▪ 526,085,400 kids receive presents on December 25.

Assuming each child gets one gift, that’s:

▪ 22 million gifts delivered each hour.

▪ 365,000 gifts delivered each minute.

▪ 6,100 gifts delivered each second.

* As calculated by Philip Bump over at The Atlantic.

However, depending on who you ask, Santa isn’t limited to December 25, and he doesn’t have to visit every kid himself:

▪ F.O.S. (Friend of Santa) Sinterklaas cruises over to the Netherlands from Spain every year on December 5 bearing gifts. Santa still has to make his rounds on December 25, but this double-gifting likely results in slightly lighter cargo.

▪ Naughty kids in Europe get an early visit from Krampus on December 5. If they get their acts together over the next two weeks, they might be among the lucky 526 million —but that’s really Santa’s call.

▪ In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, Santa comes on Twelfth Night, or January 5.

For those of you who have a lot of goods to deliver by December 25 — and don’t have elves, reindeer, steamboat-riding Dutchmen or goat-headed demons at your beck and call — may we suggest Hot Shot Delivery?

In 2011…

226 million people shopped on Black Friday.

Americans spent $52 billion on Black Friday weekend.

59% of consumers reported doing the majoring of their holiday shopping online.*

Nearly 29 million people didn’t even wait for Black Friday — they shopped on Thanksgiving Day.

This year…

Holiday sales are projected to rise 4.1% for a total of $586.1 billion.

Online sales are forecast to increase 12% for a total of $96 billion.

53% of consumers are planning to shop on Black Friday.*

52% of people would consider shopping on Thanksgiving Day if the sales are good enough.*

All numbers are as reported by the National Retail Federation except * from Accenture.

If that kind of volume sounds overwhelming, let Hot Shot allay your fears. Don’t have the warehousing capacity to store all the inventory you need for the holiday rush? Our logistics division is ready to receive, store, replenish and manage your inventory, as well as fulfill orders for your customers. Have the warehouse space but need help getting large shipments from distribution centers to stores? Check out our freight and trucking services.

No matter how diligently you plan for the holiday shopping season, inventory, distribution and shipping emergencies happen. Be prepared for the unexpected: program Hot Shot Delivery 713.869.7575 into your cell phone.

Hot Shot Delivery is a certified SmartWay Transportation partner, which means that we carefully monitor and report our emissions. We are committed to constantly improving our fuel efficiency, primarily by strategically planning our routes. Our top-of-the-line dispatching system uses CXT software to organize and group packages with similar destinations and time frames, and then tracks the progress of each delivery through GPS. It all helps Hot Shot vehicles reach their destinations as quickly as possible, which reduces fuel costs, lowers carbon emissions, and gets your package delivered on time and on budget.

We also use bike messengers for couriered packages within downtown Houston. Bikes are not only more environmentally friendly, but often more efficient: bike messengers can quickly and easily zip through downtown traffic, and can “park” directly outside of a building rather than looking for an available lot.

Whether you’re using Hot Shot for a regularly scheduled delivery or a last-minute medical emergency, our efficient routing and dispatching systems will ensure that your package reaches its destination as quickly and responsibly as possible.

***

HOUSTON ― September 25, 2012 ― On Tuesday afternoon, local business Hot Shot Delivery hosted Gov. Rick Perry and other elected officials for a press conference about the governor’s Budget Compact for Texas. Perry, along with Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Sen. Dan Patrick, spoke at Hot Shot’s primary warehouse facility, located on Shepherd Drive just north of I-10.

Perry thanked Hot Shot for welcoming him and the public into the warehouse, and acknowledged the hard work and difficult decisions required to run a successful business. As Perry noted, Texas has one of the fastest growing economies in the country, and companies like Hot Shot ― which began operating in Houston more than 30 years ago ― have contributed to the state’s robust job creation and low unemployment.

Hot Shot Delivery president Eric Donaldson shares Perry’s vision of Texas as a great place to build a business. “There’s a reason that so many people are moving to Texas,” said Donaldson. On the topic of Perry’s Budget Compact, Donaldson noted that in order to keep Texas economically strong, “we need to continue to grow [as a state] in a responsible way.” He applies this same principle to his own business, which he says “will continue to grow as quickly as we can find and hire the right people for the right jobs.”

Donaldson is an active member of the National Federation of Independent Business, which helped arrange the press conference. In 2010, he was named NFIB’s Small Business Champion for Texas and he currently serves on the organization’s Texas Leadership Council.

