Bealeton Gets New Postmaster

By Debbie Hearn

By Debbie Hearn

Special to the Times-Democrat

The Bealeton Post Office is a dream come true for Greg Stukey.

Stukey, who assumed the role of postmaster in January, said he's always wanted to manage a post office in the town where he resides. He replaces long-time postmaster Judith Simpson, who retired last fall.

"Being postmaster in the town where you live is just good all the way around," Stukey said. "I can easily contribute to the community, personally as well as through the post office."

Stukey lives in the Meadfield section of Bealeton with his wife Ann and daughters Ashley and Elizabeth. The family attends Remington Baptist Church and the teenagers attend Liberty High School, where Ashley is a senior and Elizabeth is a freshman.

Stukey has had a long career with the post office, starting as a mail handler in July 1988 and starting supervisory training shortly thereafter.

He has served in supervisory/managerial capacities in Falls Church, McLean and Fairfax and was most recently the acting postmaster in Madison.

Stukey's first task as new postmaster was a month-long mail count, in which every piece of mail was tallied and each of the four regular and two auxiliary routes evaluated.

He said he is now looking forward to familiarizing himself with customers and getting acquainted with business owners in the community.

"This is a great post office," Stukey said. "We have a new facility and a terrific staff who are ready to focus on establishing and maintaining good customer relations. The bigger office will allow us to introduce some new services that will generate revenue and offer customers even a little more convenience."

One new service to which customers can look forward is the availability of passports, something that in the past required a visit to Warrenton or Culpeper.

Stukey plans on announcing a "Passport Fair" in the near future, as well as other community events, such as the release of new stamps and a "Meet the Staff" open house.

"I don't think people realize just how much they can get from the Postal Service," Stukey said. "Many of our services can save customers a lot of money in comparison to our competitors," he said, calling attention to the free packing materials available at the local office or online.

"There are a lot of people in Bealeton who have their own businesses, or who sell things on sites like eBay. We can offer information and tools to help them meet their goals and be successful," Stukey said.

Other services available are post office boxes, which allow customers 24-hour access to their mail at an annual cost of less than $50. Stamps can be purchased online, for home delivery by carriers, or ordered through the carrier for delivery the following day on most rural routes. Parcels can also be picked up during the carrier's normal delivery for those customers who request it using the postal Web site.

"I can't stress how important customer service is to me," Stukey said. "It's my number-one priority. When customers are satisfied, we're all happy."

Customers can reach Stukey at (540) 439-6483, or by visiting the post office during lobby hours, which are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays.