Editor's note: If you'd like your company featured, called Beverly Burge at 801-974-2592.
Save more or sell more.
According to Marc Miller, Vice President of Sales at the Salt Lake City-based company Express One, those are the only real options most companies have to remain competitive. And per Marc, “companies who take advantage of Express One’s partnership with the United States Postal Service can definitely save more when mailing parcels, which frees up resources to sell.”
Express One is a “reseller” of parcels and freight services and also offers advice on how to save on telecom services. As for parcels, they’ve negotiated volume discounts on Priority and Express Mail with the Postal Service, which they offer to Express One franchisees and customers direct. Their franchisees and sales reps then offer shipping solutions to small and midsized business customers at prices those businesses can’t qualify for on their own.
If you haven't already met the Express One team, here they are: Front Row Left to right: Daryl Wilson (Director of Sales), Jim Bowers (CFO), Colby Clark (VP Business Development) and Scott Hardman (Director of Support). Back Row left to right: Marc Miller (VP of Sales), Scott Bryce (VP of Operations), Curtis Mitchell (Director of Business Development) and Bret Miller (President and CEO).
Thirty-two foursomes enjoyed the June 7th Utah PCC Golf Tournament at Oakridge Country Club in Farmington. Winners of the shotgun, scramble format tournament were:
First place with a score of 56: Mountainland Business Systems foursome of , left to right below: Rob Andersen, Troy Van Fleet, Chad Goodell and Brad Parsons.
Second place with a score of 60, from left to right, below: Robbie Woods, Scott Hyland Brian Morris, and Travis Merrill of Workers Compensation Fund.
Third place with a 61, left to right below: Jared Hutchings, Shaun Rothwell, Jason Foster and Ryan Litke of iDrive Logistics.
In the specialty contests, Lisa Leishman and Joe Izatt -- both of Utah State University Parking and Transportation -- won longest drive to the hole. Jeff Scilley of ADP and retired postal clerk Londa Smith won closest to the hole; and Gerald McCarver of Salt Lake Mailing won longest hole putt.
Thanks to all players, plus everyone who donated prizes for making the tournament successful. And, a special thanks to the companies who sponsored the event: Skymail International; Utah State University; Pre Sort Essentials; Bowe, Bell and Howe; Mountainland Business Systems; Marko Foam; Advance Mail; Pro Star; North American Envelope; Express Postal Options International; Pitney Bowes; and the Salt Lake City Post Office.
Company Spotlight: Deseret Book
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
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
Skymail International
Fifteen years ago, Mike Jones had a new baby, a new house, and a job working for someone else. Then his paycheck bounced.
To pay the bills, Mike decided to set up a small international mailing company in his garage. First he got advice from mailing industry friends and the Postal Service. Then he created hand-made sorting bins, bought a single mail meter, and maxed out his credit cards to the tune of $60,000.
That home-based venture blossomed into Skymail International, a domestic and international presort company. Now housed in a 36,000 square-foot facility near the Salt Lake City airport and the Postal Service’s local mail processing and distribution center, it employs 73 people.
Skymail Sales Executives Russ Jessop and Jason Hermansen discuss a project near Skymail's automated flat sorting machine.
One of those employees is sales executive and Postal Customer Council Board member Jason Hermansen. “We handle mailing needs for everyone from the small child care center that wants to print and mail 500 promotional post cards to neighborhood families, to credit card companies with enormous mail volume,” said Jason, who has been with Skymail 11 years. “First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, international mail, Media Mail, parcels, flats – any service the Postal Service offers, we can help you with your project and get you lower postage rates.”
Using five multiline optical character reader (MLOCR) sorting machines, Skymail can sort over one million pieces daily. Skymail also has the only automated flat sorter machine in Utah outside of the Postal Service. And, they provide inserting, addressing, and full color variable data printing. “Our customers encouraged us to offer printing,” said Jason, “so we developed a complete print to mail organization. We also have a full-time transportation manager, a fleet of vehicles, and a dedicated team of drivers to pick up mail from Logan to Provo.”
Production Manager Brandon Peterson oversees Skymail’s workroom, where 73 employees handle everything from high- speed equipment to custom projects that demand hand inserting or shrink wrapping.
When Mike Jones started the business, he made sales calls in the morning, collected mail in his little Nissan pickup truck in the afternoon, came back to his garage to sort and meter the mail, and then made a late afternoon run to the post office. After that, it was back to the garage to send out bills.
And while Mike’s original credit card debt is long paid off, he can’t do it alone any more, and he knows it. “I also owe so much to my employees,” he said. “They are loyal, hardworking and the backbone of this company. Without them I’d be lost.”
Mike says he also owes a lot to fellow PCC members Thom Roylance and Richard Boudrero (mailing managers at Brigham Young University and Utah State University, respectively) for helping him get started. “Thom and Richard were some of my first customers,” said Mike. “And, along with the Postal Service, they answered many questions and gave me really great advice. Skymail is bigger now, but customer and Postal Service relationships are still very important.”
For more information about Skymail, contact Jason Hermansen at 801-303-8911 or call Skymail’s main number of 801-977-8900.
Skymail’s 36,000 square- foot facility is located at 1476 South 3600 West, just minutes from both Salt Lake City International Airport and the USPS's main Utah mail sorting facility. The building is fully secure and gated, and security alarms, magnetic lock doors and a full facility 24-hour digital camera surveillance system add to the security. The site also has fire alarms and sprinklers for the protection of all mail and equipment, plus power backup.
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Postal Service begins contract negotiations today with the largest of its four unions, the American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO (APWU).
HAWAII NATIONAL PARK, HI — The beauty of Hawaii’s rare plants and animals will grace letters and packages traveling across the nation now that the Postal Service issued the Nature of America: Hawaiian Rain Forest stamp pane and stamped postal cards today.
The U.S. Postal Service will pay tribute to Mother Teresa, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her humanitarian work. Noted for her compassion toward the poor and suffering, Mother Teresa, a diminutive Roman Catholic nun and honorary U.S. citizen, served the sick and destitute of India and the world for nearly 50 years.
News
