklift Market 2021 | Size, Demand, Opportunities & Forecast To 2027 | Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, KION Group, Crown, Raymond Handling Solutions

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#Hydrogen Fuel Cell Forklift Market #Hydrogen Fuel Cell Forklift Market Report

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deniscollins · 6 years

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Amazon’s Hard Bargain Extends Far Beyond New York

What would you do if you were an Amazon executive and Texas’s top finance official said Amazon owed $269 million because it had failed to pay sales taxes from 2005 to 2009, but you believed Amazon did not need to collect the tax because it lacked brick-and-mortar stores in the state: (1) continue to negotiate this through lawyers or (2) close your warehouse at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport that employed about 120 people and drop plans to build more outposts in Texas? Why? What are the ethics underlying your decision?

When Texas officials pushed Amazon to pay nearly $270 million in back sales taxes in 2010, Amazon responded by closing its only warehouse in the state and scrapping expansion plans there. Two years later, the officials agreed to waive the past taxes in exchange for Amazon opening new warehouses.

A similar scene played out in South Carolina, where officials decided in 2011 to deny Amazon a sales tax break. After threatening to stop hiring in the state, the company got the tax exemption by promising to hire more people.

And last year in Seattle, the company’s hometown, Amazon halted plans to build one tower and threatened to lease out one under construction when local officials pushed a tax on large employers. The City Council passed a smaller version of the tax, but the company helped finance a successful opposition to repeal it. Now, Amazon plans to lease out its space in the tower under construction anyway.

In New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio called it a “shock to the system” when Amazon, facing criticism for the deal it reached to build a headquarters in the city, abruptly dropped the plans. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is still trying to woo them back. But the reversal mirrored the company’s interactions with officials in other states.

Virtually all of America’s largest businesses drive a hard bargain with governments, angling for benefits and financial incentives. Amazon, though, often plays politics with a distinctive message: Give us what we want, or we’ll leave and take our jobs elsewhere.

The tactics help Amazon squeeze as much as possible out of politicians.

“They are just as cutthroat as can be,” said Alex Pearlstein, vice president at Market Street Services, which helps cities, including those with Amazon warehouses, attract employers.

New York’s experience with Amazon also exposed the company’s limited experience with building community relationships. The company did not hire any local employees or lobbyists to connect with New York residents in advance of announcing the deal. Until recent years, almost no one at the company worked full-time in community or government relations, though it now has more than 100 lobbyists registered in statehouses to push its priorities.

That lack of a significant on-the-ground strategy helped doom the deal in New York, and it is causing headaches elsewhere.

Amazon’s promise to deliver practically any item within two days means that it needs warehouses near major population centers, not just where it gets the best deal. In Edison, N.J., noise complaints pressured the company to spend $3 million to build a high wall around a warehouse. Outside of Chicago in Joliet, Ill., Amazon pays for an extra police officer to help manage traffic — and lawmakers want the company to do more.

“Amazon doesn’t like any friction,” said Margaret O’Mara, a professor at the University of Washington who researchers the history of tech companies. But the desire for more urban locations, she said, means “it can’t be my way or the highway.”

The company’s initial pitch is usually simple, saying that its offices and warehouses will deliver quality jobs. And it banks on the public’s widespread trust in the company’s low prices, wide selection and fast delivery. Many politicians and locals are delighted when Amazon arrives and say that the company delivers the jobs it has pledged.

Over all, the company has collected more than $2.4 billion taxpayersubsidies for its offices, warehouses and data centers, according to Good Jobs First, a nonprofit organization that tracks corporate tax breaks.

A company spokeswoman said, “Amazon has created more than 250,000 full-time American jobs and has invested hundreds of billions of dollars into the U.S. economy.” She added, “We are active participants working to support the communities where we operate.”

Asked recently by a business publication if Amazon would change anything about the headquarters search in retrospect, Holly Sullivan, the Amazon executive who led the search, said: “You know, no. I think it was rewarding for us internally.”

Resistance to Sales Tax

In 2010, Texas’s top finance official said Amazon owed $269 million because it had failed to pay sales taxes from 2005 to 2009. Amazon said it did not need to collect the tax because it lacked brick-and-mortar stores in the state. It then shuttered its warehouse at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport that employed about 120 people and dropped plans to build more outposts in Texas.

Under a settlement in 2012, the state gave up on the tax charges in exchange for Amazon’s promise to create 2,500 jobs and spend at least $200 million on facilities. Amazon also agreed to begin collecting sales tax and pay the state.

Once the deal was reached, Amazon expanded rapidly across Texas, with millions in subsidies from the state. The company now operates about 20 sites in Texas.

