2. Both Hot Shot and Santa Claus use the latest & greatest in tracking technology. Santa was so impressed by Hot Shot’s state-of-the-art tracker that he started using a system modeled after it. Hot Shot’s tracking system lets customers know exactly where their packages are at all times, and Santa figured he could make use of this himself.

3. Hot Shot and Santa both deliver joy during the holiday season! From presents, to treats and sweets, only Hot Shot and Santa can quickly deliver the goods spreading holiday cheer from door to door (or chimney to chimney).

4. With hundreds of staff and delivery drivers, Hot Shot is well-equipped with plenty of man power to ensure that everyone gets their holiday merriment. When Santa noticed how efficient Hot Shot’s staff was, he promptly hired elves and trained them to transport and process items, just like the Hot Shot team.

5. Hot Shot Delivery has a fleet of quick & reliable transportation to get packages delivered as quickly as possible. Santa knew he needed to be as quick as the Hot Shot Delivery team, so he invested in a sleigh and his reindeer. Although not as fancy as a Hot Shot Delivery vehicle, it would just have to do.

6. Everyone knows that Santa works 24/7 in order to make it all the way around the world at all the right times to get kids around the world their presents on time. Hot Shot has deliveries to make to kids, adults and well, everyone! So Hot Shot works around the clock, 24/7 to make sure every package is in the right hands on time, no matter how big or small.

7. Kris Kringle, Papa Noel, St. Nick…all very different names, but all associated to the one and only Santa Claus. Just like Hot Shot’s staff are known as many different things; courier, messenger, delivery driver…all have one purpose, and that’s to satisfy customers during this holiday season!

May this holiday season be filled with warmth, laughter and love. From our family to yours, happy holidays!

The Hot Shot Delivery Family

Some of our favorite Thanksgiving memories are a little more personal. At Hot Shot Delivery, Inc. we are truly a family. We have a lot of pride in what we do and we take care of who we work with, because they take care of our customers. The inspiration for this week’s blog came from the spirit of Thanksgiving and a note our Controller, Phil, sent me about “how thankful he is for the wonderful work and assistance that Rose and the Hot Shot Delivery customer service offer.” It was also sparked by our Office Manager, Amanda, recently recalling coming into our office when the air was full of the aroma of pumpkin pies. That brought me back to one of my favorite Thanksgiving memories.

In 2005, during my first Thanksgiving as President of Hot Shot Delivery, my wife and I had an idea to start a new tradition: to bake 175 homemade pumpkin pies the day before Thanksgiving for the Hot Shot Delivery family! That’s right, just the two of us, in our church’s kitchen, making 175 homemade pumpkin pies in one day.

Lots of flour, sugar, laughter, and well, nine hours later, we had 175 wonderful, individually boxed, homemade pumpkin pies. It was a nice treat for all of our staff, drivers and their families. My wife, being in the restaurant business, gave all of her staff pies as well. We had fun and were delighted to add some joy to the tables of those who do such a great job for us each and every day. However, I think we will leave the pie making up to those that are best at it from here on out.

From all of us at Hot Shot Delivery, thank you for your trust and support. As our friend, customer, or prospective customer, we sincerely appreciate you. Please remember that there are many that do not have anyone to share this holiday with, so open your heart, your home, or if you are able, your wallet. Or, simply give your smile or time. Also be sure to also thank a soldier, their family, and the first responders for keeping us all safe.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Hot Shot Delivery!

Gratefully,
Eric

The month of October is a reminder that breast cancer awareness is much needed. Great progress has been made in research in the area of breast cancer. According to breastcancer.org, as of 2010, there were more than 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States. I am proud and honored to know a few of these many survivors and will continue to support the awareness of this worthwhile cause.

Hot Shot Delivery is blessed to sit in the heart of one of the largest medical cities in the U.S. Our location has given us the opportunity to take part in all sorts of medical related deliveries. For example, we have the opportunity daily to deliver medical genetic samples that are used by physicians to determine the health of the unborn, the severity of a disease, or to determine if an organ donor is a proper match. This is a responsibly that we do not take lightly.

Serving as Houston’s Courier to the medical community comes with great reward and great responsibility, but occasionally we get a good laugh out of it. One day I went home to tell my kids about the very important new study that we were assisting with. We were responsible for picking up soiled diapers and delivering them to a laboratory for testing. To this day, my kids get a kick out of telling people that we deliver poopy diapers.

