CHARLOTTE NC — The U.S. Postal Service today recognized American Product Distributors with its Creative Business Solutions Award for the company’s commitment to a successful business partnership with the Postal Service. A select group of postal customers is acknowledged and recognized for their contributions to the continued success of the mailing industry at the annual National Postal Forum.
The Creative Business Solutions Award, one of three “best in class” awards presented annually at the Forum, recognizes customers who are creative risk-takers using the mail in new and different ways to help achieve their company's business objectives. They create mail that gets noticed and integrates seamlessly with a larger vision. It's mail that stands out and, even more important, gets results. When you see it, you react, "Now, why didn't I think of that?"
Founded in 1992 by C. Ray Kennedy, American Product Distributors, Incorporated (APD) is a privately-owned distribution company that sells and distributes consumable products — including office supplies, industrial and janitorial supplies, and business imaging supplies — to corporations nationwide. As a minority and service disabled veteran owned and operated business, APD’s niche is to provide the Single Source Solution for Corporate America’s diversity purchasing needs. APD achieves this mission by offering high-quality, name brand products that are essential to businesses at an extremely competitive price.
Upon being awarded a five-year contract by the Postal Service to supply office products to postal installations, APD needed to determine the best method of delivery. They had several choices by which they delivered these products. They could utilize a uniformed driver and deliver via their own network, or they could use some mode of postal delivery. Unlike other office suppliers, APD doesn’t have retail outlets; however, with the combined efforts of their supplier/business partner, United Stationers, they have 56 distribution sites and a fleet of trucks at their disposal. APD decided to evaluate the benefits of the United States Postal Service (USPS) — and specifically, Priority Mail — as a delivery option. The Priority Mail option presented APD with real value — both in terms of transit time and in the branding of their company within the Postal Service system — and as a result, APD made a commitment to ship over 98% of their products utilizing Priority Mail and First-Class Mail. The tagline on their marketing materials states: “The only vendor that uses USPS Priority Mail to deliver supplies.” They have selected an online postage provider, Endicia, and have Postal Service shipping capability in multiple distribution centers. APD is utilizing multiple media channels to brand themselves throughout the USPS. After experiencing the outstanding service and value of Priority Service, APD is looking to provide USPS shipping solutions to their other nationally-known clients for their purchases.
The National Postal Forum is the mailing industry’s largest trade show and networking event for industry professionals. Since 1968, it has provided business mailers with ongoing training and education, and helped them keep pace with the mailing industry’s rapid progress. Held once a year in the spring, the Forum is a combination educational conference/trade show offering a wide range of opportunities for attendees. For more information, visit www.npf.org.
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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/welcome.htm.
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.