Hot Shot Delivery is a comprehensive delivery and logistics services provider. Their services include local courier, same-day delivery, routed and scheduled delivery, express air, process service, fleet management, freight service, warehousing and third-party logistics.

As a student at the Citizen’s Academy, Donaldson engaged in mock crime scene investigations with crime lab personnel, steered a patrol car through emergency maneuvers and learned how to use various weapons carried by DPS officers. “I was especially impressed by the professionalism and competence of all of the employees I encountered at TXDPS, including Rangers, Troopers and administrative staff,” said Donaldson. The entire Hot Shot family congratulates Darrell on his achievement!

Pictured: Darrell Donaldson (center) with Director of DPS Steven C. McCraw and Commander Philip (Duane) Steen of Region 2.

Perhaps the best example of this is our partnership with a company that manufactures cochlear implants, delicate electronic devices that can make it possible for a person who is deaf or severely hearing impaired to experience sound for the first time.

This particular manufacturer is located in Denver, Colorado, where last winter they experienced especially harsh weather conditions. The expedited and overnight carrier they were using at the time wasn’t able to make timely deliveries due to the heavy snowfall. That’s when Hot Shot stepped in. Not only were we able to deliver the goods in spite of the snow, Hot Shot’s logistics specialists came up with a new solution for their supply chain.

Now, an inventory of cochlear implants is stored right here in Houston, at one of Hot Shot’s climate-controlled warehouses. Our facilities are conveniently located in the fourth-largest American city, which is also home to one of the best medical centers in the country. When an implant is needed at Memorial Hermann, Methodist or Baylor College of Medicine, Hot Shot’s Houston courier service can have it there within the hour. We also have easy access to major highways and airports, enabling us to get these essential medical items loaded into expedited trucks or on the next flight out.

At Hot Shot, our goal is to satisfy our customers by providing on-time, reliable and affordable deliveries. When that package contains life-changing technology, we couldn’t be more proud.

The Houston Zoo receives food every day. And thankfully so. That food keeps the animals alive and happy. Employees at the zoo are used to bringing pounds of supplies and properly feeding the animals, a difficult task if a delivery goes awry.

In addition to making the animals happier, this also contributes to the well-being of the employees. An overly hungry lion with no food on the way is probably not the easiest creature to deal with. On time food delivery protects the employees and ensures the health of the animals. And as a Houston courier company with a thing for important delivery, we tip our hats to the local zoo.

Houston Zoo Fun Facts:
• Three rhinos eat an average of 400 bales of hay each year.
• The 2011 food cost for rhinos at the Houston Zoo was $5000.
• Zookeepers feed animals a variety of recipes, specialized for their diets.
• Animal commissary employees work 365 days every year. Even animals need Christmas dinner.

Visit the Houston Zoo’s Website or Like them on Facebook to learn more.

To be the best delivery service we can be, we are always on the lookout for delivery stories that are truly amazing. On this blog, we have talked about the longest pizza delivery, major disaster deliveries and pivotal medical deliveries.

But earlier this month, the world witnessed one of the most amazing deliveries, ever. SpaceX, a private space travel company, just completed the world’s first successful space cargo exchange mission with astronauts at the International Space Station. The Dragon, SpaceX’s revolutionary shuttle, left on May 27th to take 1,114 pounds of food, clothing, and ice bricks. It returned in good shape on June 4th. SpaceX President Elon Musk deemed the mission a “grand slam”. Dragon also brought back more than half a ton in old equipment and experiments. (See the official exchange list here).

This mission opens new doors for future shuttle missions. Dragon is perhaps the only legitimately reusable space cargo ship, and it can fly without passengers. It has set the tone for space travel to become easier, safer and more affordable.

Hot Shot congratulates SpaceX, NASA, America and the world for this momentous accomplishment. We reaffirm our pledge to outstanding delivery in honor of this amazing achievement.

Sometimes you need a truck.

Other times, you need a plane.

But some of the most important deliveries are made not by truck or by plane, but by bicycle.

Bike couriers are an excellent way to send a Hot Shot, short notice delivery through downtown. When it comes to a sensitive deadline, a bike is sometimes the only way to save the day. If you need something transferred quickly and carefully across a short distance, our bike deliveries save you precious time by taking the best route.

May is National Bike Month, so we’re saluting our couriers and the bikes they ride by pedaling a few extra miles. We encourage you to do the same. Meanwhile, keep us in mind if you need something cycled from Point A to Point B.