“In our viewpoint, it’s a lot better to get them into compliance voluntarily than spend a whole lot of time fighting about the past periods,” said Karey Barton, the state’s associate deputy comptroller for tax.

For one of the new warehouses, in San Marcos, between Austin and San Antonio, Amazon received a $16.6 million tax rebate. The warehouse has nearly 3,000 employees, making it the largest private employer in town.

“Everything that they told us and promised us on the number of jobs and that kind of thing has surpassed their timelines,” said Kristy Stark, the communications director for the City of San Marcos. “We have nothing but positive things to say.”

Amazon waged a nearly identical war in South Carolina, when officials, including then-Gov. Nikki Haley, a Republican, opposed a sales tax break. It pulled job listings off its website for a warehouse under construction near Columbia and canceled contracts for the new facility.

The threat worked, rallying support from businesses and government leaders. The legislature gave Amazon a five-year grace period for collecting sales taxes, while Amazon conceded that it would tell residents how much they owed in sales tax.

And the company resumed hiring in the state, where it now has at least three facilities.

Hometown Fight

Amazon grew from start-up to behemoth in Seattle, devouring new towers and buildable land.

Nevertheless, the company kept its distance from local lawmakers. In 2009, the mayor and governor threw a groundbreaking ceremony for new Amazon buildings. No Amazon executives attended.

In recent years, Amazon made some gestures of civic responsibility, including in 2017, when it committed to build a shelter for homeless families in a new tower. That year, Amazon also hired its first employee to build a team focused on philanthropy. More than a dozen people now work on that effort.

But it didn’t speak up on policy issues, including ways to address the skyrocketing housing prices in the area. That changed in 2018, when the City Council debated a tax on large employers, which was meant to pay for homeless services and affordable housing.

Amazon stood up in opposition, telling a newspaper columnist that it would halt plans to build one new tower and reconsider its lease on a second. The threat sent shock waves through the city.

After a wrenching public process, the city passed a head tax that was roughly half the size of the initial proposal.

That did not placate Amazon, which said the city was not effectively spending the money it already had. The message struck a chord with some frustrated homeowners, who said that the city spent millions on the homeless programs and yet encampments stood by their homes and parks. They joined forces on a signature drive to put a repeal of the tax on the ballot.

Amazon was one of largest donors to a repeal campaign, which paid about $345,000 to a firm, Morning in America, to gather signatures and print fliers and shirts.

With anger growing over the tax, the council relented and repealed it. “This is not a winnable battle at this time,” Lisa Herbold, a member of the City Council, said before the vote. “The opposition has unlimited resources.”

New Headaches

As Amazon expands, including closer to more major cities like New York and Chicago, it is facing more local demands.

“People think that Amazon is a 100 percent sleek machine,” said Beth Gutelius, a researcher at the University of Illinois at Chicago with a focus on warehouses. In reality, a lot falls through the cracks. “Even if they are trying to be strategic locally, they can’t actually do it because they are so big and sprawling.”

In late 2017, Amazon opened a warehouse in Edison, N.J., near New York. The site used to be a quiet warehouse for comforters and bedding, but lights now shine and trucks rumble at all hours. Amazon made some changes, like having the trucks emit a low hiss, rather than beep, on the loading docks. But neighbors said commotion was still intrusive.

Lisa Bukachevsky, who lives behind the warehouse, said she tried to hire a lawyer, but none would take her case. “They said, ‘You don’t have enough money to fight Amazon,’” she said.

The town attorney took up the issue, and Amazon hired a sound engineer and then constructed the 20-foot tall wall that cost $3 million.

The wall helps block the light, but not much of the noise, Ms. Bukachevsky said. She and her husband, Mark, say Amazon could have saved a lot of headache if it had consulted the community first.

“I’m not anti-Amazon,” Mr. Bukachevsky said, adding that he owns Amazon stock. “I’m anti-noise.”

In Illinois, Amazon initially resisted opening facilities because that would have required it to start collecting sales taxes, said John E. Greuling, the president of the Will County Center for Economic Development. But then, Mr. Greuling said, “They realized Illinois was too important a location for them.”

Just a few years later, the company has 7,000 people across five facilities in Will County, which includes Joliet, making it the largest employer in an area evolving into a major logistics hub. The first Amazon warehouse to open in Joliet received a state tax incentive of $71.5 million for up to 10 years.

About two miles south of downtown Joliet, along State Route 53, a routine plays out several times a day that causes some dread among locals. Amazon employees’ cars line up along a narrow street perpendicular to the highway. One after the next, they turn onto the busy four-lane thoroughfare, creating a long caravan during shift changes.

