Adios mis amigos . . .

I am not going to say much this morning...

I know Todd is itchin to say, “it’s friday” and I know we’re all ready to get food and get rollin’ ...and let's face it I've had a pretty good week, receiving more than my share of attention.

I'm not going to offer comments the old school way, even though I am from a time at UPS when we worked on paper, before the cell phone. I am going to borrow from my future-- my next act, if you will. I’ve put some thoughts online for all, including the people who don't work in the morning, retirees not here, friends, etc. and I’ll leave this copy here where maybe it can hang for a day or two.

Just visit my website: www.shawnkirkeby.com and click on the word “Brown,” for more about this transition for me- a big one. I’ll leave some cards here.

While I'm busy talking about myself, life just marches right on by and by Monday,  shoot you guys will barely remember me- things happen here so fast.

Don't worry I'm not selling anything there you know, like--- “Mona Vie” or “Amway.”

Join us at Shawn's on Saturday. I'll probably be there on the early side and give me some feedback.

Right now, let me simply say, “thanks,” first,  to my family- applause, and to everyone here this morning - give yourselves a round of applause.

...and stay tuned for Tony Cruz next week--- and today, is Wade McFarland's birthday. Happy birthday brother. Visit the website...

You’re great people, It’s been an honor, good luck, adios. See you on the radio KMHD.

...This is not the journey I had planned but it's been good one.

25 years ago, John Williams and I often talked, over a beer, about how we were going to move on soon. We had all kinds of ideas. Just a few days before he retired, a couple weeks ago, he walked up to me and said, “it’s good we didn’t, huh.”

Thanks to my family, customers, management teams, OMSs, sales and automotive, which gets to a special shout out... and one story, for now...

In the 27 years I have been driving, I have really only broken down once. I was in a driveway, only as far as I needed to be and was using the horn, mirrors, we didn’t have video monitors, while backing up, on 119 street, between 56th avenue and 61st avenue. One of those little row houses. I came back from the front door, got in using three points of contact, sat down, belted up, of course and turned the key- nothing. I opened the hood and saw nothing obvious. So, I walked over to 56 avenue, then to a 118 street where I found an open garage door at the first house on the left. I found the resident and asked to use the phone that I saw hanging in the garage on the wall. This was before cell phones. (To get in touch with us, supervisors would call ahead to a business and ask them to ask us to call the center.)

I returned to my secured vehicle and found driver (now retired) Mark Weiss parked nearby. He was there to take stops and get them back out for delivery. A modest pick up truck stopped in the street in front of my car. There was a young boy in the cab and a Christmas tree in the bed. A man in his 40’s jumped out and came over to my car and put his head right into the engine compartment without even talking to us first. Mark and I looked at each other and dedided we needed to find out about this guy and stop him if necessary, but at least talk to him.

It turned out that he was head of automotive for UPS’s Oregon division. He lived in Vancouver and just happend to be going home with his son after getting a Christmas tree. He reached in and did something that took only a few seconds and said, “try it now.” It fired right up.

The truck is important. It is after all home away from home for many of us for many hours each day. My wife, Sharon liked to point out that I escaped the cubicle job. My respose was always though, that is was the ultimate cubicle. My office just happened to move all the time and the view out my windows always changed.

There are challenges ahead, I know. But there have always been challenges that we were sure would be our demise, but weren't. I am very proud of this work. We should all be. No customer ever accused me of not working hard enough. We are legend at Christmas.  

UPS talks to us with on voice, through its management teams and the Teamsters Union allows us to recipricate with one voice. DON’T UNDERESTIMATE either!

I don't do Twitter, I don’t tweet. I do Facebook and am easy to reach generally, by simply searching my name on the internet, or listening to KMHD radio from 11am to 1pm every Saturday. So please, reach out to me. I'd be happy to hear from you anytime, anywhere --stay in touch-- send me your email-- you’ll want to...

...cause I need your thoughts about how you would like to be interpreted, how you would like me to portray you in my fictional UPS murder mystery novel with a working title, “Abide the Ride.” I have a lot of great characters already including a couple villians, can you guess?

As time goes by, check back every now and then and I will publish posts and add pictures as I find them.

Whenever I tell someone I am going to retire, they look down att my legs- as too assess how old I was under my hat and sunglasses.

-Shawn Kirkeby

John Williams last day. 4/29/11. (part 5 of 5)