SAN FRANCISCO — The U.S. Postal Service today recognized The Tennessean, headquartered in Nashville, TN, with its Mail Innovation Award for the company’s support of the success of mail and its commitment to a successful business relationship with the Postal Service.

The Tennessean was one of 21 companies recognized this year by the Postal Service at the National Postal Forum (NPF), which, for more than 40 years, has been recognized as the premier educational trade show for the mailing industry.

“We are pleased to recognize and honor The Tennessean for its innovation, creativity and leadership,” said Joshua Colin, vice president, Eastern Area, who nominated The Tennessean for the award. “By working closely with the Postal Service to develop strategic business solutions, The Tennessean has produced winning results, which supports the mailing industry.”

The Mail Innovation Award, presented annually at NPF, recognizes Postal Service customers who have implemented innovative mailing solutions. Winning companies embrace new technologies and implement best practices to improve efficiency and productivity in mail operations. They provide customers with a mail product that delivers increased value, which benefits customers and the mailing industry.

The partnership between The Tennessean and the Postal Service has propelled The Tennessean to the cutting edge of multi-media publishing. The Tennessean worked closely with the Postal Service to use Ever Door Direct Mail in response to an ordinance that was passed in Sumner County, TN, prohibiting the delivery of unwanted newspapers in driveways.

The Tennessean is a front-runner in multi-media publishing and is a giant in the industry. It took a combination of postal knowledge and innovative thinking to achieve this level of success in the industry.

The Tennessean, a Gannett-owned newspaper, is a major daily newspaper and the flagship of The Tennessean multi-media company. The Tennessean uses Postal Service programs and technology to fine-tune its operations to offer a best-in-class product at the best cost for its customers.

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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 — 151 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 $65 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 35th in the 2011 Fortune 500. In 2011, Oxford Strategic Consulting ranked the U.S. Postal Service number one in overall service performance of the posts in the top 20 wealthiest nations in the world. 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 for six years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.

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The National Postal Forum, a not-for-profit education corporation, was established in 1968 by a group of postal customers/mailers who were committed to an ongoing partnership with the U.S. Postal Service. The Forum’s goal, then and now, is to provide education to business mailers and communication/feedback between the Postal Service and its business customers for a more responsive and efficient mail communications system. Held annually, the National Postal Forum is a combination educational conference/trade show offering a wide range of opportunities for attendees. For more information, visit npf.org.