Goin’ Postal More than a Shipping and Mailing Service

Don Tjossem, KP News

Chuck Ellis has been a community supporter ever since he moved to the Key Peninsula and became owner of Goin’ Postal. Photo: Don Tjossem, KP News

Chuck Ellis purchased the Goin’ Postal business in Key Center shortly after he moved to the Key Peninsula in 2009 from Bloomington, Minnesota, to join his family. Since that time, he has been serving Key Peninsula residents with shipping and related services at times when the U.S. Postal Service was not available. He’s also become known for his generosity as a supporter of many local organizations.

Ellis’ background includes e-commerce, customer service and programming for an email systems company, and computer graphics for a comic book store. Those nine years of customer service work positioned him well for his new business on the Key Peninsula. So did the master of business administration degree in marketing from Capella University that Ellis obtained shortly after buying the business.

He also has a bachelor’s degree in interior design from North Dakota State University. When asked how he ended up doing computer graphics, he said, “That is the position that came up, and I took it.”

Goin’ Postal is a chain of retail shipping and receiving stores that has hundreds of locations across the United States. It works seamlessly with FedEx, DHL Global Forwarding and United Parcel Service. The Key Center location is a member of the USPS Approved Shipper Program and is inspected by the Lakebay post office occasionally to maintain this approved status.

“I don’t think of myself as a competitor to the U.S. Postal Service. I extend additional services and hours,” Ellis said.

Locally, the business is a one-person operation, with no additional employees. This means customers have a continuity of service. In addition to shipping, services that Ellis provides include packaging, photocopying, laminating, passport photos, notary, email, fax and digital photoprints. He also offers selling services on internet sites such as eBay and Craig’s List.

Ellis has been active in the community through the Key Peninsula Business Association and has often offered his services at near cost or a pro bono basis, when the situation warrants it. However, he’s a private person and prefers to stay behind the scenes, so he doesn’t like to talk about his contributions.

He has extensive roots in the community. His sister, Laurie, is a past president of the Key Peninsula Business Association and co-owner of Ellis Accounting with their mother, Genevieve. His retired father, Larry, and his mother are longtime residents of the Key Peninsula.