Local residents trying to maneuver their way along this major artery can get stuck sitting at stop signs for 5 or 10 minutes. Amazon pays a local police officer to manage the flow during the holiday season and is part of a public-private group working to address traffic.

Some local officials, including Denise Winfrey, the Will County board speaker, say they fear the deals that lured Amazon and other major companies to the region did not give the state enough resources to fix the infrastructure, which is increasingly stressed as Amazon and others use them.

“If you’re in the area, using the resources, you have the people, you’re stopping through the neighborhoods, you’re driving through the streets — you have some responsibility to make sure that you are contributing positively to the community beyond the jobs,” Ms. Winfrey said.

#Amazon

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gossipnetwork-blog · 7 years

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How Scooters Are Becoming Millennials' Extreme Sport of Choice

New Post has been published on http://gossip.network/how-scooters-are-becoming-millennials-extreme-sport-of-choice/

How Scooters Are Becoming Millennials' Extreme Sport of Choice

Pedestrians on the sidewalks of downtown Chicago hold up cellphone cameras, drivers honk in frustration and the police don’t quite know what to do. It’s not every day that 300 young scooter riders flood the streets, ignoring red lights and turning a loading dock into a temporary stadium – to the dismay of at least one exasperated business owner.

It’s called a street jam, where riders flock from all over the world to shred a city, performing tricks and causing the same type of mayhem more usually associated with skateboarders. For those who grew up during the Razor-scooter boom in the early aughts, it’s hard to see a scooter as much more than a fad, let alone a symbol of rebellion, but that stereotype doesn’t exist for the younger generation. Eighteen years after the release of the first Razor, scooters have come of age, spawning a uniquely millennial subculture with the same disruptive spirit as skateboarding – minus the steep learning curve. And according to many scooter riders, it’s actually overtaking skateboarding in popularity.

“I’ve seen less and less skateboarders over the years,” says Devin Szydlowski, a 17-year-old semi-pro rider who traveled from San Luis Obispo, California, to take part in the Chicago Jam in August, one of the largest in the U.S. “It depends on the [skate] park, but we have the majority. There’s more scooter riders than skateboarders. We’re targeting younger kids, whereas skateboarding is targeting older kids.” A study on Statista.com by the Outdoor Foundation backs up his observation: The number of skateboarders in the U.S. decreased from 10.1 million to 6.4 million between 2006 and 2016, with an even more dramatic drop among skaters age six to 17.

“It’s huge in other countries,” says Logan Fuller, a 25-year-old whose baggy, torn jeans and mischievous eyes look straight out of a Nineties issue of Thrasher magazine. He’s one of the best known scooter riders at the jam and is capable of grinding down a 22-stair handrail. Fuller is based in Maryland but basically lives on the road, traveling from jam to jam, supported by sponsorships and contest winnings. “I just went to Russia and France for street jams, they’re crazy. There’s, like, a thousand people,” he says.

Starting at Grant Park Skate Park, the riders at the Chicago Jam – most of whom look under 18 – critical-mass through downtown, stopping along the way to grind down rails and spin scooters around their heads like helicopters. As with skateboarding, the chance of landing a trick is relatively low and the probability of racking yourself on a rail dangerously high.

The event is totally rogue, with no permits and no Internet trail outside social media. Historically, it was organized by a prominent scooter manufacturer, but this year it grew too large for a business to carry the legal liability should (or when) the cops arrive. It’s so loosely planned that there’s not even a route map; organizers simply direct the mob using a megaphone.

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The best tricks win prize money, crucial since many of the top street scooter riders backpack across the country for months at a time. But what’s more important than money is the opportunity to put faces to Instagram names. After the jam, kids gather in a warehouse to watch the premiere of a scooter film, buy scooter art prints and mosh to a performance by Atlanta rapper KZ, whose Instagram features as many photos of him on a scooter as in the studio. There’s a rebellious spirit to the gathering, and half the young riders seem like the type to sneak cigarettes between classes – but good luck asking any of them for a lighter. After all, this is the vaping generation.

Skateboarding’s roots lie in 1960s surf culture, but push scooters originated as much more of a kids’ toy. The image started to change when Razor launched its insanely popular “Pro” model in 2000. The founder owned a toy company and saw that scooters had become trendy as transportation for Japanese businessmen in Tokyo, thus the brand’s initial retail partner: The Sharper Image (sticker price: $149). They sold at a pace of one million units per month for the first six months.

Razor soon realized that scooters could become a new action sport and began to invest in building a community. In 2001, they offered a $1,000 prize for the first person to land a backflip and created the first touring team of riders.

“We started putting on competitions locally and then a national tour,” says Ali Kermani, a skateboarder who helped Razor cultivate its extreme-sports program. “We’d go all over the place to skate parks that had strong scooter scenes, like the Incline Club in New Jersey and Skate Barn West in Washington [State]. Then the first street jams started happening in New York.”

