Awards & Recognition

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Shawn Lang Wins KC-MSMA “MANAGER OF THE YEAR” FOR 2008!

Shawn Lang, CMDSM, (Left) accepts the 2008 KC-MSMA Chapter "Manager of the Year" Award  from Diane Chastain, CMDSM, Director-At-Large, KC-MSMA Chapter

The name “Shawn Lang” is easily identified at DST Output Kansas City, with managing USPS Postal Relations for the clients served by DST Output and “bridging the gap” between various management personnel at DST Output and the USPS.  Shawn’s title is MANAGER, POSTAL RELATIONS.  She is the National Administrator of the MQC Certification Program for DST Output, of which nearly 100 associates have received MQC Certification.  She is a core team member of DST Output’s MPTQM Certification.  Shawn performs training to associates through the company’s “Learning Management System,” keeping DST Output associates current and up-to-date on all aspects of USPS issues and changes.  Shawn has been an employee of DST Output for 3 ½ years, and understands the USPS very well due to being employed by the USPS for 14 years previously.  Shawn’s performance is commendable, and she always seems to have an optimistic view and a smile on her face!

At first glance you would think Shawn’s contributions to DST Output and the company’s clients would be a significant cost to the company’s budget.  In actuality, Shawn has saved her company and clients hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years in postage savings.  These savings were the result of her knowledge of Postal Verification and structuring mail flow.  She has submitted “Corrective Action Reports” which facilitated identification and correction of known quality issues.

From a “Mail and Distribution Industry” perspective, Shawn is a member of the Kansas City MSMA and Greater KCPCC.  She serves on the Executive Board of the KCPCC and serves on its Education and Membership Committees.  She attends MAILCOM and National Postal Forums, because she realizes that in order to maintain her professional knowledge she must keep herself informed and on top of new initiatives and changes in this fast-paced industry.  A list of her Certifications are:

Ø      Mail Center Management Professional

Ø      Address Quality Specialist

Ø      Quality Mail Preparation Specialist

Ø      Six Sigma Yellow Belt

Ø      MQC – Mailpiece Quality Control Specialist

Ø      CMDSM – Certified Mail & Distribution Systems Manager

Although Shawn’s credentials and knowledge are evidence that she is a professional in our industry, perhaps even more commendable is the fact that she is married with 5 children (ages 24, 19, 18, 16, and 12).  She resides in Lee’s Summit, MO, and her hobbies are reading and movies.  CONGRATULATIONS SHAWN FOR BEING OUR KC-MSMA “MANAGER OF THE YEAR” FOR 2008!

2007 MSMA Kansas City Chapter

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

We are proud to announce that the 2007 Kansas City Chapter Distinguished Service Award winner is Alison Hall, General Manager, PSI Group Inc., and the KCMSMA VP of Education.  The MSMA’s Distinguished Service Award is established to annually recognize any member in good standing, who has made significant contributions towards the advancement and enrichment of either their local chapter or the national association.

Alison Hall has been a member of the Kansas City Chapter Executive board for several terms.  She has served as Executive Vice President, Vice President of Membership, and most recently the Vice President of Education.  She has also supported the chapter by hosting tours and participating in education presentations to the chapter membership.  She is a great advocate of the chapter and the MSMA organization.  Alison has also served on the local PCC which has allowed the two organizations to complement each other and support each other in activities.

Alison is committed to providing not only professional support but personal support of members and non-members in the industry.  She provides customer service as a vendor within the industry while maintaining the professional ethics during MSMA activities.  Alison promotes the need for continued education in the industry and volunteers her time and energy to ensure our membership has quality opportunities.

Alison is committed to supporting her peers and customers to ensure they have the knowledge and understanding about changes within the industry to allow everyone to be successful.  Her business ethics and personal commitment to the industry can be seen in everything she does within the MSMA organization.

Congratulations Alison!!!!!

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Kansas City MSMA Chapter

awarded "Chapter of the year" by the national MSMA office!! 2007

N. Riverside, IL – The Mail Systems Management Association (MSMA) announced today the recognition of the Kansas City MSMA Chapter with the 2007 MSMA Chapter of the Year Award.  Each year MSMA recognizes the outstanding efforts and achievements of the officers and members of one of its Chapters for contributing toward the mission statement of the MSMA. 

The Chapter of the Year Award is presented annually to the Chapter that best upholds the standards and mission statement of MSMA.  Qualifications for consideration include educational programs, network relations, participation in industry activities, timely communications to members and maintaining/sustaining membership and development.  The MSMA Chapter receiving this award must be in good standing with the MSMA including, but not limited to, complying with MSMA National reporting guidelines. 

The Kansas City Chapter ended 2007 with a membership of 121, which is a 22% increase of 2006.  They continue to have an Executive Board that is made up of high performing professionals in the industry, and are committed to ensuring the organization continues to be successful and provide value to its members and participants. Their Executive Board includes 

President:                                  Lenez Hendrix, CMDSM, EMCM

Executive VP:                           Terrell Bix, CMDSM

Treasurer:                                 Jerome Toson

VP Membership:                       John Minnis

Secretary:                                 Linda Vestal, CMDSM

VP Education                           Alison Hall, CMDSM

VP Web Communication           David Flowers

VP of Publications                     Carlos Johnson

VP of Programs                        Derace Martin, CMDSM

Director at Large                      Diane Chastain, EMCM

Director at Large                      Kimberly Tarpley

VP of Membership, John Minnis accepts the MSMA Chapter of the Year award from National MSMA President, Ron Goglia.

