Graphics Convention 'Draws' Crowd

Fort Lauderdale Postmaster David Guiney (left) presented an enlargement of the U.S. Flag Forever stamp to Printing Association of Florida President Gabe Hernandez (right). During his presentation, Guiney spoke about the flag’s meaning to he and his family as one of his sons proudly serves in the U.S. Navy. Photo: Kelly Worthman
 
The Postal Customer Councils of South Florida, along with the Sales Department, joined together again this year to participate at the Graphics of the Americas convention in Miami.  

Graphics of the Americas, one of the industry’s largest, annual, combined expositions and conferences, attracted attendees by the thousands.  

“It brought many opportunities for the U.S. Postal Service and our Postal Customer Councils (PCCs) in South Florida, which include the PCC of Broward, the Miami-Dade County PCC and the Palm Beaches and Treasure Coast PCC,” said Fort Lauderdale Postmaster David Guiney.

In addition to Guiney, this year’s postal participants included Training Technician Gayle Jones; Customer Relations Coordinators Curlita Rogers-Saunders (West Palm Beach), Mirtha Uriarte (Miami), and Kelly Worthman (Fort Lauderdale); and Field Sales Representative Edwin Vivas.  

 
From left, Customer Relations Coordinators Kelly Worthman (Fort Lauderdale) and Mirtha Uriarte (Miami) were pleased with attendance at the Graphics of the Americas convention Feb. 22-24. Photo: Edwin Vivas

Fort Lauderdale Customer Relations Coordinator Kelly Worthman (right) spoke with Customer Barry Burns (left) about postal products and services, including the benefits of irresistible mail. Photo: Mirtha Uriarte

OPS Celebrates Black History Month

Operations Programs Specialist Lenora Banks (above) and co-workers celebrated Black History Month with a luncheon. Photo: Fort Lauderdale Customer Relations Coordinator Kelly Worthman 

Seeking Employees for OPS Details

Are you looking to broaden your horizons in the Operations Programs Support Department?
                      
A/Manager, Operations Programs Support Michael Vecchitto and Manager, Delivery and Customer Service Programs Kristopher Novy are seeking two employees for a detail as Operations Programs Support Specialist (OPSS) EAS-17 (not to exceed 90 days) at the District Office.   

All EAS career employees EAS 17 and below and within local commuting distance (50 miles) of the South Florida District Office, 1900 W Oakland Park BLVD, Fort  Lauderdale, FL, may apply for this opportunity.  You must have computer skills and be proficient in the Microsoft Excel program. The schedule will be rotating with hours adjusted by the managers.

 

REQUIREMENTS:
Knowledge of programs, policies and procedures related to delivery, collection and retail services and operations, including safety, budget and work hours, schemes and routes, retail analysis programs, and central delivery points.

Ability to analyze quality improvement and operational performance data and prepare test sampling plans.

Ability to conduct/oversee unit reviews, route inspections, and Function Four reviews.

Ability to implement, monitor, and evaluate quality and operational improvement programs and procedures to ensure they meet established specifications.

Ability to prepare and maintain an operating budget.

Ability to communicate orally and in writing sufficient to maintain records and prepare reports, give technical guidance and make recommendations, provide training and instruction, and consult with customers.

Ability to communicate orally and in writing at a level sufficient to work with customers, contractors and major mailers and to prepare information related to operations programs.

Ability to oversee and coordinate the work of employees assigned to projects. 

HOW TO APPLY: If interested, please answer the above requirements and provide your name, unit, brief job description and contact number to Kristopher Novy at Kristopher.B.Novy@usps.gov by Sunday, March 4, 2018.

Vecchitto is Promoted to Pompano Beach Postmaster

Michael Vecchitto

Michael Vecchitto, Manager, Operations Programs Support in the South Florida District, has been promoted to Pompano Beach Postmaster.
 
As Postmaster, Vecchitto will be administratively responsible for the 599 employees who work at six stations and two finance units in Pompano Beach and the surrounding area. He will oversee an annual operating budget of $51 million and will have overall responsibility for retail and delivery operations. In Fiscal Year 2017, Pompano Beach generated $50 million in revenue. There are 212,613 city and rural deliveries.
 

Vecchitto, a 26-year postal veteran, began his career as a City Letter Carrier in Connecticut. In 1998, he entered the managerial ranks as a supervisor in Boca Raton, FL.  During his career, Vecchitto has held various management positions in Delivery Operations, and has served as Postmaster in Boynton Beach, Jupiter and Lake Worth, FL.

As District Emergency Management Team (EMT) Leader, Vecchitto coordinated recovery efforts throughout South Florida, mainly in the Florida Keys, following Hurricane Irma in September 2017.