Today, as we have always done, we “deliver Houston” and make sure that each and every one of our deliveries gets handled with the respect and attention it deserves. After all, we are not just delivering an envelope, a box, or a sample. Sometimes, we are delivering a life!

Until next time,
Eric

I grew up surrounded by the delivery and courier/messenger business, and today, I am honored to serve as the President of Houston’s leading courier service, Hot Shot Delivery, Inc. Growing up, I never gave a lot of thought to what a messenger was or did. People asked me all the time, “What do you deliver?” For years, my answer was simple: “We deliver envelops, boxes, or whatever you need.”

If you asked me today, my answer would be a little different, as I have developed a deeper appreciation for the importance of our services. I’d tell you: “We deliver, peace of mind to the nervous new associate shipping their first deal to closing.” “We deliver life to the young father that is undergoing emergency valve replacement surgery.” “We deliver time to the busy executive assistant, who no longer has sit on hold to place an order.” “We deliver comfort the patient that can now choose home dialysis.” “We deliver excitement when you watch a sporting event in HD.” “We deliver luxury when you choose to eat a fine seafood meal.”

Finally, “We deliver enjoyment to our customers because they know that when we are on the delivery, they can relax, have peace of mind and time to enjoy the comfort and luxury of life.”

Although my answer has changed, what we do today at Hot Shot Delivery, Inc. is no different than what we have always done. Now that I have turned another year older, I suppose I am getting more sentimental and reflective. Our service options and offerings have expanded, but like Gabriel, our message is still the same.

Be sure to take a moment and reflect on the messengers and messages around you. Here’s to success and health of you and yours. Thank you to all for supporting Hot Shot and for being a part of our family.

All the best,
Eric

For those interested in more information on Saint Gabriel Day – September 29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel

Some of our driver’s favorite delivery memories include:

• A Hot Shot Messenger once went to pick up flowers at a house around 1:00 a.m., only to find a disoriented gentleman in his robe pulling flowers out of his flower bed and stuffing them into a paper bag. He told our driver that his girlfriend was upset with him for never buying her flowers and he wanted to make sure he got flowers hand delivered to her. Proof that Hot Shot can deliver – no matter what time it is.

• A woman had a date cancel on her because he was ill. She decided to order soup and have our Courier/Messenger Service deliver it to his home. Unfortunately, he wasn’t home. Our driver tried to deliver the soup 2 additional times that night and the gentleman never came to the door. Our customer was grateful for our persistence, but told the driver to enjoy the soup after the third visit.

• Once, a man who was out of state on a business trip received a call from his wife that she had unexpectedly gone into labor. He knew it would be impossible to make it back in time, so he called Hot Shot Delivery to cover until he arrived. We delivered balloons and flowers to his wife at the hospital with a card explaining how much he cared and how upset he was that he couldn’t make it back in time.

No matter how random or interesting the delivery, Hot Shot is always there to help you out. We offer Houston
Courier/Messenger Service for the quick and unexpected and Routed and Scheduled Deliveries for the daily drop offs and pickups. Our dedicated fleet can carry loads of all shapes and sizes. Our drivers are experts in transporting the expected or unexpected anywhere you need it to go. Call Hot Shot day or night for all of your delivery needs.

Today, Hot Shot has formed a logistics division, Hot Shot Logistics, Inc. to manage freight brokerage services in the truck load (TL) and less than truck load (LTL). We also manage ground transportation services, such as daily mail pick up and delivery, specialized home medical delivery, white glove delivery, and warehousing projects. While Hot Shot’s roots are seeded deeply in Houston, our branches reach far and wide, “Delivering to Houston and beyond”!

If you have offices in other cities and need deliveries or advice about anything transportation related, don’t hesitate to call us! Our single source billing options and transportation management and logistics consulting can save you time and reduce costs.

Want to know more? Contact Hot Shot Delivery President, Eric Donaldson.

This got me thinking about the little things we do and one of the most important daily functions in every business: Mail Runs. For years, Hot Shot Delivery Inc. has collected mail in the Houston area. In fact, Mail Runs are currently our most popular delivery service in Houston.

With recent buzz of Postal Office closures we wanted to let you know that we are here for you. Don’t stress about how you will get your mail out. Hot Shot will come by your office and pick up your outgoing regular mail, certified mail, or Fed Ex packages. To keep your staff productive and out of the August heat, we also offer Morning Mail Recovery service where we pick up and deliver incoming mail to you.

