USPS - Greater Boston Postal Customer Council

HISTORY OF THE GREATER BOSTON POSTAL CUSTOMER COUNCIL

Alice K. Gordon

Former Industry Co-Chair

In tribute to the Greater Boston PCC Executive Board, past and present, whose members devote their time and talents to the mailing community.

With apologies for any omissions or errors of fact occasioned by the fading of details over time.

July, 2020

HISTORY OF THE GREATER BOSTON POSTAL CUSTOMER COUNCIL

At one time, the Greater Boston Postal Customer Council was called the Postal Customer Council of Greater Boston but the name was modified to streamline it. The origin of the Greater Boston PCC dates back to at least 1967 when it was called the Boston Mail Users Council. According to historical sources, the name Mail Users Council was changed in 1971 to Postal Customer Council.

Our PCC was one of the earliest in the nation. We have had contact with one member who served on the Mail Users Council in 1967 and we have documented evidence that suggests it was formed in 1961 since it held its 23^rd meeting in 1972 and meetings were held approximately twice per year. Eleven years before 1972 was 1961.

The Massachusetts Department of Revenue, represented by Leonard Desautelle, was one of the earliest members. Mr. Desautelle dates his tenure on the Council back to 1967 when it was called the Boston Mail Users Council. The Massachusetts Department of Revenue was one of, if not THE largest mailer at the time. Mr. Desautelle was appointed to the Executive Board in 1984 and became Treasurer. When he left the Department of Revenue in 1992, he resigned from the Council since he no longer represented a major mailer.

Other early member organizations included Boston Edison, DR Mailing Services, Filenes, R.L. Polk.

Our PCC grew out of the desire for greater cooperation between the Postal Service and the business mailing community. A specific issue was the concentration of mail entry at the end of the business day, straining the capacity of the Postal Service to process it. The initial purpose of the Mail Users Councils was to encourage communication between mailers and local postal managers to try to spread out the entry of mail throughout the day. MAIL EARLY was the name of the nationwide campaign.

The Boston Mail Users Council got off to a great start. It was very successful in its efforts. In 1968, Postmaster General Lawrence O’Brien spoke at a luncheon sponsored by the Boston Mail Users Council to honor Boston Postmaster Ephraim Martin. Here is what PMG O’Brien said:

“Through your intense efforts, there is an entirely new emphasis on cooperation between the mailing public, particularly large mailers, and the post office. Further, the Boston Mail Users Council is widely recognized as one of the most vigorous and effective in the nation.”

The PMG’s speech at the Boston Mail Users Council that day was recorded in the Congressional Record. (Remember: The Post Office was still a Department of the Executive branch of government at that time.)

The success of the Mail Users Councils led to a series of regional conferences and ultimately to the first National Postal Forum in 1967. The Boston Mail Users Council was an enthusiastic supporter of the National Postal Forum. In August 1969, Carl N Schmalz was Chairman of the Boston Mail Users Council. He was head of the Retail Trade Board and represented it on the Council. He was also President of R.H. Stearns Department Store. Eager to encourage participation in the third National Postal Forum, he sent a letter to members urging them to attend National Postal Forum III, aiming to represent the Boston Mail Users Council with as good a showing as at NPF II in 1968.

The Retail Trade Board was still represented on the Executive Board of the Postal Customer Council of Boston in 1977. Although this was well after its founding, other members of the Executive Board in 1977 included:

George J. Zahka, Chairman, The DR Group, Inc.
Loring W. Britton, Christian Science Publishing Society
William F. Chouinard, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
Frank J. Dowd, Jr., First National Bank of Boston
Paul R. Foley, Boston Edison Company
Arthur L. Flanagan, Jordan Marsh Company
James W. Leahy, New England Life Insurance Company
Margaret Phelan, Computerworld
William Phipps, Retail Trade Board of Boston
J. Irving Rawding, Watson Mailing Service
Stanley W. Rice, United Business Service Company

The early members laid the foundation for subsequent decades. The same industries, and sometimes the same organizations, continued to be represented on the Council, bringing the perspectives of large mailers of different types to cooperative efforts with the Postal Service.

Commemoration of 50^th Meeting of Postal Customer Council of Greater Boston, 1987

The 1990’s saw a big expansion of the PCC of Greater Boston. In the late 1980’s, Rui Moura of Funds Distributor Inc. and previously with Fidelity,. became Industry Co-Chair. In working with the Postal Service, he focused attention on the customer’s needs. A visionary and inspiring leader, he launched an ambitious program to enhance cooperation between the mailing industry and the Postal Service. In the early 1990’s, he brought together PCCs from Eastern New England to launch the first MegaMeeting, a regional conference of mailers and Postal officials, which attracted nearly 800 attendees from a geographical area larger than just Boston.

For his successful efforts, Rui Moura received the National Leadership Award presented by the Postmaster General after Rui’s return from the Gulf War. He still treasures his framed gift of Gulf War stamps.

The MegaMeeting evolved into the Tri-State Expo (MA, RI, NH), attracting nearly 1,000 attendees from five PCCs. The Tri-State was held each year for more than a decade. So successful was the TriState Expo that participating PCCs received a national award for it at National PCC Day in 1999 in Los Angeles.

PHOTO OF AWARD FOR TRI-STATE EXPO PRESENTED AT NATIONAL PCC DAY 1999 in Los Angeles
Left to right: John Wargo, USPS HQ; Alice Gordon, BCA & Boston Industry Co-Chair; Pat Curtin, BCBS & Providence RI; Gene Henderson, PMG; Terry Glazier, USPS, NH PCC; Roger Doherty, Epsilon & Middlesex MA PCC; Bob Corriveau, Bank Boston & Southeastern MA PCC

It also inspired the Greater Boston PCC to adopt education as a key mission, using a three-pronged approach.

In parallel with the large annual Expos, a series of mini-seminars was launched to improve education and learning opportunities for PCC members. These mini-seminars were highly focused on a single mailing or Postal issue at a time. They were brief sessions aimed at busy people and attracted diverse groups of mailers, including large and small companies, publications, associations, printers, non-profit organizations and others.

In 1993, one of the PCC’s mini-seminars was called PREPARDY. Modeled on the TV show JEOPARDY, Postal staff presented information about how to save on postage in this entertaining format.

PHOTO OF INVITATION TO PREPARDY SEMINAR, 1993

The third prong was homogeneous Subcommittees of the Executive Board. Each member of the Executive Board recruited representatives from other companies in their industry and conducted small group meetings to address mailing issues common to their industry. Fred Fantini, Assistant Treasurer of the Town of Arlington, led a Subcommittee for Cities and Towns and conducted several seminars for this audience. Alice Gordon led another Subcommittee focused on small businesses, broadening the Boston PCC’s attention beyond major mailers. Other Subcommittees were formed for banking, insurance, utilities, retail and periodicals.

That framework, a commitment to mailer education for mailers and Postal officials alike, grew throughout the next decades. Today, the Greater Boston PCC conducts an educational program each month and continues to organize a major event on National PCC Day in cooperation with neighboring PCCs.

Many of our PCC’s activities today are the fruit of seeds planted decades earlier.

In 1994, our PCC published our first Newsletter. No other followed it until 2013 when the Newsletter, part of our Communications strategy, was revived. It is published quarterly and continues to this day.

DRAFT OF 1994 FIRST NEWSLETTER, 1994 (complete copy appended)

The Greater Boston PCC is characterized by continuity and collegiality. Some organizations have been represented on the Executive Board for decades. These include the New England Journal of Medicine, Christian Science Publications, our University contingent of Harvard, MIT, and BU, the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, The Field Companies and other mail service providers. Some members have themselves served on the Executive Board for decades. The longest-serving members have served with 15 different Postmasters!