A Corporate Succession Plan (CSP) candidate, Vecchitto is a Management Leadership Program (MLP) graduate and is Lean Six Sigma (LSS) Green Belt trained. 

He is a veteran of the U.S. Navy.

                                                                                                               

“Michael brings a wealth of postal experience and knowledge to his new position,” said A/District Manager Timothy R. Costello. “Please join me in congratulating him and in wishing him continued success in his career.”

60 Years and Counting in Cleveland

Cleveland Letter Carrier Alfonzo Wilson, Jr. is interviewed by a TV news crew for a recent story about his 60-year career.

Things were different when Alfonzo Wilson, Jr. began delivering mail in 1958.

The 80-year-old Cleveland letter carrier, who recently celebrated 60 years on the job, didn’t have a delivery vehicle in the beginning and used a city bus to get to his route.

“An employee in a truck would place our mail in brown mailboxes located along the route,” Wilson said. “We would walk all day and then take the bus back to the Post Office when we finished our routes.”

There was also more mail to deliver back then — especially to businesses that received deliveries twice a day.

Wilson — who has no plans on retiring anytime soon — said he was raised to have a strong work ethic.

“The way I was brought up, if you’re blessed to work and able to work, you work,” he said.

Wilson has left an impression on his customers in Cleveland’s University Circle neighborhood, the route he’s had since 1968.

“I run into people now that I delivered to when they were little kids,” he said.
“They always remember the mailman.”

His colleagues have positive memories as well.

Cleveland Postmaster Rose Spraggins was a new letter carrier in 1983 when she met Wilson, her on-the-job trainer.

He had some advice for the rookie: “He said, ‘If you take care of your job, it will take care of you,’” Spraggins recalled.

Wilson has shown that care in more ways than one.

“He has touched thousands of lives by being a role model in the community,” said Spraggins. “He is always willing to support the Postal Service mission with dignity and respect and represent the organization in a positive way.”

Wilson said the reason for his long career is simple.

“I love serving the public,” he said. “I believe the opportunity to serve is its own reward.”

Source: LINK

Inspectors Announce Crackdown on Schemes Targeting Elderly

Criminal charges have been filed against 250 alleged perpetrators in mailing and other schemes that targeted the elderly.

 

The Postal Inspection Service and other federal agencies announced the largest elder fraud sweep in U.S. history this week, a crackdown that charged more than 250 people who bilked $500 million from elderly Americans.

The fraud schemes, which included mass mailings, victimized more than one million people.

“Winners. That’s what so many of the people who received these solicitations in the mail thought they were. But they’re not. They are victims of scams that postal inspectors have seen and investigated for decades. In fact, some of the same operators we encountered 20 years ago are back. But so are we,” said Chief Postal Inspector Guy Cottrell.

The sweep was announced Feb. 22 in Washington, DC, where Cottrell joined Attorney General Jeff Sessions and representatives from other law enforcement agencies.

One day earlier, Cottrell said the Postal Inspection Service executed search warrants at 12 locations where the fraudsters ran their scams.

“We’re letting the American public know — and especially our vulnerable older Americans — that postal inspectors are working hard to protect them and ensure their confidence in the U.S. Mail,” Cottrell said.

The briefing also included Angela Stancik, a Texas woman whose 82-year-old grandmother committed suicide after scammers drained her life savings. This case was not part of the operation announced Feb. 22, but officials said the story illustrates the toll elder fraud can take.

“She died with $69 in her bank account,” Stancik said. “She was robbed in every sense.”

Source: LINK

Seeing the Light in Fort Pierce, FL

 

Dr. Edith Widder, Chief Executive Officer of the Ocean Research and Conservation Association (ORCA), addresses the audience at the Bioluminescent Life stamp dedication ceremony. Photo: Daniel Afzal

The Postal Service dedicated new stamps that celebrate some of the planet’s brightest life-forms Feb. 22 in Fort Pierce, FL.

The Bioluminescent Life stamps feature organisms with the ability to generate light and include various species found on land and under water. The pane was produced using highly reflective rainbow-colored holographic material.

“These stamps were created so that they reflect back light to mimic the effect of bioluminescence,” said Chief Human Resources Officer Jeffrey Williamson, who led the dedication ceremony at the Sunrise Theatre.

“Much like the magical creatures we’re celebrating today, these stamps are truly dazzling. And starting today, these vibrant images will travel quickly, easily and affordably on letters and packages to millions of households and businesses throughout America — inspiring an even greater appreciation for this vital part of our natural landscape.”

While a rare phenomenon on land, bioluminescence is not uncommon at deep-sea levels, where there is little to no sunlight. Some species are born with bioluminescence, while others, such as certain fishes and squids, have receptacles for displaying bioluminescent bacteria that they capture.

