New postmaster joins Houlton post office

Ben Austin, Special to The County
17 years ago

Frederick Workman will be sworn in today as the new Postmaster at the Houlton Post Office.
    Workman, originally from Wisconsin, got his start in the postal service 32 years ago while working as a clerk. He has since been a letter carrier in Wisconsin and Salt Lake City, as well as Supervisor of Customer Service in the Utah towns of Orem and Sandy as well as  Lafayette, La.
Workman was offered another postmaster position in Louisiana, but turned it down to come to Houlton.
“This is the climate I like. I grew up on a potato farm. I knew I loved the north, and I knew how beautiful Maine was, and this town, as far as raising my children, seemed like a perfect fit,” explained Workman.
Workman will be responsible for 27 other employees at the post office, who handle the mail for 1,760 post office box-holders, 2,473 in-town deliveries and roughly 1,950 rural deliveries. Workman, who has held several management jobs in the postal field in much more populated areas, is easily adapting to, and enjoying, the small town atmosphere.
“The only real shock [my wife] has had is shopping … but that’s just living in this area. The schools in this area, I don’t think, are matched by anyone, and that was one of my main reasons for coming here. I appreciate the community for how they have taken in my family. The people here are great,” said Workman.
Workman looks forward to continuing the excellent customer service already instilled in the Houlton Post Office, and will be looking to keep evolving to best serve the community.
“The postal service is evolving to survive, like every other business in the country. We need to fit this community, the small town atmosphere, that door-to-door service. I’m walking a tight rope right now, but I want to maintain the level of excellence the customers are used to, but keep the postal service in this community evolving, as it is nationally,” said Workman.
In order to make themselves more efficient, the post office recently did a route inspection for the entire town, which changed the times that some people received their mail, due to changing routes.
Workman is stepping in after the retirement of Leigh Cummings, who worked at the post office for over 35 years, and as postmaster for over 21 years. The new postmaster feels that he needs to keep up the same great service that was provided to the community while Cummings was in charge.
“Leigh was an outstanding postmaster, so the bar has been set high, so it’s my responsibility to at least maintain that, and try to exceed that in certain areas,” said Workman.
The public is welcome to attend the induction ceremony, which is planned for 10:30 a.m. today. The installation will be held on the lawn just outside the post office, weather permitting, or inside the building at the lobby if the weather does not cooperate.