In order of longevity, Alice Gordon of Business Corporation of America (now BCA), Al Silverstein, formerly with Watson Mailing Service and now Silverstein Consulting, Karen McCormick, formerly with Fulfillment Express and now USPS, Office of Inspector General and Emeritus, Steve Smith, Base 60 Consulting and formerly with Christian Science Publications are among the “elders” of the Executive Board. John McDonald, recently retired from the Board, served for decades.

At the same time as benefiting from the continuity of long-serving members, for the past 20 years the Executive Board has conducted a sustained effort to bring on new members, a technique for combining the advantages of institutional stability with innovation and fresh perspective. The size of the Executive Board itself has expanded from approximately 10 in the early years to today’s 22 strong.

Collegiality among the Executive Board members has fostered smooth transitions as each new Industry Co-Chair assumes the leadership role. During the past 20 years, while each Co-Chair has brought his or her unique contribution to our PCC, each has also carried forward and often expanded worthy initiatives of a predecessor. This close working relationship among Executive Board members has enabled our PCC to create traditions in the community as well as to continually seek new ways to reach out to the mailing community. A generous volunteer spirit pervades the group. The Greater Boston PCC is grateful that many of its efforts have been acknowledged with national awards. These are listed toward the end of this document.

None of this would have been or would be possible now without the unfailing support and active involvement of our Postal Co-Chairs and associates. Rarely has a Postal Co-Chair missed an Executive Board meeting. Never has a Postal associate failed to deliver promised support. Our PCC is a true joint undertaking, fulfilling the essential purpose of the Postal Customer Councils.

The Postal Co-Chairs (Postmasters or Officers in Charge) dating back to Council origins to the present day, 2020, are as follows:

Ephraim Martin 1958-1969
George K. Walker 1969-1974
James J. Gavin 1974-1975
Richard F. Samuelson 1975
Philip L. Sullivan 1975-1986
Salvatore Gennaro 1986-1988
Joseph G. Schraer 1988-1989
Jon M. Steele 1989
Thomas K. Ranft 1989
Suzanne Henry
Paul W. Lanzi 1994
Deborah Albert 1995
William L. Dunn Jr. 1996-1998
John (Mike) W. Powers III 1998-2003
Marsha A. Cannon 2003-2007
Alfred Santos 2007
James J. Holland 2007-2015
Nicolas R. Francescucci 2015-2020
Leroy Middleton, Jr. 2020 -

(Source: USPS. Not all years were provided.)

Other members of the Postal Service also served on the Executive Board and were instrumental --VITAL – to successful PCC efforts. Peter Bombassaro, Pat Ring, (now of BU), Ruel Longfellow, Eileen Trahan were USPS stalwarts of the PCC without whom we could not have functioned so well.

During the past 20 years, each Co-Chair brought his or her unique contribution to the PCC.

INDUSTRY CO-CHAIR's:

1989 -1994 Rui Moura

Rui famously energized the PCC and launched the MegaMeeting, an Eastern New England Expo which attracted 800 attendees in its first year. Deputy PMG Michael Coughlin addressed the full session in its second year.

Rui also oriented the PCC to focus on customer needs to help the Postal Service gain greater insight into the mailing community. Rui was awarded the National Leadership Award by the Postmaster General and a framed presentation of Gulf War stamps.

1994-1998 Al Silverstein

During Al’s tenure as Co-Chair, the Greater Boston PCC launched a membership campaign to expand visibility in the business community and to bring in revenue to finance educational efforts. There were two levels of membership: individual and corporate. A Contributing Member would receive a free listing on the PCC website as well as discounts at Greater Boston PCC-sponsored events. (See original Membership application appended.) The Membership program continued and a database program, which includes automatic renewal reminders and billing, was eventually developed to manage it. That program continues to run today.

