Through the Eyes of SPC

Marketers from around the country came together in Nashville, Tennessee, for the 2025 National Postal Forum (NPF) in late April. For those unfamiliar, the NPF is the mailing and shipping industry’s premier networking event with over 4,000 attendees. This year had the largest crowd the conference has had in years!

SPC brought a strong presence to this year’s conference. We had an exhibit, hosted client meetings, conducted a breakout session, and had two great client receptions.

The timing of this year’s conference was somewhat awkward with the resignation of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.  The USPS Board of Governors has since announced that David Steiner will be the new Postmaster General and CEO. He will formally join the organization in July pending approval.  Steiner has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Waste Management for the past 12 years, during which time he has driven significant changes and achieved strong financial performance. Before his role at Waste Management, Steiner was a partner at the law firm Phelps Dunbar.

“It is an incredible honor to be asked to lead the world’s greatest postal organization, with a history that stretches back before the founding of the United States,” said Steiner. “I deeply admire the public service and business mission of this amazing institution, and I believe strongly in maintaining its role as an independent establishment of the executive branch.”

Keynote Speaker

The keynote speaker event was hosted by acting Postmaster General Doug Tulino and other key executives. They discussed the USPS’s progress in transformation and modernization, service improvements, and product evolution. The USPS did not address the postal rate increases causing some frustration as it was the elephant in the room.

Topics of discussion included:

• Network realignment, especially the removal of NDC entry discounts from the July rate filing
• A couple of trouble spots experiencing slow delivery (PA and GA)
• Highlighted packages and the increasing business in that sector
• On-time service performance improvement efforts
• The middle-mile processing and logistics network
• The Mail Growth incentive and mail promotions that are increasing mail volume

SPC’s Educational Session

Ryan LeFebvre and Trish Witkowski presented SPC’s Direct Mail Innovation Showcase to a capacity crowd. They previewed 30-plus samples from across various industries, including healthcare, automotive, retail, and banking. This session highlighted the power of direct mail in driving engagement and response and demonstrated the most effective formats and techniques being used in the market today. The samples were categorized into five groups:

1. Attention Grabbing:
How can brands break through mailbox clutter and immediately grab attention?

2. Hold Attention:
What strategies keep recipients engaged beyond the first glance?

3. Upgraded Traditional:
Which classic direct mail formats have been reimagined to qualify for the USPS Tactile, Sensory, and Interactive promotion?

4. Efficiency in Execution:
What sample formats are designed for speed and efficiency without sacrificing impact?

5. Integrated Technology & Innovation:
How can brands effectively integrate technology to meet USPS promotion requirements and enhance engagement?

If you would like more information about the samples we shared in any of the categories, please contact your sales representative.

SPC’s Innovation Exhibit

Enjoying What Nashville Has to Offer