Even though the sport isn’t recognized by the X-Games and no Tony Hawk figure has propelled it to the mainstream, athletes are innovating at an unprecedented pace. The most groundbreaking trick in skateboarding history is likely Hawk’s 900 at the 1999 X-Games, the result of nearly 50 years of skating progression. Scooter rider KC Corning landed one in 2004, showing how quickly the sport is evolving.

“Scootering is the first sport that developed through the Internet, so we were able to build a whole industry in just a few years,” says Andrew Broussard, considered by many to be the godfather of scootering. He landed his first tailwhip on July 4th, 2001, and became hooked. While still in high school, he launched Scooter Resource, a message board that for the next decade would be the website of record for the community. Broussard also began hacking together custom scooters capable of taking more abuse, a business originally branded Scooter Resource in 2006, before being renamed Proto Scooters in 2008. The company doubled its revenue for six years straight, its growth only slowing once a rush of other companies entered the market.

A rift exists between “park” and “street” brands, with street riders preferring upstart, rider-owned companies like Proto and TSI to corporate operations like Fuzion (available at Walmart). Scooters are modular, which has created a marketplace for component-specific companies like River Wheel Co. and Tilt, which produces nearly indestructible wheels, decks, forks and even the clamps that connect the parts. Scooter riders (or often their parents) drop up to $700 on pro-level rides, a sharp contrast to the costs of earlier models.

One scooter rider grinds down a rail in Grant Park, Chicago.

The lexicon of tricks grew and was cataloged on Scooter Resource with specific credits for the pioneers behind each move. Because a scooter has handlebars like a BMX bike and a deck like a skateboard, it’s a hybrid capable of incorporating tricks from each with a much quicker learning curve, which is undoubtedly part of why it appeals to a younger crowd.

“When you first start out skating, you can’t just ollie right away, you have to practice for six months,” says Szydlowski. “On a scooter, a bunny hop takes, like, a day to learn. Or an hour.”

Today’s riders mainly find inspiration on YouTube. It’s resulted in underground scooter celebrities like the Funk Bros – Corey and Capron Funk – who are far from household names but boast 3.5 million subscribers. Scooters still play a part in their videos, but they’re now known mainly as Jackass-style pranksters (who can land triple front flips). Ryan Williams, a well-known rider of both scooters and BMX bikes, has 950,000 Instagram followers. But despite these riders’ huge followings, their popularity leaves little trace outside social media.

The rest of the community is the same; nearly everything happens on Instagram or Facebook. According to Tommy Daddono, one of the organizers of the Chicago Jam and a founder of scooter manufacturer Outset Select, his event is one of the most popular street jams in the world, but it was un-Googleable until a week after the dust had cleared.

Since pro-level scooters are so costly, many of the kids come from affluent backgrounds. Despite this, the scene feels decidedly DIY. Riders dress with a mix of grungy skater gear and a touch of Internet irony. One middle-school rider in Chicago wore a black cap with small text reading “Link in Bio.” Just like skateboarders, shredded jeans and dirty Vans are the style, but unfortunately for the burgeoning scene, it takes more than just streetwear to convince skateboarders who came of age during Razor’s initial boom that scooters are cool. Landing a backflip at a skatepark definitely turns heads, but a combination of entitlement and inexperience has made most scooter riders a bane to skateboarders, inline skaters and BMX riders.

“There’s a stigma because of all the little kids,” says Daddono. “Every skateboarder will tell you that [scooterers] don’t look where they’re going, they’ll ride in front of you. They don’t have the etiquette yet.” Many simply never learn, which Broussard credits to a lack of guidance from older kids. “Skaters will complain about it, but they’ll never go up to scooter riders and explain why what they’re doing is dangerous or bad park etiquette,” says Broussard. “But if it’s a young skateboarder, they’ll give them pointers and help them out. It’s a hypocritical attitude.”

Pioneering riders like Daddono, 24, and Broussard, 31, turned to scooting because they felt skateboarding’s street credibility died with its commercial boom. Buying a board at the mall wasn’t rebellious. Instead, early scooter riders dug through garage sales for dollar scooters, took them to skate parks and rode them until they were literally destroyed – typically about an hour.

“Skateboarding used to be anti-establishment, but now if you wear skate clothing, you’re trendy,” says Broussard. “Scooters started [out] punk-rock. The older generation couldn’t afford skateboards or BMX bikes, but we could dumpster-dive for scooters.”