Al Silverstein

Among the PCC’s accomplishments during this period was the issuance of our PCC’s first Newsletter in 1994, at a time when the technology for creating such a document was not as advanced as it has become. A copy of a near-final draft of our very first Newsletter is appended; page 1 is above. Note Rui Moura in one photo along with DPMG Michael Coughlin. Pat Ring, then with USPS, now with BU, Al Silverstein, Joe McDonald (John’s brother) of the Field Companies, Eileen Trahan, USPS and a pillar of the Greater Boston PCC, and Leo Raymond, then of HQ and a frequent presenter at Boston events, also appear in photos in this Newsletter.

1998-2001 Alice Gordon

Upon becoming Industry Co-Chair after six years as Treasurer, Alice undertook a Mission review with the Executive Board to refresh its priorities going forward within the broad objective of the Council. “IDEAS, INNOVATION, IMPACT” was the desired overall goal. This exercise included group input on how to allocate budget among the chosen priorities. The result was the crafting of a formal blueprint for our PCC activities which underpins our activities to this day. Even a consistent monthly meeting date was set during this time and continues to this day.

The goals confirmed then were to:

1)      Establish a successful Boston PCC website
2)      Play a major role in the Tristate Expo, National PCC Day 2000
3)      Expand educational activities (at least 4x per year)
4)      Expand Membership
5)      Increase communication with stations and branches and with other organizations
6)      Expand and improve the quality of our lists for mailing for PCC events
7)      Expand and diversify the Executive Board
8)      Exercise close working relationships with the Business Center and with Mailing Requirements

An immediate success was our participation in the Tristate Expo for which we won a national award presented on National PCC Day in Los Angeles in 1999. (See photo above.)

The Greater Boston PCC takes the long view. Some of the goals, the website among them, were brought to fruition only in future years.

Photo of Greater Boston PCC Executive Board, circa 1999 (not all present), left to right:

Deb Connell, Sage Travel; Deb Visco, NE Journal of Medicine; Beth Fidellow, Pitney Bowes; Joan Dill, John Hancock Insurance; John McDonald, Field Companies, Alice Gordon, BCA and Industry Co-Chair; Jim Ryder, Blue Cross Blue Shield; Jim Clark, JLS Mailing Services; Mark Fallon, State Street Bank; Richard Leazott (d), BU.

ANOTHER AWARD, 1999: John Wargo, USPS HQ; Alice Gordon, BCA; Mike Powers, Boston Postmaster

2001-2005 John McDonald

During John’s terms, the PCC continued its annual fund-raising golf tournaments for the purpose of awarding scholarships to worthy high school seniors about to enter college. Open to PCC members, including children of Postal employees, the PCC undertook a broad publicity campaign to make the scholarship application widely available through Post Office branches and stations as well as through companies and organizations. A formal application review process was established and each year a review committee was formed to rate the applications. Always difficult to select a small number out of many worthy applicants, the PCC nevertheless awarded four scholarships of $1,500 each to the chosen winners. The climax of the process each year was a breakfast meeting organized by our PCC to which the four winners and their parents were invited. Each student spoke about their interests and their plans. Refreshing and gratifying, meeting the promising students made this program one of our PCC’s proudest.

In September 2002, during John’s term, the National Postal Forum was held in Boston, MA. The Greater Boston PCC led a group of 5 New England PCCs to hold a special PCC Night on Monday, September 24, 2002. The PCCs had PMG Jack Potter and Patriots player Larry Izzo escorted into the event by a company of New England Militia. Mr. Izzo presented the PMG with a Patriots’ helmet, and the combined PCCs presented the Postmaster General with a special leather jacket.

Perhaps because he was trained as a lawyer, John McDonald always provided clarity when it came to procedure. During John’s term as Co-Chair, our PCC Bylaws underwent the first of several revisions which were undertaken again in later years. Bylaws are important to governance because they provide the formal rules and boundaries of an organization’s operations.

