Business Spotlight: The Package People

Brian Birmingham and his team work almost incognito transporting thousands of packages each business day across the city. Their uniforms and trucks are covered in FedEx Ground logos and colors, but the small package delivery outfit is owned and operated by Birmingham’s Sailor-Saint Inc.

The small business is among 8,500 nationwide independent contractors – and seven in Springfield – that handle FedEx Ground shipping orders. The work sends Sailor-Saint’s 10 truck drivers zipping around town handling some 5,000 packages each day, generally split between pickups and deliveries. Traveling the 10 routes Sailor-Saint owns the rights on, drivers log an average of 500 miles a day en route to their nearly 900 customer stops.

“We used to joke that we are professional box lifters,” says Sailor-Saint co-owner Angela Birmingham, who serves as vice president, secretary and treasurer.

Brian Birmingham stepped into the role 13 years ago when he bought a single truck and route servicing FedEx Ground in the Branson market.

“In essence, my contract says, ‘Service the customer,’” Birmingham says, noting FedEx pays Sailor-Saint per piece and per stop, as well as flat rates for agreeing to brand uniforms and trucks with the FedEx Ground purple and green.

With the lofty delivery stats, Sailor-Saint recorded 12 percent revenue growth to $980,000 in 2012, and Birmingham is locked in on reaching seven figures.

Companywide, FedEx Ground has grown 3.5 percent in package volume each year the last five years and is projected to grow its shipments 6 percent around the corner. The increasing avenues to shop from home by the click of a mouse are driving the forecasts.

“This is largely due to e-commerce, Amazon,” Angela Birmingham says. “People want it brought to them.”

‘Lost Sailor-Saint of Circumstance’
A self-professed Grateful Dead fanatic, Brian Birmingham says the unusual business name pays homage to the iconic jam band and stems from the songs “Lost Sailor” and “Saint of Circumstance.”

“It’s not something that is understood by most,” he says of the company’s name. “The songs tell an important story to me.”

The storyline of his business hit a high mark this year when Birmingham was named FedEx Ground Entrepreneur of the Year.

He rose to the top of the transportation company’s Mid American Region, and as one of six regional finalists, the Birminghams were flown to FedEx Ground headquarters in Pittsburgh for an Oct. 10 banquet and surprise announcement. FedEx had filmed short documentaries of the finalists and revealed the FedEx Ground winner by playing the video on Birmingham and Sailor-Saint.

FedEx Ground officials say he was selected for handling the company’s growth and his emphasis on customer service and safety.

“I never want to hear, ‘I was too busy to be safe.’ I never want to hear, ‘I was in a hurry.’ You’re always in a hurry, but you can’t be in too big of a hurry to be safe,” he says in the 3-minute clip.

Representing Fortune 500 company FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), Birmingham says customer service is the name of the game. For instance, he leads the team to leave cell phone numbers for deliveries when recipients aren’t around so drivers can circle back to get the package in their hands.

“It’s free to smile and take the extra time. Little things like that,” he says.

Five-year customer John Tortorice of TheLampStand.com ships 30,000 packages of his gift and fashion products each year through Sailor-Saint.

“Every day, they show up around 4 o’clock. He also delivers to us early in the morning,” he says.

A quarter of the candles, fragrance lamps and jewelry he sells online is shipped through the Postal Service, but price comparisons most often lead to FedEx Ground. “Pretty much on every package, we do a price comparison,” he says, noting a 5-pound package usually tips the scale toward FedEx because the rate remains below $10.

Tortorice recalls a logistical change that Birmingham handled while on vacation.

“On vacation out on a charter fishing boat, he took care of our shipping issue,” Tortorice says, adding, “He runs our route every once in a while. He’ll stop in and check in on us.”

Another key factor in the national award is Birmingham’s entrepreneurial move to start a second company that complements the work of Sailor-Saint. More than two years ago, he launched Service 658 with a full-time mechanic to service the trucks in his growing fleet. Birmingham pitched the service to the other seven FedEx Ground independent contractors at the Springfield shipping station, and Service 658 now has contracts for all 62 trucks in the building that run regional routes to Aurora, Warsaw and West Plains.

Mechanic Corwin Postman handles roughly 11 vehicle inspections and lubes a night, plus minor maintenance, such as changing headlamps and batteries – work that previously fell on the shoulders of the owner/operators.

“I don’t have to go change a light in the middle of the night. He’s watching brakes and checking belts and keeps us all very safe and at home at night,” Birmingham says.

On the right track
Since Birmingham left his work in contract roofing, carpeting and warehousing for the logistics gig, he’s been in the thick of technological advances.

“It’s all about the tracking ID number,” he says of customers’ ability to trace a package on FedEx.com from its point of origin to their doorsteps.

He says now customers can make address changes midstream online should their location change based on the estimated time of delivery.

Even in the middle of all this technology, Sailor-Saint has yet to create its own website. The work is underway now, though.

“We really don’t need one. But we’re trying to get down with the times,” he says, noting it would be geared for drivers, with employment application and uniform ordering features.

But first, Sailor-Saint is on the cusp of its busiest season.

“Two times of the year we really experience a major influx – Christmas and Valentine’s Day,” he says. “During the next couple of weeks, we’ll start to really freak out with our pickups.”

The company picked up 2,000 packages from one shipper in one day last week. “When that stuff starts happening, you’ve got to have extra trucks on hand,” Birmingham says, noting he’s in the market to buy a new $65,000 step-van, though his original vehicle is approaching 400,000 miles and still humming along.

The backing of the $44 billion Memphis, Tenn.-based global transportation, business services and logistics company doesn’t hurt, either.

“I’m not worried about running out of work,” Birmingham says.[[In-content Ad]]