Ryzex Blog

It’s not often that you get something for free, but we like to take care of our customers and make things convenient.  That’s why we are offering a free backup unit when you buy a coupuon book!  This offer is only good until December 1st, so think of it as an early Christmas present.  When you buy a Ryzex repair coupon book, you also get a FREE spare device to use while yours is being fixed. That’s equipment you’ll have in-stock, ready to keep your data collection operation up and running, even when your other unit’s in the shop. Of course, not all models are available, but you can call Ryzex to double check this offer includes your unit.  Enjoy savings on repair and reduce downtime - now that’s a great present!

Saturday October 27th was National Make a Difference Day where thousands of people set aside time to volunteer in their community for various organizations.  Ryzex proudly promoted the day and encouraged employees to take time out of their busy weekend to volunteer in our community.  Ryzex employees embraced the idea and took part in painting the Red Cross building, Distributing fliers for the Arthritis Foundation, and planting trees for the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association.  One volunteer employee openly shared that his highlight was “having my eldest son with me experiencing the joy of contributing towards making mother earth beautiful.”  Thank you to everyone who volunteered on Saturday and who volunteers on a regular basis!

The Ryzex corporate office isn’t located within walking distance of many restaurants, so I like to salute any employee that brings their lunch from home instead of hopping in their cars to drive to the nearest fast food chain for lunch. In addition to reducing air pollution, they are eating healthier and saving money, too. So, congratulations if you are one of those dedicated brown baggers! Here are some additional tips and suggestions on how to make your brown bag a little greener:

1. Do you pack your lunch in a disposable plastic or paper bag? If so, why not consider upgrading to a reusable lunch box or bag. There are so many options available right now made from a variety of materials and in a range of sizes, and most are practical and affordable.

2. What about the packaging of the items inside your lunch bag or box? Do you typically pack food in throwaway baggies or purchase goodies in individually packaged servings? There is also a wide assortment of reusable containers on the market that will accommodate everything from your sandwich to all your sides. You can buy your sides in larger packages, or better yet in bulk, to reduce packaging and then fill individual serving-sized reusable containers for grab-and-go lunch packing.

3. Did you know that it’s been reported that 60 million plastic water bottles are thrown out each day in the US? Precious resources go in to making the bottles and there is usually more supply than demand for bottles to recycle so many end up in landfills. Even if we could recycle all those bottles, remember that recycling uses energy, too! Fill a Thermos or reusable bottle with your favorite beverage and pack it in your lunch. And for those trips to the water cooler, you can do your part to prevent waste with the use of a reusable hard plastic or stainless steel water bottle, or a good old fashioned mug or glass.

4. As for your utensils, there are lots of biodegradable options, but even better, keep a set of silverware in your lunch bag or box that can be washed and reused day after day. You can also pack a cloth napkin for an air of sophistication and bonus points for all of the paper towels and napkins you will avoid using! It’s amazing how such simple little changes can make a difference over time. The paper lunch sack and 2-3 baggies most people use for their lunch each day may not seem like a lot on a day to day basis, but they add up. Adopting just these few simple practices can reduce your waste considerably!

The Fourth Annual Sustainable Ballard Festival is this weekend.  We thought that the fact that it’s the “fourth annual” bears promoting in and of itself!

The Fest’s website pretty well sums up their mission and is one that many of us at Ryzex fully support:

We are pleased to announce that Ryzex has entered a strategic partnership with Honeywell Batteries. Under the agreement Honeywell Batteries will be one of our Premier battery suppliers. Honeywell provides premium replacement batteries and chargers for leading manufacturers such as Symbol, Intermec, Hand Held Products and Zebra. The cornerstones of Honeywell’s business are quality, customer service and attractive pricing. Honeywell liked the idea of partnering with us because of our ability to provide complete technology support to our customers, from legacy equipment, to the latest hardware, and now, Honeywell batteries.  

We all know that batteries are not friends of our local landfills, and this partnership will also allow Honeywell to take advantage of our maintenance and battery recycling services for both their customers and ours.   

Ryzex is one of four Whatcom County businesses who appeared in Inc Magazine’s September listing of the fastest growing 5,000 companies in America.  Also joining us are Bellingham neighbors Logos Research Systems (ranked 3,061) and Toolhouse Design Co. (3,959) and Blaine based TC Trans (3,297).  Ryzex slid in the rankings at 4,928.

Inc. bases the 5,000 ranking on the percentage of revenue growth from 2003 through 2006. Each company must be U.S.-based and privately held. Revenue in 2003 must be a minimum of $200,000 and revenue in 2006 must be a minimum of $2 million.

Ryzex posted a 24.8 percent increase during the period,  and currently employs 360 team members.  While lots of companies are obviously growing by leaps and bounds and many are growing more quickly than us; we are proud of the fact that we’ve been able to grow Ryzex in a profitable and sustainable way. 

We are not green because it’s cool to be green, the core of our business is based on the idea of keeping our customers’ technology solutions in use as long as they need.  Inc.’s Green 50 was a nod to those companies, and Ryzex landed on that list earlier this year.  We think it’ll be a great day when the two lists are flipped–when Inc. publishes a list of the top 5,000 sustainable companies.  

According to Scolastic, Inc, today is the official birthday of the Internet.  On August 1, 1990, “British physicist Tim Berners-Lee, who was looking for an easy way to share information with other scientists, first suggested what became the World Wide Web. A computer programmer from Belgium, Robert Cailliau, helped him design the first Web browser. Later that year they came up with the idea of a URL, or Web-site address.”  Immagine where we would be today if we didn’t have the internet.  Immagine where we will be in another 17 years!

For all of you reality TV show watchers, there could be a new one hitting the tube in the spring of 2008.  According to the Bellingham Herald (www.bellinghamherald.com), Blackdog Productions (www.blackdogproductions.com) will be filming “The Greenest House” from August - October.  Right now, executive producer, Suzanne Blais plans to air the show on BTV10 (available only in Bellingham, WA), but is also involved in negotiations to determine if the show will be aired outside the area.  Blais won’t disclose many details of the show, but it will involve families competing against each other as they try to reduce energy and water consumption.  I don’t even have a TV, but I have to admit that it does sound interesting.  Maybe I’ll bike to a friend’s house to watch a few episodes. 

July 24, 1897 marks the birth of Amelia Earhart (as usual, I’m late with my birthday wishes).  During an era when men dominated almost everything, Amelia was truly a pioneer that I couldn’t leave unmentioned.  

Amelia was most famous for her flight records:  becoming the first woman to fly across the Atlantic in 1928 as a passenger, the first woman (and second person after Lindbergh) to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1932, and the first person to fly alone across the Pacific, from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Oakland, California, in 1935.

According to Infoplease, Amelia was a modern woman. “She was courageous, independent, and had a strong social conscience. She fought for international peace, equality for women, the advancement of women in aviation, and the viability of commercial aviation. During her lifetime, she was a role model to millions of people whom she motivated and encouraged through her actions.”

Prior to her final attempt to circumnavigate the globe in 1937, Amelia wrote this note- let it be an inspiration to all of us!

“Please know I am quite aware of the hazards…I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail their failure must be but a challenge to others.”