Photo of the plaque received from the National MSMA Executive Board.

The Mail Systems Management Association has chapters in 20 major market cities and new chapters are forming each year.  Any person needing more information about certification or joining the Kansas City chapter or a chapter in their local area may contact MSMA through their website www.kcmsma.com.

Kansas City MSMA Chapter "Manager of the Year" Awards

2004 Manager of the Year

Derace Martin, CMDSM, (Left) accepts the KCMSMA Chapter 2004
"Manager of the Year" award from National MSMA President Chuck Zeikle

Derace Martin, CMDSM, received his CMDSM certification in November, 2003. Prior to being with Oce Business Services, Derace had received his CPC (Certified Postal Consultant) certification from Pitney Bowes. He has also maintained his MQC certification (Mailpiece Quality Control Specialist) training with the USPS since May, 2002. He is a CFM (Certified Facility Manager) with IFMA (International Facility Management Association). He is also an active member of the KC-PCC.

Derace has created internal training for his employees in MS-PowerPoint. This training is to keep his employees current and educated of what is expected of them according to contract requirements with Bank Of America. The training is also intended to keep employees informed about what has changed in the industry since the training was conducted previously. Derace has mentored employees while he was with Oce Business Services to take the CMDSM exam if they did not have the local support of a MSMA Chapter (in particular, Frank Fischetti, Tampa, FL). Derace has remained active in the KCMSMA Chapter by hosting a site-tour at his Mail Center this year.

Derace has managed the Mail Center at Bank Of America in North Kansas City through many changes in outsource-companies. He transitioned the management from Pitney Bowes Management Services to Archer Management Services (becoming Oce Business Services in Jan., 2004), and now back to Pitney Bowes Management Services again in November, 2004. Derace has provided consistent management making the transition transparent to Bank Of America. He also helped develop the national statistical reporting for the Mail & Distribution Services provided by the outsource companies.

2003 National Recognition for the “Kansas City Chapter”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Kansas City Chapter of MSMA had an exceptional year during 2003 and was awarded the MSMA “Chapter of the Year” award by the National MSMA Board.  Cathy Lewis, Chapter President, accepted the award at MailCom in April 2004.

 

 

 

 

 

Another national honor was presented to Chris Kula at MailCom. He was presented the National Mail Center Manager of the Year award for 2003.  Chris’s accomplishments were explained in the article below when he was awarded the local chapter Manager of the Year by the KC MSMA Chapter.

 

 

A few of the accomplishments that lead to the Chapter of the Year award for the Kansas City Chapter are outlined below:

• Our website, which we began developing 2002, really flourished during 2003.  We worked hard to make our site friendly and full of useful information concerning MSMA.  We added a calendar, award pages and even a “chat” room where members and others can go to ask questions.   Most importantly, we continually update the web site with current information.
• We began hosting joint ventures with the PCC.  This took many years of discussion with the PCC board on the advantages of hosting joint meetings.  Our first meeting was actually during 2002, which was successful.  Our meeting in 2003 was even more successful.  The meeting dealt with the arrival of Merlin in the Kansas City area, which helped draw a big crowd – over 100 members attended!  We have established a great working relationship with the PCC and look forward to hosting more joint meetings in the future.
• May of 2003 proved to be a busy month for our chapter.  We launched our second satellite chapter in Des Moines, Iowa.  Through many phone calls, meetings and emails the Iowa satellite chapter was born.  We have a great group of hard working excited individuals in Iowa who have been great to work with.  As you will see in the copies provided, we gave a presentation on the benefits of starting a MSMA Chapter in Iowa along with all the information on CMDSM certification and MailCom conferences. 
• Our Mid-Missouri branch also kept busy with meetings during 2003.  Again, we presented the benefits of MSMA, CMDSM certification and MailCom.  They toured facilities and worked hard to keep up involvement.
• We are fortunate here in Kansas City to have a strong MSMA Chapter.  Many people devote their time to ensure our Chapter is successful.  Our membership continues to hold pretty close to our goal, especially during the rough years we’ve had in this industry.  We closed our year with a record 162 members!  Of course our satellite chapters have helped us in this area with new members.
• Education is very important to us here in Kansas City.  We have one of the highest, if not the highest percentage of Certified Mail and Distributions Systems Managers in the nation.    At present we have 25 managers who are certified – two of which were certified in 2003.  As a chapter, we continue to be very active in education.
• As a chapter we donate to MailCom every year, as well as helping out our local PCC in sponsorship during their annual golf tournament.  We also attended the President’s meeting at the fall MailCom as well as working the MSMA booth during MailCom.

 

Kansas City MSMA Chapter "Manager of the Year" Awards

1998 to 2003

2003 Recipient -	Chris Kula, CMDSM, EMCM, MQC
2002 Recipient -	Allen Barnett, CMDSM
2001 Recipient -	Chris Michaud, CMDSM
2000 Recipient -	Cathy Lewis, CMDSM
1999 Recipient -	Jim Benedik
1998 Recipient -	Terrell Bix, CMDSM

 

Kansas City MSMA Chapter "Chapter of the Year" Award

 

 

 

 

The Kansas City Chapter of MSMA received the Chapter of the Year award at the MAILCOM “98” Conference.

Click image for larger version

 

 

MSMA of Greater Kansas City PO Box 9654 KCMO 64134-0654 Ph. 816-221-9003 ext 106