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Category Archives: Blog With BEB
Postal Rate Decreases Coming in April
The USPS & PRC (Postal Regulatory Commission) have started preparation for the end of the exigent surcharge that’s been in place since January 2014. The surcharge removal is projected to end in early April, but that date is only a forecast at this point, as it’s based solely on when the full amount authorized to be derived from the surcharge ($4.63 billion) will be collected.
For obvious reasons, the PRC is interested in ensuring that the correct date is set for the end of the surcharge and, accordingly, had directed the Postal Service to provide biweekly updates on the amount collected beginning in the postal quarter when the end of the surcharge was anticipated. Also, the agency must give 45 days’ notice of the end of the surcharge.
In its February 14 report, the USPS explained that it had collected an estimated $4.347 billion, including $827.1 million so far in FY 2016. For the 750 days that the surcharge had been in effect through February 14, the USPS averaged about $5.796 million per day in additional revenue. At that rate the total should take just over 799 days to collect, or until about April 3, 2016. As the PRC has noted, the USPS is entitled to collect only the amount the commission authorized, and there’s no process for refunding any excess collected from ratepayers, so the need to be as precise as possible in setting the end date is clear. In the meantime, the surcharge revenue continues to accumulate, mailers look forward to lower rates in April, and the Postal Service worries how it will replace the 4.3% of revenue.
See below for rate changes and comparisons:
2016-04 NP STANDARD LETTER AND FLAT COMPARISON
2016-04 STANDARD LETTER AND FLAT COMPARISON
2016-04 FIRST CLASS AND PC RATE COMPARISON
If you have questions or need additional information, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
2015 OUR YEAR IN PICTURES
Where Has Your FB Audience Gone?
Social-Lite
Kathy Hall Joins the BEB Team
Kathy Hall joins BEB-Business Extension Bureau
Join us in welcoming Kathy Hall to our BEB Team. Kathy is a business development manager specializing in multi-channel marketing for Houston and national markets. Kathy built a career within the Unites States Postal Service and brings 30-years of industry experience. Her rise through the USPS included serving as a Mailing Solutions Specialist and Senior Sales Executive-HQ | Houston Division . Well versed in the connection between direct mail and digital platforms, Kathy’s expertise in marketing is an exciting addition to our business. She earned her degree in management from Rice University and serves as a volunteer for several faith based charities and industry organizations. Check out her profile on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook and connect!
AND THE WINNER IS…
AVA DIGITAL AWARD PLATINUM
Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP)
BEB was awarded the AVA Digital Award for outstanding achievement by creative professionals involved in the concept, direction, design and production of media that is part of the evolution of digital communication. Our first place winning entry was for the use of QR Codes in our annual company interactive calendars.
The competition received over 2,500 entries from across the globe. The AVA Digital Awards is sponsored and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP). This international organization consists of several thousand production, marketing, advertising and free-lance professionals.
GRAPHIC EXCELLENCE AWARD
Printing Industries of the Gulf Coast (PIGC)
This annual regional print competition recognizes the finest printed materials produced by leading printers and designers in this region. We competed with over 300 participants representing over 40 companies in the Houston area. BEB is thrilled to have received three (3) honors:
Award of Merit BEB 2015 Interactive Calendars
Award of Excellence Enroll Gulf Coast Postcard – The City of Houston
Best of Direct Mail Enroll Gulf Coast Postcard – The City of Houston
The Helsley Lifetime Achievement Award
Epicomm Southwest
Epicomm-Southwest presented its lifetime achievement honor, The Helsley Family Award, to our Joy Ze
hrbach, BEB Vice President.
The presentation was made at the association’s 2015 annual convention in April. Since its inception in 1971, this award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated a long history of significant and outstanding achievement in the marketing service provider industry. It can only be won once, and past recipients select each new winner. Zehrbach is the third member of BEB to be honored with the award. Ron Royall, President and CEO was given the distinguished honor last year, and his father, Robert “Bob” Royall, founder of BEB-Texas, was presented with the award in 2001.
Winner of Distinction
Houston Better Business bureau
This honor is in recognition of a company’s commitment to quality in the workplace and superior service to the community and businesses served. Less than .2% of companies in the Houston area are honored with this prestigious award! Judges base their decision on 10 factors surrounding each business which include changes within an industry and how the company has adapted to those changes, how the organization stays on top of the latest processes, technology and trends, and how the business has contributed to the betterment of their industry.
BEB is delighted to have been selected as a Houston BBB Winner of Distinction.
The Bureau 2015 Year in Review
2015 was a year of tremendous change at BEB. As many of you already know, my father and former President Emeritus Robert “Bob” Royall passed away in November. We are a family owned business. My brother Ro (Executive Vice President) and I had the pleasure of running the operation alongside my father for over 20 years. His passing has had a profound and lasting impact on all of us, and his legacy remains strong. Thank you to everyone that reached out to us regarding our loss. We are deeply moved by the outpouring of condolences, and appreciated hearing so many stories about how my father touched so many lives. As we sustain the solid foundation of the company he cultivated, we face the coming year with confidence and clear direction. He is deeply missed.
Our business continued to transform during 2015. Existing clients required a deeper, more
comprehensive relationship and demanded broader service offerings to meet their needs. Data acquisition and mining increased over the past year, as did our digital fronts including, website design, email marketing and social media services. We saw a steady growth in printing (digital, offset and large format), and direct mail climbed doubled digits as our clients continue to see the value of direct mail marketing.
Based on the current political and economic climate, we anticipate the coming year to be a challenge on many levels. We believe that marketing dollars will be scrutinized, campaigns will be more closely monitored, and higher returns expected. As a result, our goal for 2016 is to continue expansion of our service offerings while strengthening our core competency as a marketing production company. Because we believe that companies will expect more from fewer people, the need for a partnership with our clientele is more valuable than ever. We will continue to be extremely agile and promise to develop stronger connections with you, our valued clients and partners.
This marks our 4th year of the annual “Year in Review” edition of The Bureau. In this issue, we’ll introduce you to our newest Business Development Manager, Kathy N. Hall, formerly with the United Postal Service, we’ll reveal some new service offerings and review highlights from the past year. We included updates on postal rate increases, and changing marketing patterns within the social media world as well as information on our upcoming Marketing for Small Business Seminar Series- The Basics (blogging, social media, email marketing and SEO) that started in February. In April we offer three new intermediate classes that focus on social media for business on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
We hope your 2016 is a great year, and thank you for your business and partnership.
Sincerely, 
Ron Royall – CEO
FEBRUARY QR CODE
Don’t forget to scan your February QR Code for a fun video! Or you can click here to see it too. Our QR Codes were scanned over 1,500 times last year! Enjoy.
USPS 2015 Annual Compliance Report
Standard Mail Flats and Four Other Products are Under Water, says USPS 2015 Annual Compliance Report
The Postal Service™ filed its Annual Compliance Report for FY2015 with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) on December 29, 2015. The purpose of the report is to show that the products were in compliance. While most market dominant products covered costs, five were under water. Here are the highlights of the report.
Most market dominant products covered costs except Standard Mail Flats, Standard Mail Parcels, Periodicals, Media Mail®/Library Mail and Inbound Single Piece First-Class Mail International Mail. More specifically, Read More…