Business to business: Play the Zone sets the stage for Business Connect

Play the Zone was the warm-up, the junior varsity game before the varsity contest. With impressive Play the Zone records under their belts, eligible postmasters and station or branch managers now will be moving to the big league, Business ConnectTM - continuing to meet customers face-to-face to show how USPS products and services can save them time and money while meeting their mailing needs.

Business Connect is an integrated strategy to help postmasters and station or branch managers connect with local small- and mid-sized businesses and organizations. As community or business leaders themselves, it's a natural fit.

Beginning April 1, Play the Zone participants will receive additional educational and support material. Postmasters and station or branch managers should continue to document customer activities on www.uspsbusiness connect.com, even after Play the Zone ends.

Play the Zone has gone away. Business Connect is here to stay.

Deputy PMG retiring: Nolan to end 24-year career in May

Deputy Postmaster General (PMG) John Nolan will retire in May after 24 years with the Postal ServiceTM. As Deputy PMG, Nolan is a member of the Board and serves on its Capital Projects Committee.

"I'm proud to have been a part of this postal team and the mailing industry," Nolan said. "Faced with serious challenges, we set ourselves to the task of meeting them and achieved great results. In the process, we've created a solid platform for our continued transformation."

Nolan was appointed to his current position by the governors and the postmaster general in February 2000 upon his return to USPS® after 11 years with Merrill Lynch Production Technologies. As Deputy PMG, Nolan was instrumental in the 2001 creation of the Mailing Industry Task Force, whose goal is to better respond to customers' needs, make mail more competitive, and help unify the industry.

"John's experience, both in the Postal Service and out, provided our organization with a unique and valuable perspective during a period of profound changes in the mailing industry," said PMG Jack Potter.

Seeing I to I: OSHA injury and illness reports decline

The number of Postal Service Occupational Safety and Health Administration injuries and illnesses (OSHA IIs) continues to decline - with a national total of 2,951 fewer incidents in the first quarter of fiscal year 2005 than the same period last year (SPLY).

The largest reduction was achieved in musculoskeletal disorders - a national reduction of 1,457 compared to SPLY. The Great Lakes Area led the way with a 30 percent decline. The Western Area was second with a 29 percent reduction.

Despite an icy winter, the Eastern Area saw a 27 percent reduction in slips, trips, and falls away from Postal Service premises, while New York Metro claimed the top spot, at 39 percent below last year. New York Metro also led the reduction in slips, trips, and falls on Postal Service premises - 34 percent fewer than SPLY.

As PMG Jack Potter said in a recent interview with The Washington Post, the Postal Service continually strives to create a safe workplace. "It's not about the Postal Service - it's about the employee," said Potter.

Since fiscal year 2001, USPS has reduced OSHA IIs by 36 percent.

I do solemnly swear: USPS employees take OSHA oath

A mix of 10 USPS Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) coordinators and safety managers were sworn in as special government employees (SGEs) by OSHA representative Kim Lazor.

As SGEs, they will serve under OSHA's direction and conduct VPP onsite evaluations at private companies and other federal agencies.

The SGE program supplements OSHA's resources to conduct VPP onsite evaluations. Nearly all participating VPP companies sponsor the SGE program.

SGE will allow the Postal Service to share best practices with private company VPP sites to improve the health and safety of their employees.

No small pittance in remittance: Industry committee named to advise USPS

The Postal Service has appointed 14 industry experts to a Remittance Mail Advisory Committee to help USPS improve business and operations with the remittance industry.

"Bill and payment mail represents nearly one-half of First-Class Mail® volume and a significant portion of overall U.S. Postal Service® revenue," said Product Development V.P. Nick Barranca.

Wausau Financial Systems Wholesale Remittance Manager Charles Kelly will chair the committee, which will recommend bill and payment mail processing improvements and innovations.

On a computer near you: New ads promote usps.com

Throughout March, the Postal Service is running print ads promoting usps.com® in U.S. News and World Report, ESPN, Business Week, PC Magazine, and others.

Ads featuring a postmaster and a retail sales and services associate are headlined "The Post Office. Conveniently located on a computer near you." A special three-page ad proclaims, "The U.S. Postal Service now has 92 million convenient locations."

The ads explain that just about anything you can do at the Post OfficeTM, you can do from a computer with usps.com - pay postage, print shipping labels, track and confirm package deliveries, order stamps, request a carrier pickup via Carrier PickupTM Online Notification and more.

"So go to usps.com," the ads advise. "It's one more way the U.S. Postal Service® is working for you."

To see the ads or check when and where they will be published, go to Marketing's print advertising reference tool at http://blue.usps.gov/advertising/print/index.html.

Women on stamps: Celebrate National Women's History Month

March is National Wo- men's History Month - the time when communities nationwide celebrate the contributions of women throughout history. This year's theme is "Women Change America."

Post Offices can support the effort by showcasing the USPS Women on Stamps commemorative collection, featuring well- known figures such as Amelia Earhart, Georgia O'Keefe, and Zora Neale Hurston.

These stamps tell timeless stories of women who've made a lasting impression on American history and they're all available inside Publication 512, Women on Stamps.

See Publication 512 online at www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/pubs/pub512.pdf or to order a copy from the Topeka Material Distribution Center, call 800-332-0317, select option 2. The automated system will request your access code (your office telephone number) and the national stock number (NSN) for Publication 512 - 7610-03-000-9294.

¡Buenos Días, Puerto Rico! USPS and Customs inaugurate Puerto Rico office

USPS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection recently launched an international mail branch at Muñiz Air National Guard Base next to Puerto Rico's Luis Muños Marin International Airport.

The joint venture will speed mail processing among Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, U.S. Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, and other Caribbean countries.

Expanded San Juan presence for Customs clearance, which is currently handled in Miami, is expected to cut mail- cycle time in half. Improved mail service should boost local economies by fostering international commerce in the Caribbean Basin.

Passport fees to increase

The Department of State has announced a $12 passport fee increase to help pay for security enhancements. Starting March 8, the new total fee payable to the Department of State will be $67 for applicants age 16 and older and $52 for children younger than 16 years.

Updated Form DS-11, Application for Passport, and Form DS-82, Application for Passport by Mail, can be ordered from the Material Distribution Center by calling 800-332-0317. The forms are also available on the Department of State Web site at http://www.travel.state.gov.

Casting a spell

Customers asked and we delivered. NetPost® Premium Postcards - the quick, easy, and affordable way to send custom photo postcards - just got quicker with a built-in spell check to easily identify possible spelling errors. Look for the "Check Spelling" button in the "Add Your Message" step.

Something about letters

Omaha World-Herald's editors like letters. A recent editorial described how cell phones and other electronics allow soldiers in Iraq to have more frequent contact with loved ones than in previous military conflicts. "Still," the editors concluded, "by all indications, the traditional exchange of letters continues unabated. There's just something about writing down intimate thoughts, confidences and whispered prayers that can't be supplanted by electronic gadgets."

Spring in Nashville

The National Postal Forum (NPF) moves to its new annual spring date this year. The 2005 Forum kicks off Sunday, March 20, at Nashville's Opryland hotel and convention center. The four-day event will feature new symposiums, workshops, and certificate programs. Postmaster General Jack Potter will deliver the keynote address. For more information, visit www.npf.org.