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POSTAL UPDATES

David Steiner Appointed 76th Postmaster General

From the USPS Corporate Affairs Website Postal Service Board of Governors appoints David Steiner to be 76th Postmaster General and CEO of the United States Postal Service The U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors today announced that they have chosen David Steiner to...

Stamp Out Hunger with the USPS Annual Food Drive

USPS annual food drive is schedule for Saturday May 10th, 2025. The event which began in 1993 is the country’s largest single-day food drive.

GrayHair Software Launches New Website

Check back often for links to new stories, white papers and mailing resources. Please drop us a note with any feedback on how we can improve our efforts to support you.

USPS Informational Webinars on Service Standard Changes

The new service standard changes took effect April 1st, 2025.  The new measurement is using a 5-D to 5-D versus the less granular 3-D to 3-D.  Phase one of this change will be adding in an additional day into single piece First-Class mail that is entered more than 50 miles from an origin Regional Processing and Distribution Center (RPDC) and non destination entered Marketing Mail and Periodicals. 

New Mailing Standards for Domestic Mailing Services Products

The Postal Service, published on May 1st  in the Federal Register a proposed rule for the structure changes as part of the proposed July 2025 postage increase.  A final rule will be published once the Postal Regulatory Commission approves the R2025-1 Market Dominant rate change.  

Search for a new Postmaster General (PMG) – could the wait be over?

This is the first National Postal Forum in my recollection in which we did not have a permanent Postmaster General (PMG) in office.  There have been transitional periods in USPS leadership – such as when acting PMG is in place due to retirement, resignation, or before a successor is officially named, but historically that replacement has been named prior to the NPF.  

Upcoming Industry / Postal Events

Save the dates for the upcoming industry / postal events!

Defining the “Perfect” Mailing Address

Defining the "Perfect" Mailing Address A well-designed address database is the bedrock of address quality.What exactly constitutes a “perfect” address? It might seem like a simple question, but the answer is more nuanced than you might think. The concept of a...

Comments on USPS OIGs Audit of Postal Automated Redirection System (PARS)

The @USPS OIG completed the first-ever audit of the Postal Automated Redirection System (PARS). PARS has improved mail forwarding rates over time, but challenges remain.

July 2025 Postage Increase

The U.S. Postal Service recently filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) of mailing services price changes to take effect July 13. The new rates include a 5-cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp (increasing from 73 cents to 78 cents). The bulk mail price file has yet to be posted on the PRC site.

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Takeaways from the National Postal Forum 2025

Last week concluded a very successful National Postal Forum in Nashville, TN. Final attendance was over 5,600 which is the highest in fifteen years.   The numbers came in at:

  • 1,291 exhibitors
  • 943 U.S. Postal Service
  • 3,381 Mailing Industry attendees
  • Total 5,615 attendees

The exhibit hall was sold out with many new exhibitors this year.  GrayHair Software made an impressive showing with members of the Client Engagement Team, Product owners, Leadership and the Postal team.  We were able to visit with many of our valued customers on the active floor. The forum sessions began on Sunday April 27th afternoon, but the official kick off was Monday am with a keynote address from the acting PMG Tulino and several supporting executives providing a few updates on the status of the network modernization, and their strategic plans on package growth.   The keynote event can be viewed online Over the four days of the forum there were eight USPS executive led sessions and one hundred and ten workshops across the below tracks:

  • Data, Technology, and Visibility for Tomorrow’s Competitive Advantage
  • Driving Mail Growth with Cutting-edge Innovations
  • Operational Excellence from Mail Set-Up to Delivery
  • Professional Growth through Strategic Leadership
  • Shipping Solutions for a Greater Advantage.

PDFs of the session slides will be posted to the NPF site at a later date.   GrayHair participated in six sessions at the forum on the following topics:

  • “Address Quality 101” (Adam Collinson).
  • “MTAC – What’s Changed, What’s New and How to Get Involved” (Deborah Damore).
  • “Working with Postal and Client Data at Scale: Modern Strategies for Data Management” (Josh McCaully, Everette Mills).
  • “Bridging the Gender Gap: Work Styles, Strengths, and Strategies” (Deborah Damore, Samantha Ewald, Josh McCaully).
  • “Hot Topics for Competitive Advantage” (Adam Collinson).
  • “Address Quality 201” (Adam Collinson).

If you’d like a copy of any of these decks, please email your request to engage@grayhairsoftware.com. In the mailing industry, the top trends of interest and engagement in sessions were focused on direct mail personalization, omnichannel integration, and Data, Data, Data!  For example, sessions covered Data-Driven Insights, how Data Saves the Day, Targeted Marketing using Data strategies, and Turning Data into Actionable Insights.  July 26th, 2025, marks the 250th anniversary of the Postal Service, it was celebrated throughout the week with multiple appearances by the first Postmaster General, Benjamin Franklin. Mark your calendars for the NPF 2026.  May 3rd – 6th at the Phoenix Convention Center.  


Upcoming Industry / Postal Events

  • May 13-14, 2025: PostCom Study Day and Board Meeting, Washington DC
  • May 19 – 21, 2025: ACMA Annual Forum, Washington DC
  • June 12, 2025: NIPPC Meeting, Washington DC
  • June 17 – 18, 2025: DTAC Meeting, Chicago, IL
  • July 22 – 23, 2025: MTAC Meeting, Washington DC
  • September 8 – 10, 2025: Parcel Forum, Chicago, IL

Questions? Concerns?  Get in touch today with the postal experts at GrayHair Software. Reach us at Engage@grayhairsoftware.com


May Postal Updates

National Postal Forum 2025 Search for a new Postmaster General (PMG) – could the wait be over?
New Mailing Standards for Domestic Mailing Services Products
Service Standard Changes
GrayHair Software Launches New Website
Stamp Out Hunger

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