Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Dusty Litzinger has worked at UPS for 15 years.
He's our local boy in brown. Dusty Litzinger, the friendly UPS driver who delivers packages in New Rockford each day, was recognized this past week as the Chamber's Employee of the Month for February.
Litzinger travels 165 miles a day, from the Devils Lake shipping dock to New Rockford and back again. On an average day, he makes 95 stops at various homes and businesses within the 58356 zip code, both in city limits and in rural areas, delivering an estimated 170 packages. It's probably no surprise that December is his busiest month, but it's less known that package volume goes down a bit during the summer months. Well that was true until COVID-19 left people with a lot more time indoors in 2020, and their online shopping habits gave Litzinger and his colleagues plenty of boxes to deliver on a daily basis.
Litzinger has been employed with UPS for more than 15 years. He began working part-time for the worldwide shipper in 2005, taking routes out of the Grand Forks dock on a seasonal basis. In 2007 he accepted a full-time position in Devils Lake, and he has resided in the city since. When he first relocated to Devils Lake, his route covered a bit more territory than it does now. He served customers in Devils Lake, Ft. Totten, St. Michael, Oberon, New Rockford and Sheyenne, and he covered over 200 miles per day. At that time he made about 70 total stops a day in all of the above communities. