WILLISTON, ND — Commemorating the newest Post Office in the Bakken Oil Field region, the U.S. Postal Service held a ribbon cutting ceremony and facility tour today at the Badlands Station in Williston.

The ceremony was hosted by the Postal Service’s Dakotas District Manager Darrell Stoke and remarks were offered by U.S. Senators Heidi Heitkamp and John Hoeven, a representative from Congressman Kevin Cramer’s office, Williston Mayor Howard Klug and Williston Area Chamber of Commerce representative Shawn Wenko.

“The Postal Service prides itself on providing exceptional customer service to all of its customers,” said Stoke. “One year ago, our Postmaster General saw first-hand the challenges facing our organization in this fast growing community and promised to do something about it. This facility is the result of that commitment, offering customers expanded access to our postal products and services.”

The 5,880 square-foot Badlands Station Post Office opened for business on July 1 and is Williston’s second postal retail facility offering 2,800 P.O. boxes and a self-service kiosk accessible 24/7, plus other Postal services to enhance the Williston community’s experience with their Post Office.

The Postal Service has enacted a number of oil field initiatives to enhance the customer experience including:

• Expanded customer access to postal products and services with a contract postal unit at a Watford City grocery store and a Village Post Office facility in Tioga
• Added 460 additional P.O. Boxes in Parshall
• Added more than 2,000 new delivery points in the region since Sept. 2013
• Established cluster box delivery for residential corporate housing and new developments
• Established Consumer Advisory Councils in local communities to keep our customers and the community informed and to help address customer concerns
• Aggressively recruiting new employees and developing strategies to encourage current career employees to transfer to the region
• Hired Customer Relations Coordinator and Transportation Specialists to serve the Bakken Oil Field region.

Additionally, USPS and its leaders have worked in lockstep with stakeholders including elected officials, members of the Postal Service’s Consumer Advisory Councils and the oil field region community to reach a greater understanding of customer needs while continuing to enhance our service and operational capabilities in that fast growing region.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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