Award of Excellence Presented to U.S. Postal Service Employee From National Newspaper Association

WASHINGTON, March 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- District Manager Dallas Keck of Portland, OR, is this year's winner of the Benjamin Franklin Community Newspaper and Postal Partnership Award of Excellence. The award will be presented on March 6 by Postmaster General John Potter and National Newspaper Association (NNA) Postal Committee Chair Max Heath during the association's 47th Government Affairs Conference in Washington, DC.

The Benjamin Franklin Award of Excellence is presented to the Postal Service employee who best exemplifies the spirit of Benjamin Franklin. As the nation's first Postmaster General, Franklin was a newspaper publisher and statesman who viewed delivering newspapers through the mail as a critical link in the communication chain that binds the nation together. District Manager Keck shares this vision and dedication.

"I am honored to have been chosen as the national winner of this prestigious award. One of my jobs is to provide service to the community which I serve and to be recognized by the National Newspaper Association is truly a blessing to me," said Keck.

Twenty-three NNA state members nominated local Postal Service employees. Judges selected Keck as the national winner from those nominations. In nominating Keck, W. Clark Gallagher, publisher of The Hillsboro Argus/Courier-Mail in Oregon, said, "Dallas adds a personal touch to his job that instills confidence in the Postal Service operation. He is constantly working to ensure that his customers are duly informed of changes such as bar codes, bundling, pallets, tubs and cages. He even visited our facility to see our mail operation, and we think that is great. Dallas Keck has the same vision as Benjamin Franklin, which is to deliver a vital service for businesses and common people. He is personable and accessible. The Portland District and the Hillsboro Argus are well served by his presence."

Keck, a 31-year Postal Service employee, has been district manager of Portland since 2000. As manager of the Portland District, Keck is responsible for postal operations throughout Oregon and southwest Washington. This area includes 380 Post Offices and approximately 9,000 employees.

Keck started his postal career in 1973 as an engineer. Since that time, he has served in a variety of executive positions, including material service center (MSC) director, mail processing and MSC manager/Postmaster in Rapid City, SD; Spokane, WA; and Portland, OR. He has also served as division general manager/Postmaster in both Portland and San Francisco. From 1992 through 2000, Keck served in a variety of marketing and sales positions in the Western Area office and at Postal Service headquarters.

Before coming to the Postal Service, Keck earned his bachelor of science degree in engineering. He served as a U.S. Army Reserve officer, achieving the rank of captain.

In addition to his postal commitments, Keck is deeply involved with the Woodworkers Guild. He is also a private pilot and enjoys flying the western states.

Awards will be presented by community newspaper publishers this spring to 23 distinguished employees of the U.S. Postal Service who provided extraordinary service to newspapers in the mail.

    
USPS State Winner                           Nominating Newspaper 
    Ginny Greger / Kuna, ID                     Kuna Melba News
    Rebecca Rutherford / Dongola, IL            Dongola Tri-County Record
    Stephen Penick / Larned, KS                 The Tiller & Toiler
    Tom Tuggle / Elkton, KY                     Todd County Standard
    Steve Ercha / Lawrence, MA                  Eagle-Tribune Publishing Co.
    Vanessa Williams / Baltimore, MD            The Daily Record
    Allen Kamstra / Willmar, MN                 West Central Tribune
    Jody Elsenrant / Hermann, MO                Hermann Advertiser-Courier
    Earl Clark / Grenada, MS                    The Daily Sentinel-Star.
    Darcy Hibbs / Cut Bank, MT                  Cut Bank Pioneer Press
    Donald L. Estrada / Omaha, NE               The Red Oak Express 
    Gerard W. Monzillo / Basking Ridge, NJ      Bernardsville News
    Joseph Caravella / Bellmore, NY             Bellmore Life
    Ralph W. Greer / Sugarcreek, OH             Sugarcreek Budget
    Marty Urban / Philadelphia, PA              Bucks County Courier Times
    Ron Corley / Tracy City, TN                 Grundy County Herald
    Jimmy Blackwell / Granbury, TX              Hood County News
    Ken Kirschner / Richfield, UT               Richfield Reaper
    Darryl Seay / Farmville, VA                 The Farmville Herald
    John Gessler / Abbotsford, WI               Tribune Phonograph
    Richard Vandevander / Parsons, WV           The Parsons Advocate

An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation -- 146 million homes and businesses. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world's mail.