The PCC Board recognized that it needed to formalize the transition of leadership, especially for the Industry Co-Chair position. Ably led by Mark Fallon, our unofficial parliamentarian then and since, a committee tackled the drafting of revisions to the PCC Bylaws in 2004. Under the revision, the Industry Co-Chair is limited to a single 2-year term. The Vice Chairperson will progress into the office of Industry Co-Chairperson at the completion of a two-year term. This has allowed for a regular, planned progression of leadership.

2005-2007 Karen McCormick

If ever there were an Industry Co-Chair that uplifted the team, it was Karen McCormick, then President of Fulfillment Express, a mail service provider, and now with the USPS Office of Inspector General. With a commitment to making our educational activities especially engaging, Karen arranged for a spectacular session at the Spellman Stamp Museum located at Regis College in Weston, MA. Participants learned not only about mailing but were able to tour the exhibits at the museum and learn historical facts about stamps. Another activity was joining with the Southeastern Mass PCC and hosting PCC night at the Boston Symphony.

Karen also reached out to the New England Direct Marketing Association (NEDMA) to include postal topics in their presentations. To this day, USPS sales teams still participate in NEDMA conferences.

Karen McCormick with Mike Powers

Karen did an outstanding job in guiding our participation in National PCC Day. Karen is widely recognized as an outstanding speaker and has contributed to many local, regional and national conferences. In 2017, while still a PCC Board member, Karen presented at the National Postal Forum on a virtual exhibit she helped create at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum, “America’s Mailing Industry”.

2007 -2011 Steve Smith

To the Boston mailing community, Steve Smith has been a premier educator on cutting-edge developments in the Postal Service. We regard Steve as our “guru”. Both before and during his term as Co-Chair, Steve organized and presented at educational events to introduce the latest developments in the increasingly technological interface between the Postal Service and mailers. He brought us up to date on the “new” Mailer Scorecard in preparation for industry adoption. He presented on the movement to CAPS postage

payment from CPP, Seamless Parallel and Full Seamless induction for business mailers, and the introduction of Mail Anywhere, Pay Anywhere for qualified mail service providers. As a member of MTAC at HQ as well (and still), Steve was always at the forefront of knowledge and brought that benefit to the Board and our larger mailing community. Steve worked hard throughout his service on the Board to spread the word about PCC educational opportunities to companies previously not involved.

In addition, Steve engineered our PCC’s approach to applications for national recognition. During Steve’s terms as Co-Chair, the Greater Boston PCC received Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards.

Steve’s steady hand through two terms maintained a stable Board and allowed its members to grow and flourish.

2011-2013 Martin O’Brien

Marty O’Brien, formerly a Manager of Customer Services in many of Boston’s Branches and Stations of the USPS, left his position as Postmaster of Norwood to become the Director of MIT’s Mail Service. He brought to the PCC Board the perspective of a large mailer with the special concerns of a university, coupled with his internal knowledge of the Postal Service both internally and now as a customer. As Co-Chair, Marty solidified two very important goals of our PCC. He implemented the practice of holding a PCC event each and every month, whether an in-person educational session, a webinar or a networking event. The importance of this regularity cannot be overstated. It elevates our PCC planning function to a proactive one rather than a reactive one. There is always something to learn.

Marty applied his disciplined approach to the issuance of our Newsletter, seeing to it that our Newsletter was similarly put on a regular schedule (quarterly) and not permitted to slip. With the support of John McDonald and The Field Companies, the PCC database was continually improved and the Newsletter production schedule met.

