Louisiana Postal Employee Wins 7th Annual Benjamin Franklin

Award of Excellence

 

WASHINGTON DC—Marion Narcisse, retail sales associate in the Denham Springs, LA, post office, has been selected as the 2005 winner of the Benjamin Franklin Community Newspaper and Postal Partnership Award of Excellence.

 

The award will be presented by Postmaster General John Potter and NNA Postal Committee Chairman Max Heath, vice president of Landmark Community Newspapers, Inc., March 10 in Washington, DC.  Nominating publisher Jeff M. David, of the Livingston Parish (LA) News, will assist in the presentation.

 

The Ben Franklin Award is presented each year to a postal employee nominated by a newspaper for commitment to customer service. The award is named for the first postmaster general, who also was a newspaper publisher. The NNA Postal Committee chose the winner from nominees from 21 states. State winners will be announced by Feb. 28.

 

David said Narcisse regularly goes above and beyond the call of duty.

 

“Our workload, close to 40,000 mailed pieces each week, demands a lot more attention to work-sharing discounts than most community papers. Marion's assistance not only keeps us within the USPS rules, it also helps us get the lowest work-sharing discounts possible. As a result, she saves us many thousands of dollars a year,” David said.

 

David's circulation manager, Diane Patterson, said:

"Marion makes it almost a pleasure to deal with the Post Office. She does so much more than is expected of her, and is always courteous and polite, making sure she doesn't do anything that would go outside postal regulations. Small problems do not grow into large ones because she is so willing to help us work out a solution. We know that at any time we can call Marion and we can expect her cooperation.”

 

NNA's Heath said the Franklin award is designed for such public-spirited postal employees.

 

“The judges were delighted by this nomination. Ms. Narcisse represents a category of postal employees that we have not recognized before—a local post office employee in charge of a wide array of business mail requirements. She also has an impressive list of community involvements, including charitable work with the Knights of Columbus, work on youth sports and local literacy programs,” Heath said.

 

NNA President Mike Buffington thanked NNA members for submitting impressive nominations.

 

“This program grows every year, despite the ongoing challenges of working out mail preparation and delivery issues within the Postal Service's ever-growing delivery network,” he said. “It is a testament to the Postal Service that in the midst of the complex regulatory systems, it continues to supply the marketplace with knowledgeable and marketing-friendly experts.”