OLD IRONSIDES

The Postal Service recently helped commemorate U.S. Navy heritage aboard the USS Constitution, the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat. Boston, MA, Postmaster Jim Holland and Navy Lt. Cmdr. Anthony Savage unveiled the Distinguished Sailors stamps aboard the ship, nicknamed “Old Ironsides.” The stamps commemorate four sailors. “On behalf...

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PLAY BALL

EVENTS HONOR NEGRO LEAGUES STAMPS AND FORMER PLAYERS From left, San Diego District Manager Dallas Keck, San Diego Padres Executive Vice President Dave Winfield and, far right, San Diego Postmaster Tim Padden. The Postal Service honored the Negro Leagues Baseball Stamps and former players recently during a number of events across the country. At...

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MEASURING A DECADE OF PROGRESS

IS USPS A BUSINESS? The Postal Service has achieved remarkable success over the past 10 years to improve its business model. It has applied sound business practices to deliver consistently high levels of service and to earn higher levels of customer satisfaction — all with far fewer resources. Early in this period, Postal Service leaders decided...

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SWEET PARTNERSHIP

FROM CANDY TO NUTS, A SALES SUCCESS WITH PLENTY OF DRIVE Fresh Beginnings, a Valdosta, GA, gourmet cookie company that focuses on automotive clients, visited a USPS sales team during a recent automobile dealers’ convention. One of Fresh Beginnings’ marketing strategies is a dealer program thanking customers making new car purchases with a designer...

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EMPLOYEE FOCUS--REGISTERING HOPE

A LOOK AT THE USPS MARROW DONOR PROGRAM Huntington Beach, CA, Letter Carrier Hung Chung. Every year, more than 10,000 adults and children are diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma, sickle–cell or other life–threatening diseases for which a marrow transplant is their only hope for a cure. The Postal Service’s Delivering the Gift of Life campaign...

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BOSTON NEGRO LEAGUES

Northeastern University last week hosted an unveiling of the Negro Leagues Baseball Stamps at its John D. O’Bryant Center for African American Studies. The event paid tribute to early African–American baseball players and their contributions to the nation’s culture and history. Featured speakers included Dr. Raymond Doswell, representing the Negro...

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IS USPS A BUSINESS?

MANAGING COSTS IN A PERFECT STORM Throughout the past decade, the Postal Service has steadily cut costs from its budget. Now, recession–driven revenue declines, ongoing mail volume reductions caused by Internet diversion and a crippling requirement to pre–fund retiree health benefits have combined to cause a “perfect storm” and focus more attention...

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TOP STORY--HAPPY CUSTOMERS PROMOTE USPS

CUSTOMER CONTACT DRIVES ‘LIKELIHOOD TO RECOMMEND’ Early results from the new Customer Experience Measurement (CEM) tool reveal that contact experience — the quality of the relationship USPS develops with customers — offers the most significant opportunity for not only improving satisfaction, but also increasing the likelihood customers will recommend...

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TREASURER EXTRAORDINAIRE

PEDERSEN NAMED ONE OF THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN FINANCE Treasurer Robert Pedersen. Treasurer Robert Pedersen, who last month was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Finance by Treasury & Risk magazine, now is featured on the magazine’s website. Pedersen began his career at USPS as an investment officer in 1983 and was named...

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DELIVERING THE COUNT

DELIVERING THE COUNT USPS EARNS PRAISE FOR EFFORTS SUPPORTING 2010 CENSUS The Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb) proved its worth during the 2010 Decennial Census, saving the Census Bureau millions of dollars and providing data the Postal Service could use to plan and schedule cost-effective handling and transportation of Census mailings. For the...

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A POSITIVE NOMINATION

NEGRO LEAGUES BASEBALL MUSEUM RECOMMENDS USPS FOR AWARD The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum has nominated USPS for a United Nations Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) Positive Peace Award. The museum’s president, Greg Baker, announced the nomination during the dedication of Negro Leagues Baseball stamps last week at the museum in Kansas City,...

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GREEN HOSPITALITY

OKLAHOMA’S NCED EARNS SUSTAINABILITY AWARD The National Center for Employee Development in Norman, OK. The Postal Service’s National Center for Employee Development (NCED) in Norman, OK, has earned the highest sustainable travel certification offered by “Encouraging Conservation in Oklahoma” — the state’s sustainable program for the travel business. According...

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CUSTOMER FOCUS

LAUGHING PANES USPS HONORS FIVE SUNDAY COMIC STRIPS WITH STAMPS The Postal Service today celebrates newspaper comic strips during a first-day-of-issue ceremony for the Sunday Funnies stamps on The Ohio State University campus in Columbus, OH — home of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum. The 44-cent First-Class Mail stamps feature five comic strips: Archie, Beetle Bailey, Dennis the Menace, Garfield, and Calvin and Hobbes. The strips, as well as their characters, may have changed over the years, yet each remains a classic. “Like...

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DELIVERING THE GOODS FOR E-TAILERS

 DELIVERING THE GOODS FOR E-TAILERS USPS HELPS ONLINE MERCHANTS GROW BUSINESS USING PRINT CATALOGS The Postal Service this month is reaching out to e-tailers (companies who only sell and advertise online) with a campaign showcasing how printed catalogs can dramatically drive increased online sales. The campaign, “Getting Started in Catalogs,” features an instructional DVD and a free live webinar series that show how catalogs — when used as an extension of a company’s Internet-shopping portal — can increase online purchases. The DVD...

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POSTAL ICON

POSTAL ICON MR. ZIP REACHES EMPLOYMENT MILESTONE Mr. ZIP, the wide–eyed, uniformed, cartoon figure of a letter carrier, marks his 47th birthday this month. Faced with growing mail volumes, the Department of the Post Office developed the 5–digit Zone Improvement Plan code, or ZIP Code, as a way to quickly sort mail and speed its delivery. Mr. ZIP was created to convince Americans to use ZIP codes — launched July 1, 1963 — to move the mail faster and more efficiently. Mr. ZIP — who has no first name — wasn’t always a postal employee....

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