After 15 years as one of four art directors for the Postal Service and more than 150 stamp designs, Greg Breeding attended his first National Postal Forum in Phoenix.
Breeding received an invitation to this year’s event to take part in NPF Vignettes, a series of short talks by experts that was a new addition to this year’s program. He spoke alongside Lisa Bobb-Semple, USPS stamp services director; Graham Beck, a member of the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee; and Claudia Daniels, stamp development manager, during two sessions.
While explaining his role in how a stamp goes from an idea to reality during one panel discussion, Breeding described how being a USPS art director is “the single greatest graphic design job in the world.”
The designer was also on hand for the dedication of his recently designed Route 66 stamps and signed autographs after the ceremony.
USPS Historian Stephen Kochersperger also participated in the vignette series, giving several talks about significant moments in Postal Service history.
On patrol in Phoenix
Postal Inspector Maria Hunter, the daughter of two retired postal workers, had always envisioned herself going into law — not law enforcement.
As a paralegal with her county’s drug enforcement bureau, she had become familiar with the work of the Postal Inspection Service while assisting with cases. With law school financially out of reach at the time, she decided to apply to the agency. It’s been eight years, and she’s never looked back.
The Phoenix inspector was one of several from the Inspection Service who spent their time at NPF answering questions from attendees about the law enforcement agency and its role in protecting the U.S. Mail.
This year, she and others working on the exhibition floor also showed off a mobile command unit to passersby who were able to step inside one of the units used by Inspection Service divisions throughout the country.
Hunter primarily works on narcotics cases but was attending her first NPF in her role as a recruiter. While on the lookout for potential candidates, she said several people expressed disappointment at learning they exceeded the applicant age limit of age 37 — with exceptions for preference-eligible veterans.
She said those at the conference had been “very receptive to the display” and that she was honored to be there representing the Inspection Service.
Selling a vision
Even among the more than 200 exhibitors and displays at the National Postal Forum, the USPS retail booth is always a big hit.
David Baumgard, a lead mail processing clerk at the Rio Salado Sorting and Delivery Center, and Margerette Cather, a retail associate at the Sierra Adobe Post Office, were just two of the employees providing retail support during the conference.
Items for sale included not only stamps, but also Mr. ZIP plush toys, Postal Service-branded hats and T-shirts, and Father’s Day cards. According to Baumgard, the die-cast model USPS vehicles were big sellers.
Cather said customers also showed a lot of enthusiasm about the Route 66 stamps. She and other members of the retail team sold the stamps during their first-day-of-issue ceremony on Day 3 of the forum.
While some employees were selling Postal Service merchandise, Senior Territory Executive Nancy Goude was on the exhibition floor selling the Postal Service’s future.
The Plano, TX, employee was one of a group helping customers navigate the booth and explore features such as the USPS Smart Lockers display, educational kiosks, an arcade-style game where the player maneuvers a delivery vehicle along a route, and the Innovation Lab, which allowed attendees to design and print a custom mailpiece.
During her 11 years in sales, Goude said she has been to many trade shows but that this one is special.
“My favorite part of the whole thing has been our booth. The lockers are genius, and I love the Innovation Lab,” she said.
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