• #150: United Parcel Service – Delivery by Model “T”

  • Apr 24 2024
  • Length: 19 mins
  • Podcast
#150: United Parcel Service – Delivery by Model “T” cover art

#150: United Parcel Service – Delivery by Model “T”

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  • California joins the union and messages need to be delivered. UPS had a solution and decided it needed to be luxury and efficient. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders podcast. Teaching business owners the not-so-secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom-and-pop, to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector and storyteller. I'm Stephen's sidekick and business partner, Dave Young. Before we get into today's episode, a word from our sponsor, which is, well, it's us. But we're highlighting ads we've written and produced for our clients. So, here's one of those. [Colair Cooling & Heating] Dave Young: Welcome back to the Empire Builders podcast. Dave Young here with Stephen Semple. And we're talking about empires and how they were built. Get it? That's the name of the pod... that's what we do here. Stephen Semple: I've never put that together before. Dave Young: Wow, I see. Aren't you glad I'm here? Stephen Semple: I'm so glad. Dave Young: You whispered the three letters, UPS, into my ears just as the countdown started. And I'm trying to think of a UPS story, and mostly what I think of when I think of UPS, think back years ago, I sort of remember, I think their start but I remember that being a UPS driver was a way better job back then than it is today. But that's probably not a big part of this story. So let's talk about how they started. Stephen Semple: Pretty sure it was UPS recently that actually just put through a new pay package and benefits, and things along that lines. That really ramped up what people are being paid at UPS, if I remember correctly. But you're right, this is not a big part. It's not a big part of the story. Dave Young: I think it started... how long have they been around, Stephen? Stephen Semple: They were founded on August 28th, 1907. Dave Young: I feel like probably I lived in a town so small that we didn't have one until maybe the sixties or seventies. They just didn't show up. Stephen Semple: Well, and this is an interesting part. There was a big challenge to them becoming nationwide. They were founded in August 1907 by James Casey and Claude Ryan in Seattle. I didn't realize that they had started in Seattle. Dave Young: Oh, okay. Stephen Semple: And they actually first started as their original name was the American Message Company. And today of course is known as UPS, United Parcel Service. They do like 90 billion in sales and have over 500,000 employees. Just what a monster they have become in this space. But basically they started around the time California joins the union. And you know what ends up happening now, I know Seattle's not and before people go nuts, I know Seattle's not in California, but I was just trying to, you know, Historic landmark. Dave Young: It's the West Coast, yeah. Stephen Semple: Exactly. But I get it, before people know- Dave Young: Didn't all join at once. Yeah. Stephen Semple: ... So, California joins the union. There's this growth happening. In the west, there's this need to transport items and it's hard getting things to the new territories. And lots of delivery services pop up. Wells Fargo pops up for the transportation of money. The Pony Express is created for transporting of mail. Now, of course, the Pony Express only lasts 18 months because the telegraph wipes them out. Right? Dave Young: Right. Stephen Semple: But here's the interesting thing, with the telegraph, you still need a messenger service to run the last leg. To take it from the telegraph station to the person. So, Jim Casey's, 19 years old, he's in Seattle and he sets up this business for basically running the telegraphs. That's how they start. Dave Young: Okay. They're the last mile guy. Stephen Semple: That's the reason why they're the American message service. They start off as being the last mile guy.
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