Articles by Kurt Ruppel Blog Archive NPF Day 1 Highlights: MTAC Celebrates 50 Years & Focus on Mail Quality Solutions info Posted May 18, 2015 by Kurt Ruppel in Announcements, Postal Issues Updates The mailing industry has made its way to sunny southern California, where the 2015 National Postal Forum (NPF) kicked-off yesterday at the Anaheim Convention Center. Anaheim is a great venue for the NPF – a much needed break for our friends who survived the brutal winter in the Northeast, and who can complain about being […] + Read More Breaking News: Postal Regulatory Commission Approves Standard Mail Postage Rates info Posted May 7, 2015 by Kurt Ruppel in Announcements, Postal Issues Updates The Postal Regulatory Commission today approved the U.S. Postal Service’s most recent proposal for adjusted rates for Standard Mail, Periodicals and Package Services. These were the last pricing elements to be approved, so implementation of all new rates (including First-Class Mail, which was approved earlier this year) is expected to take place on Sunday May […] + Read More Much More Than Envelopes: Key Postal Issues Addressed at EMA Spring Meeting info Posted April 24, 2015 by Kurt Ruppel in Announcements, Postal Issues Updates I had the privilege of participating in the Envelope Manufacturers Association Spring Meeting last week. It’s always enlightening to meet with other envelope manufacturers and members of the paper-based communications industry. The theme for this meeting was Agility: The Foundation of our Future. We discussed a wide range of topics from how EMA members can […] + Read More BREAKING: Postal Service Delays Postage Price Increase info Posted March 30, 2015 by Kurt Ruppel in Postal Issues Updates The Postal Service announced on Friday that it will delay the price increase, originally planned for April 26, 2015, until adjustments for all classes of mail are approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC). While the PRC has approved proposed rates for Competitive Products (Shipping Services and International), Special Services (P.O. Boxes, Certified Mail, etc.), […] + Read More PostalVision 2020 Looks to the Postal Future: Optimism and Insight info Posted March 17, 2015 by Kurt Ruppel in Postal Issues Updates Last week I had the opportunity to participate in the PostalVision 2020 conference. This conference engages stakeholders in conversation about the future of postal services, both in this country and around the world. As marketers, we know that direct mail is one of the strongest performers in cross-channel marketing campaigns. However, in order for direct […] + Read More What the Mailing Industry Needs from the Postal Service: Thoughts for Incoming Postmaster General Megan Brennan info Posted February 3, 2015 by Kurt Ruppel in Postal Issues Updates When it was announced last fall that Megan Brennan was going to become the first woman to be Postmaster General (PMG) of the United States, it caused quite a stir, especially in our Hamburg, PA facilities. You see, Brennan is a neighbor of ours, having grown up in nearby Pottsville. Colleagues from Hamburg eagerly shared […] + Read More Breaking News: USPS Announces 2015 Postage Price Increase info Posted January 16, 2015 by Kurt Ruppel in Postal Issues Updates There’s never a dull moment with the Postal Service. The USPS has filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) for a postage price increase based on its Consumer Price Index (CPI) cap authority. Details are available on the PRC website here and here. If approved by the PRC, new postage prices would take […] + Read More Small Talk, Big Issues: Addressing Misconceptions About the USPS info Posted January 14, 2015 by Kurt Ruppel in Postal Issues Updates Wish you could offer friendly rebuttals to the many misconceptions you often hear about the USPS? We’ve all been there. You’re making small talk at a social event when someone asks what you do. As soon as they find out your job is connected to the mailing industry, the conversation turns to the Postal Service, […] + Read More Mailing Industry Receives Coal in Our Stocking as Congress Adjourned Without Acting on Postal Issues info Posted December 19, 2014 by Kurt Ruppel in Postal Issues Updates The mailing industry got two lumps of coal in our holiday stocking this year in terms of key postal issues we’re facing. The first came when the 213th Congress adjourned without addressing the need for comprehensive postal reform legislation. We got the second when the Senate wrapped up business without confirming any of the […] + Read More DMA Looks at “The Dynamic State of Data” info Posted December 12, 2014 by Kurt Ruppel in Direct Marketing Trends My colleague Wes Sparling has written about the importance of data in the success of direct marketing campaigns. How data is managed, especially for marketing purposes, has become a hot topic in political discussions. To find out what to expect in the coming year in terms of data regulation, I had the privilege of attending […] + Read More Pages: First Page123456789101112131415Last PageLoad More Articles
