California Manufacturing Company

Amazon Tries Out Taxi Deliveries in California Cities
November 10, 2014

Amazon is testing deliveries via taxis in San Francisco and Los Angeles, according to the Wall Street Journal, as the Internet retailer explores alternative modes of delivery to speed up shipments while restraining cost.

Amazon is using the taxi-hailing mobile app, Flywheel, to ship parcels via licensed cabs, studying the feasibility of using taxi fleets more broadly as a delivery avenue.

The e-commerce company, stung by shipping delays last Christmas blamed on services such as UPS and FedEx, has been exploring various options from regional couriers to its own delivery vehicles.

I Could Have Slept In But Why Should You Care?
October 16, 2014

Something strange has happened to me. On a recent three-day holiday weekend, I had the opportunity to sleep in. But I didn’t. I attended a concert at the Hollywood Bowl Saturday and started early Sunday packing meals at our church for families in Haiti. I was looking forward to sleeping in on the holiday Monday when my wife told me our runners group was going out at 7 a.m. What would seem like an automatic "no" has become a much easier "yes" for me.

Where Are Trade Shows Going?
August 21, 2014

In our first article on What’s Happening with Trade Shows, we covered the SAAC Show, a strong regional association event, in Long Beach, Calif. There were a couple of anonymous comments bemoaning that the article featured links to product videos from some interesting items we found at the show.

Sip Tips
May 19, 2014

If you're not selling drinkware, you're missing out on an enormous market. Give your sales a boost with these five tips for mug and tumbler success.

Senate Confirms Maria Contreras-Sweet as Small Business Administration Leader
March 31, 2014

It took more than a year, but the Small Business Administration finally has a permanent leader back at the helm.

The Senate on Thursday easily confirmed Maria Contreras-Sweet as the agency’s new administrator in a voice vote, handing the reins to the former banking executive and public official from Los Angeles. President Barack Obama nominated Contreras-Sweet to the post back in January, filling the last remaining vacancy on his second-term cabinet.

Contreras-Sweet is the founder of both ProAmérica Bank, a community bank specializing in small-business loans in southern California, and venture capital firm Fortius Holdings.

Should Plastic Bags be Recycled or Banned?
November 22, 2013

California has become an interesting test-case for both approaches to one plastic problem.

Back in 2006, California passed a law that mandated a system for recycling plastic shopping bags. Today, supermarkets and other large stores have receptacles where plastic bags can be returned for recycling.

However, a recent report from the Associated Press found that it's difficult to measure how successful this program has been.