New Shipping and Mailing Services, Customer Relations groups created

The Postmaster General today announced several key Headquarters organizational changes designed to “strengthen our position in an extremely competitive marketplace,” he said.

PMG Jack Potter said USPS is currently in a very dynamic environment, and competition is intense. “We are operating under a new law with 90 percent of our revenues capped at the rate of inflation,” he said. “At the same time, the new law provides us with pricing and product flexibility — tools that are intended to make us more competitive. In response to these challenges and opportunities, we are adjusting the organizational structure to better position ourselves to compete.”

Potter said with growth as a top priority, the Postal Service is bringing together product management, product development and commercial sales in a new Shipping and Mailing Services division. Robert Bernstock has been named division president. “He is a respected and effective growth leader with more than 30 years of experience,” Potter said. Bernstock, who has an MBA from Harvard University, has held senior positions with some of the best-known consumer-product companies in America, including Campbell Soup, Dial and Scotts Miracle-Gro Co.

The Shipping and Mailing Services division will take on a broader product responsibility and is expected to influence pricing, operations, service enhancements, partnerships and investment activities. “The goal of this group is to assure all product lines are successful and contribute to a positive net income,” Potter said.

The group will include a new senior VP of Mailing Services, David Shoenfeld. “David’s more than 30 years of leadership experience includes VP of Marketing at NextEngine and over 20 years at Federal Express, where he rose to Sr. VP of Worldwide Marketing,” the PMG said. The group also includes Expedited Shipping VP Gary Reblin, Acting Ground Shipping VP Jim Cochrane and Sales VP Jerry Whalen.

“As we work to bring more value to our customers in a changing business environment, we are centralizing into a single division key consumer and business customer relationships, external and internal communications, as well as integrating pricing,” Potter said. Customer Relations will be led by a new senior VP, Steve Kearney.

The goal of Customer Relations is to provide the communication links between the organization and its customers and employees. Reporting to Kearney will be VP of Business Customer Relations Susan Plonkey, Consumer Advocate and VP Delores Killette, Acting Corporate Communications VP Mitzi Betman and a new vice president of Pricing, Maura Robinson.

“Our ability to compete in the future relies on the generation of information about mail,” Potter said. “The key to modernizing our products while satisfying this need for data is the Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB).” The PMG said the IMB will become the foundation of mail operations: verification, acceptance, payment, processing, diagnostics, routing, transportation and delivery.

“We are consolidating all IMB activities under the direction of DPMG and Chief Operating Officer Pat Donahoe,” Potter said. Tom Day, Sr. VP, Intelligent Mail and Address Quality, will be supported by a new VP of Business Mail Entry and Payment Technologies. Pritha Mehra has been named to that position. To round out the team, Chief Information Officer Ross Philo will designate dedicated resources to support the IMB objectives.

Employees who support all these groups will begin transitioning during the next few days.

Potter said the changes will improve our focus, increase our effectiveness and enhance the value and attractiveness of our shipping and mailing services, for existing customers as well as new ones. “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.”