“Every skatepark I’ve been in, there’s always a skateboarder with a chip on their shoulder and are super mad,” says Szydlowski. “Skateboarders are trying to make themselves feel better, because they know that their sport is dying in a sense.”

Although events like the Chicago Jam appeal to a younger audience, it’s the relatively older kids who play the starring roles. Mike Hohmann, a 22-year-old with frayed Kurt Vile hair, is a good bet to win prize money at any jam. He’s based in Florida but has spent the past six months couchsurfing between events across the country. In May, he won several hundred dollars for grinding a 30-foot rail called the Green Monster in Austin and had a similar payday in Chicago for landing a backside 360 bar twist down a dozen steps at Grant Park. Once Hohmann’s cash runs dry, he’ll return to Florida to work a pair of minimum-wage jobs to save for his next trip.

“It’s the community I love. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you are, everyone’s a brother here,” says Hohmann.

Scant documentation of the community has emerged outside social media, but the scene does have historians. One is Dylan Kasson, a professional rider for Proto who has photographed scooting for a decade and hosts a popular podcast, Tandem. He’s produced several photo books and is compiling a larger survey of the sport that he hopes to publish under the title The Scene.

“Scootering is so new that it’s still in that stage where there’s a lot of untapped potential,” says Kasson. “Videos are the most important thing. That’s how people realize new tricks are possible.”

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As documentation of the sport grows, so does the industry around it. As with skateboarding, apparel companies like Sky High have formed to serve the subculture. The 11th annual Scooter Con in San Diego boasted 1,500 attendees, and in October, Vault Scooters hosted the first-ever invitational competition, called Sovereign of Street, which had a prize pool of $11,000. Scooters are also a big part of Nitro Circus, an internationally touring stadium event with an emphasis on daredevil mega-ramps (it’s where Capron Funk landed that triple front flip).

Even though it’s still a fresh industry, it might already be getting too mainstream for Broussard, who fears the popularity could ruin the rebellious character, just like with skateboarding.”The founding generation of scooter riders is drastically different than the current generation,” he says. “We rode because after the Razor boom, it was not trendy. We were experimental. Now, some kids spend more time accessorizing their scooters than riding them.”

Rebelliousness was certainly on display in Chicago, however. It’s hard to call a mob of 300 kids riding into oncoming one-way traffic anything but daring. They were not only endangering their own bodies by running red lights and hurling themselves down stairs, but also destroying public and private property. The Most Disorderly Conduct Award went to a teenager who climbed to the top of a 20-foot wall overlooking a loading dock, then launched himself off it with a sinister grin, landing on the roof of a parked van and nearly causing the roof to cave in.

“Just like with every sport, there’s the rebellious scootering, where it’s just haywire, no one gives a crap and they just do illegal things,” says Szydlowski.

Even so, not even the police seemed convinced this was a group to be concerned about. The only real legal altercation happened at a 10-foot ledge overlooking a busy street. Riders filed into the road to block off cars and, surprisingly, the first officer on the scene graciously looked the other way. He just seemed shocked that these kids would attempt something so stupid and asked that no one hurt themselves, a luxury that would’ve never been afforded to skateboarders. After about 10 minutes and a few very dangerous tricks, another cop arrived and quickly broke up the scene. The organizers thanked the officers over the megaphone and the scooter riders erupted in applause, but not before a mumbled chorus of younger voices could be overheard saying, “Fuck the police!”

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raystart · 7 years

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How Sophisticated Branding Aims to Make You Rethink Cannabis

Before marijuana was legalized, the plant’s design aesthetic was somewhere between the tie-dyed patterns of the Grateful Dead, the Rastafarian color palette of Bob Marley, and the Jamaican flag. But that’s starting to change.

Colorado legalized the sale of marijuana for recreational purposes years ago, but as you drive along the fringes of Denver or Boulder, you’ll still find plenty of former pawn shops and liquor stores that were hastily converted to cannabis dispensaries. Today, the hand-painted signs, the bad puns, and the Rastafarian flags that once defined the industry are finally giving way to sophisticated design that abandons aging stoners in favor of more upscale clientele.

And with good reason. As the Washington Post recently reported, half of the country’s population, spread out among 28 states and the District of Columbia, can legally smoke marijuana for medical purposes; eight states have legalized recreational pot. In 2016, the North American marijuana market posted $6.7 billion in revenue, according to Arcview Market Research, which anticipates the industry will top $20 billion in annual sales by 2021.

Those sales represent far more than loose “flower” rolled up in a joint. So-called “budtenders” behind the counter serve up chocolates, mints, topicals, and liquid concentrates. As the industry begins to mature, purveyors of cannabis recognize the need to separate themselves with distinct branding, just as breweries and distilleries have done for decades.

