Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, which means millions of people will hit the nation’s back roads and highways en route to vacation destinations. In fact, AAA reports that an additional 500,000 cars will hit the road this Memorial Day weekend compared to last year although many will stay closer to home. Stop and go traffic, poor vehicle maintenance and cars laden with vacation gear can reduce fuel economy significantly.

With 100,000 drivers on the road throughout the world, we have mastered the art and science of fuel conservation. Via a combination of technology and driver behavior, UPS avoided driving more than 63.5 million miles in one year with an associated emissions avoidance of 68,000 metric tonnes.

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How many times have you wished for more peace and quiet at your office, or for the person in the cube next to you to use their “inside voice” so you could get work done?

Small business Speech Privacy Systems helps solve problems like that.  They sell equipment that masks and reduces the travel of speech.  Systems range in scale from personal devices to systems that discreetly cover entire facilities.  They are especially useful in environments where speech is either distracting to others or needs to be obscured due to the confidential nature of what is being said. 

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With a nod to National Small Business Week, The UPS Store recently conducted a survey of more than 500 small business owners to find out what kind of support they need, what support they receive and what unique challenges they face. We heard repeatedly that small business owners want to be understood, and many need more support than they’re getting.

We weren’t surprised to find that most small business owners want to work with other small business owners who best understand their complex needs. As a network of franchised locations, each individually and locally-owned, we see this every day in our close relationships with the small business customers in the communities we serve. Interestingly, almost 75% of survey respondents say it is important to have support from a business resource who understands their issues because they, too, are a small business owner. Yet, only 52% percent of small business owners currently work with such a resource.

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Orbit Micro is a Dallas-based seller of high-performance and specialty turnkey computer and software systems for defense, education, science, energy and other industrial and consumer applications.  Shipments can be fragile, high-value and time-sensitive. 

UPS has helped Orbit Micro expand its customer base globally with “the opportunity to go places that we couldn’t normally go,” according to COO Ashley Smith.  In addition, the company uses UPS’s Flexible Parcel Insurance to protect systems that are often custom-built for deadline-driven projects. 

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I recently spoke with Entrepreneur Magazine’s Emerging Entrepreneur of 2011, Adam Nelson, to talk about a product he created—the Good Nite Lite. The Good Nite Lite is a device that combines a traditional night light with a timer, so that children learn when it is time to sleep and when it is time to wake up. Adam thought up the Good Nite Lite concept when his four-year-old son continually woke him and his wife because he couldn’t seem to stay in his own bed until the sun came up.

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In honor of Small Business Week (May 20-26), we’re offering Small Biz Daily Deals. Each day from the @UPS Twitter account, we’ll highlight a UPS small business customer.

Online shoppers can take advantage of deals on the food you’ll need for the grill, outdoor gear and flowers delivered right to your front door. Many of the customers are also offering free shipping with special promo codes.

White Flower Farm has a special on Casa Blanca Lily bulbs: order 1 dozen and get the 2^nd dozen half price.

White Flower Farm is a small business in Connecticut that has flowers and plants from all over the world.  They count on UPS to transport their delicate deliveries. 

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Before I got a job working with our NASCAR sponsorship, I didn’t know very much about the sport and would likely immediately change the channel if it were on TV. Over the years, I’ve learned a great deal and have developed an appreciation for all the hard work and skill demonstrated by teams and drivers that can only be witnessed in person.  The energy and excitement from fans is equal or greater than most other sports in the U.S., making it one of my favorite sporting events to attend.

My role in the NASCAR sponsorship was recently expanded, and I’m now responsible for one of the more notable elements of the sponsorship, the Trackside Services Program.  As the Official Logistics Provider of NASCAR, we have the privilege and responsibility to provide exclusive shipping for customers within the NASCAR garage at all 38 Sprint Cup race event weekends. Check out the infographic below to see more of what we do.

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This year, I am going to seven weddings. SEVEN. And that’s not even including my own. Because most of them are out of town, I am just never at home. Traveling is great, don’t get me wrong, but with so much to do (particularly with my own wedding planning), leaving town can be a little inconvenient.

Now that summer is approaching, I’m sure I’m not the only one with trips on the horizon. Summer vacations, Memorial Day and Labor Day getaways, Fourth of July trips – they are great, but wouldn’t it be wonderful to take a trip without worrying about what’s going on at home?

On May 18, UPS is proud to be a part of the Girls’ Lunch Out (GLO) party. It’s a networking event for women, and an opportunity to break from the blogging and connect with other busy women, moms and business owners who want to find the same solutions.   

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On Wednesday, UPS Customer Solutions president Jim Coughlan spoke to attendees of the Supply Chain in Action executive forum taking place near Phoenix. The participants were corporate logistics managers from Fortune 1000 companies, as well as academicians and students from universities with logistics programs.

Jim took part in a conversation with other business leaders addressing a range of topics from supply chain practices and trends to how online commerce impacts the global economy. According to comScore, U.S. retail e-commerce spending reached a record $161 billion in 2011.  And Goldman Sachs forecasts e-commerce to be nearly $1 trillion by the end of next year. Before he left, I asked Jim for his thoughts about e-commerce.

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When you reach for your cup of  “Morning Joe,” what runs through your mind?  Are you thinking about how nice it is to watch a beautiful sunrise?  Or perhaps you’re thinking about the growing list of things you have to get done that day.

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