The genes that enable bioluminescence in some life-forms have contributed to medical advances in the fights against Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other diseases.

“These are such amazing creatures,” said Dr. Edith Widder, Chief Executive Officer of the Ocean Research and Conservation Association (ORCA) and photographer of seven of the images. “It’s thrilling to be able to share these images and help reveal what I think is one of the most entrancing but least known wonders of the natural world — the ability to make light.”

Source: LINK

Ocean Darkness Comes to Life at Bioluminescent Life Stamp Dedication

From left, Chief Human Resources Officer & Executive Vice President Jeffrey Williamson, WQCS National Public Radio News Director Jill Roberts, and Stamp Photographers Dr. Edith Widder and Taylor Lockwood.

From left, USPS Chief Human Resources Officer & Executive Vice President Jeffrey Williamson, Stamp Photographer Taylor Lockwood, WQCS  National Public Radio News Director Jill Roberts, and Stamp Photographer Dr. Edith Widder autographed commemorative envelopes.

The Fort Pierce Police Department Honor Guard presented the colors and the Fort Pierce Mariners Barbershop Quartet sang the National Anthem.

Photos: Daniel Afzal  

More Kudos in Miami

The following employees earned Gold Star Awards for achieving perfect Retail Customer Experience (RCE) transactions in the Miami area:

Father Felix Varela Branch Sales and Services Associate Sylvia Gomez  

Father Felix Varela Branch Sales and Services Associate Ana Hance

Town and Country Postal Store Sales and Services Associate Mona Stewart

 
Photos: Miami Customer Relations Coordinator Mirtha Uriarte

Three Miami SSAs Reach Gold Status

The following employees earned Gold Star Awards for achieving perfect Retail Customer Experience (RCE) transactions in the Miami area:  

Sunset Branch Sales and Services Associate Josephine Edwards  

 

 

Ludlam Branch Sales and Services Associate Marjorie Perez

 

Pinecrest Postal Store Sales and Services Associate Wai Man Lui

Photos: Miami Customer Relations Coordinator Mirtha Uriarte

Celebrating Holiday Recognition

The  Fort Pierce Main Office was named the best decorated office (Levels 22-24) in MPOO 7 during the holiday season. Celebrating from the left, Sales and Services/Distribution Associates Sharniece Freeman-Chavis and Josalin Hines, Administrative Assistant Jacqueline Long, and Custodian Yvonne Hunt. Not pictured: Rural Carrier Assistants Shannon Moya and Roxanne Romero.  

Photos: Dawn Hutson

Plantation SSA Achieves 100% RCE

Recently at the Plantation Post Office, Sales and Services Associate Litarsha Greaves (left) earned a 100% score on the Retail Customer Experience (RCE). Supervisor, Customer Services W. Renee Cammock (right) was pleased to present Greaves with a congratulatory letter.  

Photo: Fort Lauderdale Customer Relations Coordinator Kelly Worthman 

Giving Her Stamp of Approval

Author and National Geographic Explorer, National Wildlife and Ranger Rick photographer Gail Shumway of Sarasota, FL took the firefly photo  in Lafayette, IN.

In Gail’s words:

“The image of the firefly that will be on the postage stamp was taken about 10 years ago in Lafayette, Indiana. Lafayette is where I grew up as a child. I live in Sarasota, Florida now.

I was in a soybean field and it was getting close to dusk but I still had enough ambient light to take the shot. There were many fireflies in the field at the time and they were flying all around me. I set up my camera on a tripod close to the ground. This was a shot where I needed to use the available light. I could not use a flash because it would over power the light I wanted to capture from the insect. I focused on a soybean leaf close to the ground in hopes that one of the fireflies would land on it and at the same time emit its light. I took quite a few images over a period of 30 minutes before I got the one that I wanted.

I used a Nikon F4, 35 mm SLR film camera and a 105 mm macro lens set at f/5.6 for 1/30 sec. using Fujichrome Velvia film.” 

 

Employees may attend as an off-the-clock activity.

Today is Presidents' Day

 

Many presidents have been featured on stamps over the years, including, clockwise from top left, Warren Harding (1930), Thomas Jefferson (1923), William McKinley (1927), Ulysses Grant (1923), James Monroe (1923), James Garfield (1922), Woodrow Wilson (1925), Benjamin Harrison (1926) and Theodore Roosevelt (1922).

Presidents' Day, a federal holiday that honors presidents of the United States, will be observed Monday, February 19, this year.

The holiday traces its roots to celebrations that commemorated George Washington during the early 19th century. After Washington’s death in 1799, his birthday was celebrated informally across the young nation.

In 1879, Congress declared February 22 — Washington’s birthday — a federal holiday.

The Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 moved Washington’s Birthday to the third Monday of each February. With the holiday no longer attached to the former president’s date of birth, the day came to symbolize the recognition of a growing list of presidents.

Today, the date is widely accepted as an occasion to celebrate all U.S. presidents, past and present.

In addition to observing Presidents' Day, USPS salutes presidents through its stamp program, including recent releases honoring George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy.

The National Archives and Records Administration site has more information about the holiday’s origins.

Honest Abe's Postal Career

Abraham Lincoln, shown in a circa 1860 lithograph, served as New Salem, IL, Postmaster from 1833-1836. Image: Library of Congress

To mark Presidents Day, here are five facts about a Postmaster who later became a commander in chief: Abraham Lincoln.
1. Lincoln was a youthful Postmaster. The future president was 24 when he was appointed Postmaster of New Salem, IL, in May 1833. He served until the office closed in May 1836.
2. His annual salary is public record. The U.S. Official Register, published in odd-numbered years, dutifully records “A. Lincoln” as receiving compensation of $55.70 in fiscal year 1835 and $19.48 for one quarter’s work in fiscal 1837.
3. His job wasn’t without perks. Besides his pay, Postmaster Lincoln could send and receive personal letters free and get one daily newspaper delivered free.
4. He delivered mail, too. Mail arrived at the New Salem Post Office once a week, delivered on a route that ran from Springfield, IL, to Millers Ferry, IL. If addressees didn’t collect their mail at the Post Office, which was customary, Lincoln delivered it personally — usually carrying the mail in his hat.
5. Yes, Abe was honest even then. About $18 was left in the New Salem Post Office’s coffers when it closed in 1836, so Lincoln held onto the money. When a government agent later visited Lincoln to collect the funds, the future president, who was financially strapped at the time, retrieved the money from a trunk and presented it to the agent.
The Postal History usps.com page has information on other famous postal workers, including the only other president who also served as Postmaster: Harry Truman.

Source: LINK

Submit a Lead Reels in the Revenue

Every Postal Service employee can help the organization grow its revenue.

Through Submit a Lead, employees who are not eligible to participate in the Customer Connect, Rural Reach, Clerks Care or Mailhandlers lead generation programs can still help target new business revenue.

Here’s what you should know:

• Submit a Lead allows everyone to contribute to USPS business growth. Even employees without direct relationships or contact with business customers while at work can find leads whenever or wherever they see a potential opportunity.

• Potential leads can be found anywhere. Leads can be for businesses that employees see advertised on television or walk by every day, as well as businesses that belong to friends or family members.

One example: Northern Ohio District Retail Specialist Ella Randolph was watching last year’s mayoral race in Cleveland when she spotted an opportunity to not only help get out the vote, but also to help the Postal Service’s bottom line.

She submitted leads on behalf of candidates to the local sales team, who sold one contender on the benefits of direct mail for political campaigns. Randolph’s lead generated $42,500 in new revenue for USPS.

• Submit a Lead works. Since the fiscal year began October 1, Submit a Lead has generated more than $10 million in new revenue for the Postal Service.

Source: LINK

'That's What Friends are for ...'

Participants at the Lena Horne special dedication ceremony in Los Angeles unveil the stamp image. From left are Uche Umeagukwu, Miss Africa World; KABC-TV news anchor Leslie Sykes; Ernestine Gordon, president of Our Authors Study Club, a local African-American history group; Dionne Warwick; and Los Angeles Postmaster Joe Zapata.

 

A surprise guest joined a special dedication ceremony for the Lena Horne stamp in Los Angeles last week: Dionne Warwick.

Warwick was being honored at Los Angeles City Hall, where local Postal Service leaders were holding the stamp ceremony. When Warwick learned about the dedication, she asked if she could join the event — a request USPS officials happily obliged.

“Lena Horne was one of my major mentors,” Warwick said. “She referred to me as one of her daughters and I revered that tremendously. In fact, she was one of the only other females that my mother allowed me to refer to as ‘mama.’ It is with a great deal of pride and pleasure that I have been asked to help unveil her stamp.”

The Lena Horne stamp, the 41st entry in the Black Heritage series, honors the iconic performer who also inspired millions of people as a civil rights activist.

“Although her name will always be synonymous with an era of elegance, sophistication and grace, Lena Horne’s life — by her own admittance — was always about one thing: Survival,” Los Angeles Postmaster Joe Zapata told attendees at the Feb. 7 special dedication ceremony.

“In a career that spanned nearly 70 years, she existed and persisted, and along the way, she became a star, an advocate, a leader and a legend.”

Other speakers at the ceremony included Los Angeles District Manager Ken Snavely, Finance Manager Sue Labadie-Taylor and Marketing Manager Beth Rubio.

Source: LINK