NPF Day 1 Highlights: MTAC Celebrates 50 Years & Focus on Mail Quality Solutions info Posted May 18, 2015 by Kurt Ruppel in Announcements, Postal Issues Updates The mailing industry has made its way to sunny southern California, where the 2015 National Postal Forum (NPF) kicked-off yesterday at the Anaheim Convention Center. Anaheim is a great venue for the NPF – a much needed break for our friends who survived the brutal winter in the Northeast, and who can complain about being […] + Read More
Breaking News: Postal Regulatory Commission Approves Standard Mail Postage Rates info Posted May 7, 2015 by Kurt Ruppel in Announcements, Postal Issues Updates The Postal Regulatory Commission today approved the U.S. Postal Service’s most recent proposal for adjusted rates for Standard Mail, Periodicals and Package Services. These were the last pricing elements to be approved, so implementation of all new rates (including First-Class Mail, which was approved earlier this year) is expected to take place on Sunday May […] + Read More
Much More Than Envelopes: Key Postal Issues Addressed at EMA Spring Meeting info Posted April 24, 2015 by Kurt Ruppel in Announcements, Postal Issues Updates I had the privilege of participating in the Envelope Manufacturers Association Spring Meeting last week. It’s always enlightening to meet with other envelope manufacturers and members of the paper-based communications industry. The theme for this meeting was Agility: The Foundation of our Future. We discussed a wide range of topics from how EMA members can […] + Read More
BREAKING: Postal Service Delays Postage Price Increase info Posted March 30, 2015 by Kurt Ruppel in Postal Issues Updates The Postal Service announced on Friday that it will delay the price increase, originally planned for April 26, 2015, until adjustments for all classes of mail are approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC). While the PRC has approved proposed rates for Competitive Products (Shipping Services and International), Special Services (P.O. Boxes, Certified Mail, etc.), […] + Read More
PostalVision 2020 Looks to the Postal Future: Optimism and Insight info Posted March 17, 2015 by Kurt Ruppel in Postal Issues Updates Last week I had the opportunity to participate in the PostalVision 2020 conference. This conference engages stakeholders in conversation about the future of postal services, both in this country and around the world. As marketers, we know that direct mail is one of the strongest performers in cross-channel marketing campaigns. However, in order for direct […] + Read More
What the Mailing Industry Needs from the Postal Service: Thoughts for Incoming Postmaster General Megan Brennan info Posted February 3, 2015 by Kurt Ruppel in Postal Issues Updates When it was announced last fall that Megan Brennan was going to become the first woman to be Postmaster General (PMG) of the United States, it caused quite a stir, especially in our Hamburg, PA facilities. You see, Brennan is a neighbor of ours, having grown up in nearby Pottsville. Colleagues from Hamburg eagerly shared […] + Read More
Breaking News: USPS Announces 2015 Postage Price Increase info Posted January 16, 2015 by Kurt Ruppel in Postal Issues Updates There’s never a dull moment with the Postal Service. The USPS has filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) for a postage price increase based on its Consumer Price Index (CPI) cap authority. Details are available on the PRC website here and here. If approved by the PRC, new postage prices would take […] + Read More
Small Talk, Big Issues: Addressing Misconceptions About the USPS info Posted January 14, 2015 by Kurt Ruppel in Postal Issues Updates Wish you could offer friendly rebuttals to the many misconceptions you often hear about the USPS? We’ve all been there. You’re making small talk at a social event when someone asks what you do. As soon as they find out your job is connected to the mailing industry, the conversation turns to the Postal Service, […] + Read More
Mailing Industry Receives Coal in Our Stocking as Congress Adjourned Without Acting on Postal Issues info Posted December 19, 2014 by Kurt Ruppel in Postal Issues Updates The mailing industry got two lumps of coal in our holiday stocking this year in terms of key postal issues we’re facing. The first came when the 213th Congress adjourned without addressing the need for comprehensive postal reform legislation. We got the second when the Senate wrapped up business without confirming any of the […] + Read More
DMA Looks at “The Dynamic State of Data” info Posted December 12, 2014 by Kurt Ruppel in Direct Marketing Trends My colleague Wes Sparling has written about the importance of data in the success of direct marketing campaigns. How data is managed, especially for marketing purposes, has become a hot topic in political discussions. To find out what to expect in the coming year in terms of data regulation, I had the privilege of attending […] + Read More
