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, MO.

“We’re thrilled that the U.S. Postal Service has chosen to recognize and honor the men and women of the Negro Leagues who set aside the challenges of their time and empowered themselves to become the most positive examples of leadership, character, creativity and determination ever imagined in our modern day,” said Baker.

“In turn, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum has nominated the U.S. Postal Service for a United Nations NGO Positive Peace Award to honor it for celebrating the league’s legacy,” he said.
The award recognizes organizations that contribute time and money to make a difference in the world through their support of local, national and international nonprofit organizations. This is the first year of the awards. Finalists will be honored and the winners announced Sept. 17 at a ceremony at the United Nations

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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 to Robin Ware, manager, Employee Development, the facility began implementing green programs in its conference and housing facility about seven years ago. Elements of the program include use of environmentally friendly laundry and cleaning products, the purchase of recycled office supplies and non-toxic paints, and the conversion of the chlorine pool and spas to saltwater facilities. In addition, NCED plants herb gardens every year and donates food scraps to an area zoo.


During a renovation in 2009, NCED recycled more than 64 tons of wall vinyl and carpet. Two years ago, the facility reduced gas consumption by more than 18 percent and began using glass water containers — a switch that eliminated the use of 80,000 plastic bottles each year.

Daniel Carriglio, Supply Management’s Western Services Category Management Center manager, is responsible for managing the NCED supplier relationship. “The NCED team exemplifies supplier and Postal Service collaboration to create a better, more sustainable environment,” he said.

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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 stamps, comic strips often tell a story through humor, adventure, fantasy and sometimes even drama,” said Eastern Area Vice President Megan Brennan. “Today, we commemorate five of our country’s most beloved comic strips and dedicate an amazing stamp pane that represents a unique part of American culture.”


Offering an idealized portrait of American adolescence, Archie existed only in comic-book form before debuting in newspapers in 1946; Beetle Bailey, a military strip with universal appeal, first appeared in September 1950; Calvin and Hobbes ran from November 1985 to December 1995; Garfield came onto the comics page in June 1978; and Dennis the Menace debuted in March 1951.

Joining Brennan in dedicating the stamps were The Ohio State University Executive Vice President and Provost Joseph Alutto and The Ohio State University Libraries Director Carol Pitts Diedrichs.

Special guests included Beetle Bailey creator Mort Walker; Garfield creator Jim Davis; Dennis the Menace artists Marcus Hamilton and Ron Ferdinand; Archie Comics newspaper strip writer Craig Goldman; and Calvin and Hobbes Editor Lee Salem.

Click here to see how some of the featured comic strips let their readers know about the stamps.

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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 features testimonials from widely recognized companies such as Dell and Zappo’s, businesses that became leaders by adding catalogs to their marketing mixes.


“Putting a focused, attractive catalog in the hands of customers has a unique ability to engage their attention, and prompts them to browse a company’s site and place orders,” said Steve Hernandez, acting vice president, Sales. “For e-tailers looking to push their sales to the next level, catalogs are a proven medium for delivering transactions and enhancing customer loyalty.”

The first of three free webinars will be offered July 20, with tutorials on catalog production and the smartest and most cost-efficient ways to produce a catalog. Additional webinars will be held July 28 and Aug. 24. Follow-up support from USPS sales personnel also will be available for customers.


Customers interested in growing their businesses through the use of catalogs can click here to learn more about the catalog campaign, order the free DVD and register for upcoming webinars. Employees can click here to learn more about the USPS catalog campaign.

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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. The figure was designed by Harold Wilcox, son of a letter carrier and a member of the Cunningham and Walsh advertising agency, for use by Chase Manhattan Bank in New York in a bank–by–mail campaign. Wilcox’s design was a childlike sketch of a postman delivering a letter. The figure was used only a few times, and then filed away.



The American Telephone and Telegraph Company acquired the design from the Cunningham and Walsh agency and made it available to the Post Office Department without cost. The new figure, dubbed Mr. ZIP, was unveiled at a convention of Postmasters in October 1962.



“Mr. ZIP helped make the business of conducting commerce in America through the mail more efficient, reliable and cost–effective,” said USPS Historian Meg Ausman.



With the introduction of the 9–digit ZIP Code, or ZIP+4, in 1983, Mr. ZIP went into partial retirement. His image still was printed on the selvage of some sheets of stamps, but that practice ended in January 1986. Mr. ZIP still is used occasionally by the Postal Service — including at ZIP Code Lookup on usps.com.

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OSCAR MICHEAUX

PIONEERING FILMMAKER IMMORTALIZED ON POSTAGE

The Postal Service yesterday issued a commemorative stamp honoring film director, screenwriter, producer and distributor Oscar Micheaux during ceremonies in Miller Auditorium at Columbia University in New York City.

Micheaux’s unique storytelling ability shattered stereotypes and challenged film audiences with realistic representations of African Americans through more than 40 feature films. He becomes the 33rd person honored in the popular Black Heritage commemorative stamp series.

“Oscar Micheaux was a transformational filmmaker and gifted storyteller with an uncompromising technique that embraced honest depictions of African Americans,” said Delores Killette, vice president and Consumer Advocate. “His films not only entertained, they left audiences with a sense of encouragement, hope and inspiration.”

The stamp, designed by Derry Noyes of Washington, DC, features a stylized portrait of Micheaux by artist Gary Kelly of Cedar Falls, IA. The artwork is based on one of the few surviving photographs of Micheaux, a portrait that appeared in his 1913 novel The Conquest.

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