CELEBR-ASIAN

USPS RECOGNIZED FOR SUPPORT OF ASIAN PACIFIC COMMUNITY

From left, Rupert Warner, USPS Supplier Diversity Team; Susan Au Allen, USPAACC National President and CEO; and Carlos Rudas, USPS National Diversity Initiatives.

The Postal Service last month received a “Plaque of Recognition” at the U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce’s (USPAACC) 25th Anniversary Business Opportunity Conference. USPS was recognized as a “stalwart supporter and partner.”

This annual event — designed for the Asian American community — is the largest business opportunity conference of its kind in the United States. More than 800 participants attended, including USPS, along with other large corporations, federal government agencies and Asian American-owned businesses.

USPAACC helps generate business opportunities for Asian Pacific Americans and their partners with corporations, the federal government and the minority small business community. The organization represents varied ethnic groups, including Americans who trace their ancestry to China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Mongolia.

At the conference, the Postal Service educated suppliers on how to do business with USPS and the opportunities for business growth with the Postal Service.

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SHARING THE BEST

SHARING THE BEST

USPS COMPARES SUSTAINABILITY NOTES WITH PRIVATE SECTOR

Seventeen regional, national and global organizations from the Pacific Northwest, including the Postal Service, met recently at the University of Washington (UW) for the Pacific Northwest Sustainability Roundtable. The day-long event — co-sponsored by USPS, UW, Costco and Starbucks — offered area companies the opportunity to share their sustainability achievements and best practices, while providing a forum to network and discuss common challenges.

“Many companies were not aware of what USPS has accomplished in the sustainability arena", said Seattle District Manager, Shipping and Mailing Solutions, Nick Coleman. “This was a perfect opportunity to learn more about our customers and to provide them with insight into our commitment to sustainability leadership, thereby building our credibility.”

Coleman says the Seattle Sales team is conducting follow-up meetings to pursue sustainable shipping and mailing business with them. “This was the first such seminar, but we hope to make it a semi-annual event hosted by other participants,” he added.

Keynote speakers at the event included USPS Vice President, Sustainability, Sam Pulcrano and Acting President, Mailing and Shipping Services, Susan Plonkey. Seattle District Manager Katherine Nash also participated.

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GROWING SALES, GROWING VOLUME

GROWING SALES, GROWING VOLUME

APPLICANTS FOR 2010 SUMMER SALE UP FROM LAST YEAR

Bob Daberkow is vice president of a Florida-based fulfillment and catalog company. He’s also a fan of the Postal Service’s Summer Sale.

His company participated in the 2009 event, and he’s applied to participate in this year’s event. The application deadline was May 28.

Daberkow said the postage rebate program encouraged him to mail his catalogs to a number of lists he might otherwise have ignored. He also said the 2010 Summer Sale “will lead us to expand our mailing efforts on all four of our brands in an effort to grow our businesses again this year.”

Daberkow is just one example why the number of applicants to this year’s Summer Sale has grown. Applicants in 2009 numbered 1,200. This year, 1,478 mailers applied.

The 2010 event is scheduled to run July 1 to Sept. 30. The incentive program offers a 30 percent rebate to eligible mailers for Standard Mail letters and flats volume above a predetermined threshold — 5 percent over each mailer’s volume for the same period in 2009.

To be eligible to participate, a company must have mailed at least 350,000 Standard Mail letters or flats between July 1 and Sept. 30, 2009.

USPS currently is reviewing the applications to make sure mailers meet the requirements to participate. The Postal Service expects the program to generate up to 1 billion new mailpieces during the sale period.

The 2010 Summer Sale is a component of a broader pricing strategy that creates incentives to grow and retain mail volume.

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SAFETY EXEMPLIFIED--accumulated about a million miles without an at-fault accident

Monroe, NC, Rural Carrier Deloris “Dee” Hash and Mid-Carolinas District Manager Dave Fields.

SAFETY EXEMPLIFIED. For 32 years, Deloris “Dee” Hash has accumulated about a million miles without an at-fault accident — a feat that recently earned her a Million Mile Award.

Mid-Carolinas District Manager Dave Fields presented Hash with her Million Mile Award plaque and pin, as well as a letter acknowledging her accomplishment. Fields told Hash that her award placed her in an elite group of employees.

“You are the seventh recipient this fiscal year, out of more than 5,000 employees who drive for us each day,” said Fields. “You should certainly be proud that you have served our customers every day and returned home to your family safely each night.”

Hash said she was surprised when Monroe Postmaster Curtis Pawl called her forward for the presentation. “I saw my children and my husband, but I had no idea,” she said.

Hash also will be considered for a national safe driver of the year award.

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NEW SALES LEAD

BUSINESS FOCUS

NEW SALES LEAD

HERNANDEZ NAMED ACTING VP

Acting Vice President, Sales, Steven Hernandez.

Acting President, Mailing and Shipping Services, Susan Plonkey has announced Steven Hernandez will become acting vice president, Sales.

“Steven brings more than 22 years of management experience to his new position, including a strong record of achievement in sales, marketing, and customer service in both field and headquarters assignments,” said Plonkey.

Hernandez most recently served as Postmaster in San Antonio and Austin. Previously, he was manager, Marketing Strategy and Support, reporting directly to the chief marketing officer. Prior to that, he held sales management positions of increasing responsibility in the Southwest Area. He also served as an associate vice president of Sales at headquarters.

A 2004 Postal Service Sloan Fellow, Hernandez earned a Masters in Management Science at Stanford University. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from Purdue University and a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Texas.

Hernandez began his postal career in 1984 as a letter carrier in Austin.

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STAMPS NOW

TOP STORY

STAMPS NOW

STAMP FULFILLMENT SERVICES CONTRIBUTES TO BOTTOM LINE

The underground entrance to Stamp Fulfillment Services in Kansas City, MO.

It began in the 1960s as a small office at headquarters, fulfilling stamp orders for collectors.

Philatelists still are a market for Stamp Fulfillment Services (SFS). But the organization’s marketing and sales horizons have dramatically expanded. Today, SFS is a major and still-growing enterprise, with a global customer base of 3.6 million customers — including many Postmasters.

SFS maintains an inventory of 4,500 stamps and philatelic products worth $400 million to $700 million. The entire inventory is stored in the “Subtropolis,” a 326,000-square-foot facility housed in a limestone cave beneath Kansas City, MO.

Why the cave? It’s secure and offers excellent climate control features.

During the 28 years SFS has been headquartered in Kansas City, it has become a significant sales channel for the Postal Service. SFS Manager Khalid Hussain says revenue from his operation is growing each year. “Projected income for the current fiscal year is $495 million, more than double the revenue of six years ago,” he says.

SFS deals directly with a growing and increasingly diverse public. Eight years ago, the organization sold its products to nine customer categories. Today, SFS sells to 26 distinct customer categories, ranging from government agencies to non-postal national and international resellers, eBay buyers and every customer who purchases stamps on usps.com.

Through the years, SFS has relied on technology and excellent customer care to meet growing demand. More about that in a futureLink story.

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