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

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

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!

Houstonians have grown accustomed to heat advisories and don’t always take them as seriously as they should. We at Hot Shot Delivery understand that extreme temperatures can be devastating. Recently we were called upon to handle a replacement heart valve which was required to be kept under strict temperature control. If not properly controlled, the valve would be useless.

When facing a serious health problem, the last thing you need to worry about is the reliability of the courier service. Whether we’re transporting a simple blood sample or an organ for donation, Hot Shot handles each medical delivery with delicate care and efficiency.

We are determined to meet all temperature demands and know that any failure may not just be economically expensive, but can really affect the company or individual. That’s why we are one of the most trusted medical delivery companies in Houston, handling work for several of the areas largest hospitals and medical device companies.

Heat doesn’t just affect medical related deliveries; Hot Shot handles all sorts of temperature sensitive packages.

Need to send an expensive bottle of wine for a friend’s birthday? You need to take temperature into account. Wine is like milk, you can’t let it just sit in the back of a hot truck all day. Extreme temperature changes can wreak havoc on the wine’s delicate flavors and ruin your thoughtful gift before it even arrives.

Hot Shot also handles the delivery of fresh seafood and live lobsters to several high-end restaurants throughout the Houston area. As unchecked food can spoil easily, it’s important to apply meticulous detail to each step of the delivery process to ensure all parcels are kept at proper temperatures.

While delivery time is the primary concern for many of our customers, it’s but one of the many things we take into account when we handle your shipment. At Hot Shot, each package is a priority.

Hot Shot Delivery had the pleasure of delivering several of the HD Video Cameras and equipment that are used by the media outlets that covered this extraordinary patriotic celebration. And that’s only one example of the amazing things that Hot Shot has the opportunity to deliver. Many people may think that a courier/delivery company only delivers boxes, envelopes and papers. Don’t get me wrong, we do tons of work for the business sector and have deliveries all day every day that include envelopes, boxes and papers. But, we also provide medical delivery services, delivering lifesaving medical devices like heart valves, pacemakers, pharmaceuticals, hospital monitors and much more. We even deliver Live Lobsters! There really is no limit to our delivery capabilities.

As we settle in to this hot and very dry summer, be sure to stay cool, hydrate and be thankful for the freedom that we have as Americans. God Bless America and Our Soldiers.

There is a driver of yours who deserves recognition for his honesty.  On May17 ,2011, I lost my wallet .  I was riding on my Harley Davidson  when my  wallet  inadvertently fell out of my pocket onto a busy street.  It contained all my personal information including  my debit card and cash. Mr.Errick Harris brought my wallet to my house. When he gave me my wallet it still contained all the aforementioned personal property. I am very appreciative of his effort.  I can not believe someone would go to the trouble to perform such an act of honor for a complete stranger. I was in such disbelief by this act of honesty,  I neglected to get where he worked and his name at the time he delivered the wallet.  My wife got on the Internet and called numerous companies trying to locate this individual. It is nice to know there are still such honorable and honest people left in the world today.  I trust you will see Mr.Harris receives a copy of this letter of thanks. I am truly in his debt. I hope you will find a way to recognize this person’s kindness and honesty.

Regards,

Paul Germany

Thank you for sharing this letter with us Mr. Germany! Working with people like Errick Harris is what makes Hot Shot Delivery great! Keep up the good work Mr. Harris!

May 1st is Lemonade Day! What is Lemonade Day?

Lemonade Day is a part of Prepared 4 Life, a non-profit that provides fun, proactive and experiential programs infused with life skills, character education and entrepreneurship. Born in Houston in 2007, Lemonade Day was inspired by the lessons local entrepreneur and philanthropist Michael Holthouse taught his young daughter and her friend when they set-up a lemonade stand. Five years ago, instead of giving his daughter money to buy something, Michael Holthouse encouraged her to set goals and work for it. Who knew that what started as an innocent question from Michael Holthouse’s then 10-year-old daughter, Lissa, wanting to purchase a pet turtle, would turn into a life changing opportunity for hundreds of thousands of children across Houston and the country.

Lissa and a friend set up a lemonade stand, and learned a lot along the way. Michael realized that there were important lessons in mentoring and business that he was able to share with his daughter that day. That one day sitting in the driveway with his daughter inspired what is now known as Lemonade Day. It is day of educating and empowering youth to have a dream and pursue it.

It is my belief that the lessons learned through Lemonade Day will help these young men and women become the business leaders of the future. So, on Sunday May 1st, look for Lemonade Stands and support these kids in their business venture.

 

http://Houston.LemonadeDay.Org