Have you run out of time to get a package prepared before the Postman arrives? Ever need to make sure a proposal gets postmarked that day? For last minute deadlines, Hot Shot is here for you 24/7/365.

To get started on Daily Mail Runs, call Hot Shot Delivery at 713-869-7575 or email us at Sales@HotShot-Delivery.com.

In addition to Houston’s amazing culture, this is also an incredible city to start and run a business. Hot Shot Delivery, my second generation Houston courier service, was started by my father and his entrepreneurial drive over 33 years ago. Today, Hot Shot Delivery has expanded our reach beyond Houston to serve businesses of all sizes and all industries.

We’ve been “Delivering Houston Since 1978” and are proud to be from “Space City.”

Houston’s rich Texas history and diverse culture offers visitors many things to see and do. Houston is the home to NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, the Texas Medical Center, prominent musicians, artists, and much more. Below are some of my suggestions of places to visit and eat at for those who come to visit. If you do, don’t forget to look me up!

Restaurants
• Italian Food: D’Amico’s Italian Market Café, www.Damico-cafe.com
• Tex Mex: Molina’s Cantina, http://www.molinasrestaurants.com/
• Vietnamese: Van Loc, www.vanlocrestaurant.com
• Seafood: REEF, http://www.reefhouston.com/
• BBQ: Goode Company, http://www.goodecompany.com/

Free Museums
• San Jacinto Museum of History: www.sanjacinto-museum.org
• Art Car Museum: www.artcarmuseum.com
• Holocaust Museum Houston: www.hmh.org
• The Menil Collection: www.menil.org

Area Tours
• Port of Houston Free Public Boat Tour: www.portofhouston.com/samhou/samhou.html
• Free, Self-Guided Audio Walking Tours: www.downtownhouston.org/guidedetail/audio-walking-tours/
• Minute Maid Park Ballpark Tours: www.houston.astros.mlb.com/hou/ballpark/tours/index.jsp
• The Heritage Society at Sam Houston Park, Historic House Tours: www.heritagesociety.org/hours.html

Attractions
• Houston Zoo: www.houstonzoo.org
• Space Center Houston: www.spacecenter.org

No matter what you see or do during a Houston visit you’re bound to meet some friendly folks and have a great time. Space City’s fast pace, welcoming feel and array of activities might even convince you to turn a short stay into a permanent vacation.

Whether you lace up your bowling shoes with your co-workers, family, or a combination of the two you are bound to have a good time. In addition to being fun, activities, like bowling, use friendly competition to strengthen the relationships between a company’s employees.

Hot Shot activities have given our team something to look forward to and talk about outside of work. The bond created by having fun as a team has strengthened our working relationships. The open and positive communication between the Hot Shot team has also enabled the logistics and warehousing side of our courier business to come off without a hitch.

Creating a company team is as easy as having a signup sheet in the break room or pairing up departments that normally don’t interact with one another. So get your teams together, enjoy a fun activity and beat the heat!

How do you beat the heat? We’d love to hear your ways.

Several months passed and I got an email from Chris saying that his surgery went well and that he was working out again, but was uncertain about his playing future. Our friendship began. Since that day I have been lucky enough to have been called upon by my friend for advice on logistical planning and strategy on packaging and other cold chain solutions. Now, Chris has become the expert and is teaching me more than I ever could have known about cold chain.  Chris called on my expertise and knowledge because we handle Last Mile Logistics nationally for some of the most prominent seafood and fine food purveyors, into some of the finest restaurants in the United States.

His company is Lone Star Lobster. You can find him at www.LoneStarLobster.com. His passion for his business is incredible. It’s so much fun to be a part of and it has been a privilege to watch him grow.  We recently began a new delivery program for Lone Star Lobster. In addition to handling on demand courier delivery runs for them or rush (Hot Shot) jobs, we have developed a Home Delivery Program for live lobsters.

If you want lobster or are interested in a home delivery for a traditional New England lobster and clam bake, let me know. We can deliver it to your front door!

“It’s Lobster Season, Eric! Tell your friends and customers, that if they live in Houston and want Lobster, we can get to them more competitively and fresher than anyone. Plus, we can get steamer clams too!” – Chris of Lone Star Lobster.

So, if you have a time sensitive and temperature sensitive delivery, let Hot Shot Delivery, Inc. handle it. We promise we won’t steam it; we’ll leave that up to you!