In the last few months, Christopher Simmons, creative director for MINE, has designed branding and packaging for several dispensaries in San Francisco, including BASA, Dutchman’s Flat, Petra, and Prophet.

Members of the Prophet cannabis family.

“With Prophet, the question was: How do you get away from the dominant paradigm in the industry, which is still holding on to that Bob Marley stoner culture? Because that’s not where the market’s going,” he says. “When I design packaging for these premium brands, I don’t ask if it’s going to look good in a head shop; I want to know if I could reasonably expect to see this at a Whole Foods or a Starbucks.”

Simmons’ work for Prophet’s flower features a sophisticated, bold, sans serif typeface and masculine color palette on a canister that mimics chewing tobacco tins. On the other end of the spectrum, his work for Petra mints is aimed at women, who generally prefer edibles to smoking. Each color hints at a flavor, and each pattern draws inspiration from a country where the plant is indigenous: A Moroccan pattern is paired with mint, and an Indian pattern is paired with mango.

When designing packaging for the cannabis industry, there’s one big question: Use the iconic leaf or not? On the one hand, it’s become a cliche that could tether a brand to stoner culture; on the other hand, it’s a recognizable symbol that immediately telegraphs the presence of THC. As any Colorado resident will tell you, that icon could have prevented a few houseguests from innocently devouring chocolates they discovered in their host’s pantry—the source of a surprising number of visits to the ER.

Petra cannabis mints: “Consume wisely.”

“Many designers use the cannabis leaf as a motif, but I’ve tried to treat it as an icon—the way you might indicate if a product is vegan or kosher,” says Simmons. “Its job is not to romance you—it’s to inform you. If you remove the leaf icon from Petra packaging, it’s less clear that it’s a medicated product, and I think that’s irresponsible.”

When Mexican design firm La Tortilleria tackled branding and packaging for Seven Point, a cannabis dispensary outside Chicago, they went in the other direction, finding inspiration in high-end cosmetics and natural supplements. Their designs eschew leaf iconography and swaths of color in favor of a minimalist black-and-white design that’s pared down to the essentials (including the amount of THC, which is front and center).

The interiors in Seven Point in Chicago, above and below.

Packaging for Seven Point by La Tortilleria.

“So many people have this idea that cannabis is something bad,” says Zita Arca, the agency’s co-founder. “But if [science] had just discovered this plant today, without its long history, we would consider it some sort of superfood. So we wanted to take a very different approach—one that wouldn’t limit its appeal to teenagers.”

Back in Chicago, Curioso was charged with designing the interiors for Seven Point, a challenge that goes far beyond most retail establishments. Although laws vary from state to state, in most cases, dispensaries require an ID check before customers can review a menu of offerings or even look at the product, which must be stored behind closed doors. That means proprietors have to find unique ways to make the shopping experience feel more like a boutique and less like a back-alley drug deal.

To achieve that end, Nina Grondin, one of two partners at Curioso, drew on the firm’s long history with hospitality clients, from restaurants to hotels and resorts.

“Our goal is always to make people comfortable, and to make spaces approachable and inviting,” says Grondin. “Seven Point sells medical cannabis to patients who may be quite ill, so we wanted to get away from the stereotype of a guy with huge muscles standing by the door checking IDs like a bouncer at a club. We want people to think of a concierge rather than a security guard, so that the space feels more like a high-end pharmacy.”

Another challenge: Seven Point isn’t licensed to grow cannabis to be used in its own products, so for now, the dispensary is selling goods manufactured by dozens of suppliers. Presenting all of those items on a shelf would have created a hodge-podge of garish colors and textures, as if customers were wandering through a flea market. So Grondin created a mammoth glass “humidor” that holds branded Seven Point boxes, glass jars, and canisters to provide a unified appearance. After customers make their selections on one of the store’s many iPads, employees remove the individual products from the branded containers and place them in a branded paper bag at the register.

In San Francisco, laws regarding the display and handling of products are less restrictive, so Simmons had plenty of options as he worked with Dutchman’s Flat, which takes its name from the historic neighborhood that locals now know as Dogpatch.

“Dutchman’s Flat is in the old dock yards area, where there are a lot of brick warehouses and an industrial feel that’s now being gentrified, like much of the city,” says Simmons. “We tried to make it look like everything that was in the space was either already there or repurposed from something that was already there.”

Inside Dutchman Flats dispensary where the vibe is like a coffeehouse.

