Shipping Services, Customer Relations Lead Changes

The Postal Service today moved to position the organization to capitalize on new competitive opportunities and significantly enhance the vision of its customer outreach.

The realignment creates two new strategic focal points, the first grouping all major shipping and mailing products in one division, and the other, representing the voice of the customer, giving priority to the interests of business and individual mailers. The realignment also consolidates all Intelligent Mail Barcode activities under the chief operating officer to focus on execution in the year ahead. 

"Today's decisions may be viewed as a sea change for some," said Postmaster General John E. Potter. "But these are challenging times and it's critical that we take advantage of recent changes in federal law which give us the tools to move into the competitive environment. We are now positioned to do that." Potter noted, "These changes recognize the dynamic economics of our business, will increase our effectiveness and enhance the value and attractiveness of our shipping and mailing services for existing customers and for new ones."

A law enacted in the closing days of 2006 (the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006) streamlined the way the Postal Service sets prices and added certain flexibilities in the pricing of its shipping (package) services enabling it to become more competitive with private shipping companies.

Potter added, "The Postal Service has been evolving to meet the needs of our customers for more than 200 years. These changes are an important continuation of that tradition as they will enhance our customer service and position us where we should be in the competitive marketplace."

For example, the Intelligent Mail Barcode, which will become the technical foundation of mail operations - acceptance, payment, verification, processing, diagnostics, routing transportation and delivery - now moves from the developmental stage to one of implementation, as it will come on line in May 2009.

With the changes, Potter today announced the following senior executive appointments:

·A corporate leader with more than 30 years of private sector experience, Robert F. Bernstock, has been brought on to be president of the newly created Shipping and Mailing Services Division. He will serve as division president. Reporting to him will be a newly created position, Senior Vice President of Mailing Services, as well as the current vice presidents of Expedited Shipping, Ground Shipping and Sales.

·Supporting Bernstock will be a new senior vice president for mailing services, David Shoenfeld, who formerly served as senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing for Federal Express.

·Stephen Kearney, a current officer, will lead Customer Relations as a senior vice president. This group will centralize the key consumer and business customer relationships, external and internal communications, as well as integrating pricing into a single unit.

The organization Bernstock will lead joins product management, product development and commercial sales into the new Shipping and Mailing Services Division, responsible for more than $70 billion of annual Postal revenue.

Bernstock comes to the Postal Service after some 30 years in senior corporate leadership positions with some of the best known consumer product companies in America. He has served as president and COO of Scotts Miracle-Gro Co., senior vice president and general manager of the Dial Corp., president and CEO of Atlas Commerce and executive vice president of Campbell Soup Co. He also was president, chief executive officer and a board member of Vlasic Foods International Inc., a former subsidiary of Campbell Soup Company. Most recently, Bernstock served as Chairman and CEO of Securesheet Technologies of Downingtown, PA.

A 28-year veteran of the Postal Service, Kearney served most recently as vice president, Pricing and Classification. In that position, Kearney worked with the Postal Regulatory Commission, industry groups and customers to transform pricing from primarily cost-based to market driven.

"These changes are vital to our future growth and prosperity," Potter said. "They will protect our ability to provide affordable service to every family and business in America."