In 2013, the Board took steps to formalize the process of recruiting and evaluating new members to the Executive Board. Once again, Mark Fallon, our parliamentarian, formulated the procedure and led the effort to revise the Bylaws and steer them through an approval process. Under the new process, a prospective member must submit an application, attend a Board meeting, be interviewed by the entire Board, and then the application is voted on. This process has helped ensure that the Board is recruiting new members who understand the responsibilities of being a Board member

2013-2015 Betsy Shortell

Betsy Shortell, Manager of Harvard University Mail and Distribution Services, served for many years as Secretary of the Board, issuing accurate and prompt minutes after every Board meeting. A masterful manager, as Co-Chair she implemented a sustained program of educational workshops for PCC members to stay up to date on rules and developments in the Postal world. She also arranged for formal professional development/certification programs for mailing industry personnel. Her premier educational event was the 2015 National PCC Day at the iconic Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA. With professional management techniques, Betsy guided 5 PCC’s who joined together to put on the extraordinary program described by many as the best PCC Day event they ever attended. For this, the Greater Boston PCC and its cooperating PCCs shared Partner of the Year Award at the 2016 PCC Awards in Washington DC.

Steve Smith, Betsy Shortell, James Holland

As Co-Chair, Betsy also focused on improving our PCC’s contact lists, its website and promoting contributing memberships. She restructured the Board to include Emeritus status and oversaw the completion of another cycle of our Bylaws update.

A bonus to the community and to the Board was the comfortable venue Betsy provided at Harvard for educational seminars and for our Board meetings, before, during and after she served as Co-Chair.

Betsy was honored with the Silver Industry Person of the Year Award in 2016.

2015-2017 Adam Lewenberg

Adam Lewenberg, President of Postal Advocate, brought the benefit of excellent technical capability to our PCC’s website, a goal we set forth as early as 1998 but took many years to bring to fruition. He created a more automated and editable website along with a membership renewal platform so that renewal notices and bills for membership dues are generated automatically on the anniversary of membership. By the time Adam assumed the position of Industry Co-Chair, the website was expanded, finely tuned and well-maintained.

Mark Fallon and Adam Lewenberg

During Adam’s term as Co-Chair, he worked hard and successfully to increase membership and to foster creative educational content at PCC events. Increased membership earned us the Silver in the subsequent term.

Adam is an expert in Postal savings strategies. Whenever rates changed, Adam conducted webinars to update the PCC and the larger mailing community on new Postal rates and opportunities for savings.

2017-2019 Mike Shields

During Mike’s tenure, many of our efforts bore fruit as our Greater Boston PCC won three National PCC Awards presented at a ceremony on August 2, 2018 in Washington DC:

Gold for Communications Excellence – Newsletter, website
Silver for Membership - increase of 16%
Silver for Postal Person of the Year, George Kippenhan

The following year, July 30, 2019, our PCC was again recognized and presented with the National Silver Award for Innovation. Largely due to the efforts of George Kippenhan, USPS Manager of Consumer and Industry Contact and a member of our Executive Board, we conduct an ongoing program of promoting letter writing with young students in schools. These sessions are great fun and include stamp unveilings, often of subjects which are familiar to youngsters such as Mr. Rogers and Charlie Brown!

Mike Shields always fostered events that would connect people. Even before assuming the Co-Chair position, Mike launched a program to honor our military veterans. During each of four years, members of the PCC Executive Board, of USPS and of the VA Administration conducted an on-site program at the VA Hospital to unveil a Salute to the Military Stamp Commemoration. In addition, the PCC distributed gifts which consisted of note cards, stamps and wooden pens hand-carved by long-time PCC member Al Silverstein. Both the veterans and the PCC, Postal and VA staff found these meetings extremely gratifying. At one PCC Veterans Day event, held at an American Legion Post in Newton MA, the attendees were entertained by Dan Clark, “the singing trooper” who serenaded all with the song or hymn of each branch of the military.

Mike Shields, Al Silverstein (3^rd from left) James Holland (far right) with VA Department officials, 2018

Pen Gift Set

During 7 years of his service on the Executive Board, Mike arranged for group tickets for PCC members to attend Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins games. Boston fans are intensely devoted to their teams and these bonding and networking opportunities have given members a chance to socialize and enjoy being together.

