SALINAS, CA — Mike Eden will follow a proud tradition dating back to 1854 when James Bryant Hill was appointed Salinas Postmaster. On Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2011, at 10 a.m., Eden will raise his right hand to take the official oath of office at the Salinas Post Office located at 100 W. Alisal Street Salinas, CA 93901. The oath of office will be administered by San Jose Postmaster Sam Vasquez.

Eden began his U.S. Postal Service career as a letter carrier in 1998 in San Jose. He began his managerial career as a graduate of the Associate Supervisor Program in 2001, a grueling 16-week management training course that prepared him for his first supervisor position at the Robertsville Station in San Jose. This was followed by managerial assignments in other San Jose city stations and in mail processing operations at the San Jose Processing and Distribution Center. He served as the Campbell Postmaster prior to be appointed as the Salinas Postmaster.

“As the new Salinas Postmaster, it is an honor and privilege to be appointed to this important and civic position,” said Eden. “I am looking forward to serving the Salinas community with reliable and dependable service.”

Eden resides in Gilroy, with his wife Debbie, and they have five children, Jordan, 20, Monica, 16, Kiana, 13, Dylan, 5, and Makaila, 3. He enjoys basketball and eating.

As Salinas Postmaster, Eden oversees 170 employees who process and deliver daily mail volume of more than 193,065 pieces to 57,432 delivery points (addresses), 84 delivery routes and 7,127 Post Office boxes, six days a week.

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A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $67 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 29th in the 2010 Fortune 500. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency six consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.