The historic building featured a long white wall with painted bricks that would crumbled into dust when holes were drilled into it, so rather than hang menu boards, Simmons designed a display that’s cast onto the wall using projectors. Products aren’t locked away, but simply arranged on custom wood countertops, in magnetic metal canisters perched atop repurposed steel I-beams. “If someone really wanted to steal the product, they probably could,” says Simmons. “But we decided the trade-off was worth it, to make people feel at ease and welcome. Most people haven’t bought drugs before, but most people have bought an ice cream or a cookie, and we wanted it to feel more like that experience than anything else.”

As the cannabis industry continues to grow up, agencies like Mine, Curioso, and La Tortilleria are helping to erase stereotypes, creating a new language that doesn’t yet exist. And that’s part of the fun.

“One of the big reasons that I’m excited about designing for this industry is that we’re not beholden to history,” says Simmons. “If you’re designing liquor packaging or chocolate packaging, you already know what high-end liquor looks like and what bargain chocolate looks like. Walk into a liquor store and you can see, from a distance, what’s vodka, what’s gin, and what’s scotch, because they all have an established look and feel that telegraph the category. Pot doesn’t have that yet; it’s too new. We’re like the designers who created computer packaging back in 1985—it’s exciting to be at the forefront, setting a standard that other people will follow.”

#startups #text #startup #advice #busieness #howto #news #tech #love

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jobsinchicago911 · 4 years

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Ramp Service Cargo Agent, Office Warehouse Cargo Agent and Material Handler

About Skills for Chicagoland’s Future

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Why utilize Skills for Chicagoland’s Future as one of your job search sources?

Skills is your advocate with the hiring company throughout the hiring process. Any job seeker who Skills determines is a match for the role is interviewed by a member of Skills’ Talent Acquisition Team and provided with additional insights into the role. Additionally, Skills is free for job seekers.

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WFS (Worldwide Flight Services) is one of the world’s leading ground handling organisations, providing high quality cargo, passenger, premium, ramp, baggage and technical services across a network spanning over 175 locations in more than 22 countries on five continents

RAMP SERVICE CARGO AGENT JOB DESCRIPTION (FULL-TIME):

The work of a Ramp Service Clerk includes the following: loading and unloading of cargo (mail, express, baggage, freight, and company material) on and off aircraft; the transporting of cargo between terminals and aircraft; the ramp transfers of cargo where required; the receiving, delivering, and physical handling of freight and company material, export at the designated express docks, mail and baggage in the outbound baggage room; the completion of forms and messages related to and necessary for the performance of the designated locations of the functions described.

The cleaning and servicing of cabin interiors, including cockpit and lavatories; draining lavatories; checking, handling, assembling, removing and installing passenger service cabin furnishings and supplies. Transporting such furnishings and supplies to and from aircraft. Assisting in loading, unloading and racking both filled and empty drums.

In addition, de-icing aircraft, clear aircraft windshields, pushout/two aircraft and related guide man functions; connect/remove ground power and ground start units. May be required to clean the exterior of aircraft with specialized cleaning fluids. May be assigned to perform routine cleaning of work areas, ramps, and facilities with or without powered equipment. May be assigned to assist in monitoring security of facility. May be assigned to do routine automotive repair; servicing and cleaning of powered and unpowered equipment. Comply with WFS site security procedures for assigned warehouse and other operations. Remain cognizant of WFS staff, security contractors, and visitors’ activities and report security breaches, suspicious occurrences, or non-compliance with the site security plan to managers or via the WFS whistleblower program.

REQUIRED SKILLS

Load and unload aircraft of cargo weighing up to 70 lbs. in and out of aircraft within confined cargo areas, push, pull, and position loaded containers weighing up to 3,200 lbs. on rollers with/to aircraft.

Driving vehicles with gross weights of 3,000 to 80,000 lbs. in areas congested with aircraft, moving and stationary vehicles and equipment as well as positioning vehicle up to aircraft requiring depth perception and the ability to distinguish colors, red, green, and yellow.

Engage in push-out of aircraft driving 80,000 lb. vehicle or assist by providing guide function to driver using depth perception in congested areas or speaking to cockpit during push-back procedure.

Transport cargo to and from aircraft driving 3,000 lb. vehicle using depth perception to negotiate vehicle with attached carts through congested area. Read “off-load” sheets to determine destination of cargo.

While performing aircraft push-out and/or towing functions, engage in proper specific ground to cockpit communication via hand signals and voice commands, with and without, the assistance of sight or visual aids.

Ability to successfully communicate with others.

Ability to work in a high-noise level environment.

Ability to understand and react to verbal commands and safety warnings, with and without, assistance of sight or visual aids.

Pull, push, and lift bags weighing up to 70 lbs. onto or from a conveyor belt.

Pull water hose from stationary cabinet and connect to aircraft.

Lift, connect overhead and remove overhead, 40 lb. KVA electric cable to/from aircraft.