2019- Deb Visco

Deb Visco, having worked in all aspects of mailing operations, is Director of Distribution and Postal Affairs at The New England Journal of Medicine, responsible for overseeing worldwide distribution of the NEJM and other corporate publications.

In September 2019, after more than 20 years of service on the PCC Board, Debra assumed the role of Industry Co-Chair. Her contributions throughout her PCC service were many and varied. Assuming the Co-Chairmanship was the culmination of decades of contributions.

Deb Visco with (left to right) Steve Smith, Mark Fallon and Jim Burns

During the two decades Deb was Treasurer of the Greater Boston PCC, her role was not limited to that position. She was instrumental in establishing and then maintaining the GBPCC website, a goal finally achieved after many years of working on it. With ease, she continually updated the website with event registrations, reports, news, photos, copies of our Newsletter, featured corporate members of the PCC and other items of interest. Deb assumed the role of Vice Chair in 2017

She also plays a leading role in many sectors of the mailing industry. She is the Managing Director of Membership for MSMA National, President of the MSMA New England Chapter and Board Member of the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers

Recognized for her knowledge, talents, and contributions, Debra was the recipient of the prestigious Cliff Bennett Memorial Education Award (MSMA) in 2016 and was the Greater Boston PCC Member of the Year in 2014 and 2015. Taking full advantage of educational opportunities, she holds mailing industry certifications of CMDSM, CMDSS, MDC, EMCM, MDP and CDMP.

Under Deb’s leadership, we feel certain the Greater Boston PCC will continue its educational mission and advance knowledge in the mailing community.

BYLAWS

At least three times in the last 20 years, the Greater Boston PCC revised its Bylaws to manage its governance. In the earliest revision, the Bylaws specified the industries to be represented on the Board and the Subcommittees to be formed. Subsequent revisions established the rules for transition of leadership and for recruiting and electing new members of the Board. Sound bylaws are really important to clear and smooth functioning of an organization. Typically a “dry” and often-neglected activity, the GBPCC was fortunate to have an unofficial parliamentarian, Mark Fallon, who ably led the effort each time.

SOCIAL MEDIA

The Greater Boston PCC has been fortunate to have on its Board members who are current on the latest technology. Thanks to Mark Fallon, long-time Board member and once Treasurer, in 2015, the GBPCC started using social media to promote PCC events and news about the mailing industry. The “Greater Boston Postal Community Group” on LinkedIn allows members to share information and support each other. Board members also promote events on their personal Facebook pages, including posting photos of events.

NETWORKING SPORTS EVENTS

Making connections among PCC members is the goal of our sports evenings. Our first event was on June 27, 2013, a Red Sox Networking Night which has been repeated for seven years. Each event begins with a pre-game meet-and-greet with refreshments followed by the game. A special scoreboard greeting has been a highlight as was the Sox victory over Tampa Bay in that first game. The event has grown over the years from an initial attendance of 24 to its current level of 60.

For 5 winters, our PCC has organized a Celtics night, complete with an on-court visit and photo shoot before the game. Like the Red Sox events, attendance has grown.

THE POWER OF MAIL, STAMPS AND SCHOOL CHILDREN

The Greater Boston PCC, under the leadership of George Kippenhan, 2018 PCC National Postal Member of the Year (Silver) insisted on expanding our educational mission by taking it a step further to reach a ‘newer’ audience. George proposed a collaboration between USPS and the PCC where he would visit Elementary and Middle Schools (Grades K-8) with his original presentation “The Power of Mail”. This presentation would assist in bringing the importance of letter writing to the millennial generation. The children sit in amazement as he tells stories about writing to his favorite baseball player as a child to receiving his college acceptance letter in the mail. The students are astonished when George tells them that it costs 50 cents to mail a letter anywhere in the USA. He informs the students of the ‘cool’ stamps that USPS has which include Pixar, Star Wars, Star Trek, Charlie Brown and Batman, among others. The PCC provides the students with stationery and stamps so they can write and mail their own letters. It’s a satisfying collaboration between the PCC and the community. All schools are presented with a commemorative plaque which proudly adorns each school hallway after the presentation. Teaching school children about the Power of Mail is one of our most cherished programs.

