Thirty-three years ago, Rex Carlisle was a sales clerk at University Mall’s Deseret Book store in Orem. Today he is Deseret Book’s director of distribution and fulfillment, in charge of about 100 employees and all inbound and outbound logistics for the largest Latter-day Saint bookseller/publisher (and more) in the world.
“My department handles fulfillment for all of our retail stores, other LDS book dealers worldwide, national accounts including Barnes and Noble, Borders and Wal-Mart, as well as all direct-to-consumer (catalogue and deseretbook.com) customers,” said Rex, whose previous title was manager of direct mail operations. “While I’m no longer over direct mail marketing, I still work with the Postal Service because the vast majority of customer orders are delivered by the Postal Service. I’m now more focused on the parcel side, but I represent the interests of our entire company with the Postal Service and pass along other changes and rates to those who need to know.”
Rex Carlisle talks with retail receiving area lead Sheryl Schmidt about an order being shipped to one of Deseret Book’s retail stores. Rex was recently elected industry co-chair of the Utah PCC.
Rex says Deseret Book is very dependent on the Postal Service. “We mail between
700,000-800,000 catalogues eight or nine times a year. This helps to generate an average of around 4,000 parcels daily.” Most of the direct-to-consumer parcels are sent via media mail, which Rex calls “the best service at the lowest cost.” The company also generates a lot of First-Class, Priority, Parcel Post, and Express Parcels.
Irene Rivera, book handler, scans a shipping label in preparation for picking an order via Deseret Book’s “pick-to-light” system. Pick-to-light technology speeds up picking by electronically "reading" an order then transmitting signals to special light bars mounted on storage racks that house the products to be picked. The light bars then flash -- so that the picker knows exactly where to go -- and display the quantity to be picked.
Deseret Book was founded shortly after Mormon pioneers settled in Utah, said Rex, and for many years had just one store in downtown Salt Lake City. Now they have retail stores throughout the western United States, plus a strong internet presence at www.deseretbook.com. While Deseret Book, of course, sells books, the company has branched out to sell other items such as CDs, DVDs, home décor and even clothing. It’s also the producer behind the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, producing and distributing all of their music. They’ve grown by acquiring other companies, including Bookcraft, Excel Entertainment, Covenant Communications and Seagull Book, and even have a partnership with the Lion House Bakery, the former home of Brigham Young now known for its home cooked meals and “big, soft dinner rolls,” said Rex, adding that many Deseret Book stores include a café and offer among other items many fresh baked goods.
Operator Kyle McFall stands near Deseret Book’s automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS). Deseret Book’s particular AS/RS is comprised of 4,000 aluminum storage totes filled with titles that can be accessed by one of two picking cranes.
Rex has been on the executive board of the Utah Postal Customer Council since the late 1980s and has been the organization’s vice chair and co-chair. “There are a lot of positive things to say about being involved with the PCC, including having the opportunity to address common concerns with local postal executives,” said Rex. The National Postal Forum, a huge mailer trade show/educational venue held every spring, is extremely valuable. (Editor’s note: The next National Postal Forum will be held April 11-15 in Nashville, TN.) Last spring, for example, Rex attended a Postal Forum in Washington, D.C. “After the Forum, a group of catalogue mailers got together and met with the postmaster general, a member of the postal board of governors, as well as several US Postal vice presidents,” he said. “We proposed some significant changes to the classification of mail that encompasses catalogues, and headway is already being made. In addition to the many networking opportunities, the Forums provide a venue to address concerns and issues in pricing at an executive level.”
PCC members who would like to get advice from Rex based on his years of involvement with the mailing industry can reach him at 801-517-3329 or email him at
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