De-ice aircraft at heights of up to 20 – 80 ft. lifting and holding nose, spray exterior of wings and fuselage with glycol.

Ability to judge distances.

Ability to confront and question unauthorized personnel in secured areas and report their presence to authorities as necessary.

Reports to work on a regular and timely basis.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

Must be at least 18 years of age.

High school diploma or GED is required.

Valid driver’s license.

Ability to work rotating shifts including weekends (i.e. Friday, Saturday and Sunday), holidays, and days off. Ability to read, write, fluently speak and understand the English language.

OFFICE WAREHOUSE CARGO AGENT JOB DESCRIPTION (FULL-TIME):

The work of Agent Cargo includes computer data entry; prepares all flight documents; interfaces with U.S. Customs; prepares all import and export documentation, and accepts/distributes cargo in accordance with applicable air carrier and Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations. Complies lists of customers for use as sales leads. Solicits orders or talks with customers to complete sales. Quotes prices and terms and prepares sales contracts for orders obtained. Estimates date of delivery to customer, based on knowledge of company’s delivery schedules. Moves cargo up to 70lbs. Comply with WFS site security procedures for assigned warehouse and other operations. Remain cognizant of WFS staff, security contractors, and visitors’ activities and report security breaches, suspicious occurrences, or non-compliance with the site security plan to managers or via the WFS whistleblower program.

REQUIRED SKILLS:

Ability to handle the stress of a fast-paced eight hour shift.

Ability to learn PC skills and apply knowledge.

Ability to concentrate on detail.

Minimum typing speed of 30 WPM.

Ability to lift up to 70 lbs.

Ability to drive all cargo handling equipment.

Ability to step up to an above ground level.

Retrieve import/deliver export documents to and from aircraft.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE:

Must be at least 18 years of age

High School diploma or GED required.

Must have a valid driver’s license.

Ability to work 03:30 pm – 12:00 am, including weekends (i.e. Friday, Saturday and Sunday), holidays and days off.

Ability to read, write, fluently speak and understand the English language .

SALARY AND BENEFIT INFORMATION

FULL-TIME, Direct Placement

$14.15 per hour, plus overtime pay available after 40 hours (not mandatory)

M edical, dental, vision, life, short-term, long-term disability, hospital indemnity, critical illness and accident insurance after 90 days

MATERIAL HANDLER JOB DESCRIPTION (PART-TIME):

Load and unload postal bulk mail carts and containers (UPS).

Safe handling and operation of postal bulk mail carts (APC/BMC/OTR, etc.).

Build-up and break-down of mail and freight, as applicable.

Safe handling and transfer of mail and freight, as applicable.

Verify and scan mail and freight, as applicable.

Safe operation of all Ground Support Equipment (GSE), as trained and certified.

Maintain a neat, clean and organized warehouse and work area.

Clean GSE, ramp, warehouse, bathrooms, office areas and customer areas, as directed.

Comply with WFS site security procedures for assigned warehouse and other operations.

Remain cognizant of WFS staff, security contractors, and visitors’ activities and report security breaches, suspicious occurrences, or non-compliance with the site security plan to managers or via the WFS whistleblower program.

REQUIRED SKILLS:

Adhere to all airport and facility regulations regarding proper security and identification procedures, including correct escort responsibilities and challenge procedures.

Comply with all safety regulations, methods, and procedures required by WFS, USPS, airport, and all applicable government agencies

Advice Supervisor immediately regarding any hazardous materials (HAZ-MAT) cargo and/or any irregularities (e.g., spills, damaged items, pilferage, etc.).

Compliance with WFS policy for reporting injuries, incidents, damage, and theft:

Report ALL injuries, incidents, damage, and/or theft immediately to the Supervisor.

Ability to lift 70 lbs.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE:

High School diploma or GED required.

Must have a valid driver’s license.

Must be at least 18 years of age if position requires driving cargo handling equipment.

Ability to work Tuesday – Friday, holidays and days off.

Ability to read, write, fluently speak and understand the English language.

*This role is PART-TIME of with 14-20 hours a week – either 12:00 am – 4:00 am or 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm Tuesday – Friday

SALARY AND BENEFIT INFORMATION

$22.30 per hour, plus overtime pay available after 40 hours (not mandatory)

Medical, dental, vision, life, short-term, long-term disability, hospital indemnity, critical illness and accident insurance after 90 days

LOCATION – 514 Express Center Drive. Chicago, Illinois 60666 (on the southwest corner of Montrose and Mannheim Road in Chicago, right on the O’Hare campus)

For more information about Skills for Chicagoland’s Future, and to view additional roles Skills is currently placing unemployed/underemployed job seekers into visit www.scfjobs.com

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