George Kippenhan teaching THE POWER OF MAIL to school children

AWARDS

The Greater Boston Postal Customer Council appreciates the impressive set of national awards it has received in recognition of its diverse achievements.

2009, 2011, 2012-14 Gold Level Certificate Award
2015-2019 Platinum and Gold Level Certificate Awards
Betsy Shortell, Silver, Industry Person of the Year, 2016
Greater Boston, PCC Partner of the Year, 2016
Greater Boston, Bronze, PCC Membership Award, 2017
George Kippenhan, Silver, PCC Postal Person of the Year, 2018
Greater Boston, Gold, Communications Award, 2018
Greater Boston, Silver, PCC Membership Award, 2018
Greater Boston, Silver, PCC Innovation Award, 2019

THE GREATER BOSTON POSTAL CUSTOMER COUNCIL IN 2020

At this writing in 2020, the GBPCC boasts a vibrant suite of activities, developed over years of commitment to advancing education in the mailing community, cooperation with the Postal Service, and utilization of the latest technology. These include:

EDUCATION: Grown from twice a year to once per month, GBPCC sponsors a seminar, webinar, or other educational event. Postal rates, IMB, identify theft, Mailer Scorecard, international mailing, package mailing, Postal history, and Informed Delivery are among the many topics that have been covered.

ANNUAL PARTICIPATION IN NATIONAL PCC DAY: Built upon the early MegaMeeting and Tri-State Expos, GBPCC routinely joins forces with neighboring PCCs to deliver an outstanding event. The magnitude of effort required to plan and manage these major conferences is huge. Only the devotion of each Co-Chair in turn and the Board that supports him or her makes the enterprise possible.

WEBSITE: bostonpcc.org delivers Postal news, event promotions, event registration, membership sign-up, each quarterly Newsletter and much more. We are proud that it is kept up-to-date as a repository of both current and historical information about our PCC.

NEWSLETTER: From a tentative start, our Newsletter became a communication tool published four times per year with the latest Postal and PCC information.

SOCIAL MEDIA: Our PCC utilizes social media to communicate about Postal issues and provide another forum to link PCC members to each other.

NETWORKING EVENTS: Regular PCC Nights at sports events provide additional networking opportunities beyond those held during business hours.

COMMUNITY EVENTS: These include our Veterans program as well as our initiative to bring information about mailing to school children.

GOVERNANCE: The Greater Boston PCC Executive Board meets each month (except July) to plan and conduct its business. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, in place of well-attended in-person meetings, Executive Board meetings are now conducted via Zoom.

NPF: The Greater Boston Postal Customer Council boasts a cast of experts who share their knowledge with the nationwide mailing community through presentations not only at local and regional conferences but at the National Postal Forums. If he were here today, Carl Schmalz, the Chairman of the Boston Mail Users Council who urged attendance at NPF in 1969, would be dazzled by their leadership and their roles as presenters.

Among them are Mark Fallon, Steve Smith, Marty O’Brien, Karen McCormick, Betsy Shortell, Pat Ring, and Jim Burns. Mark has presented 350 classes to 20,000 attendees at NPF, PCCs and other mailing organizations. Steve Smith has presented at NPF for six years. Marty O’Brien presented on Mail Center Management, Karen McCormick on “America’s Mailing Industry”, a virtual exhibit she helped create at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. The Greater Boston PCC is proud of its luminaries!

Postmaster General Lawrence O’Brien and Boston Postmaster Ephraim Martin would be proud to note that fifty years later, the Greater Boston Postal Customer Council continues to be “one of the most vigorous and effective in the nation”.

APPENDIX to GBPCC History.pdf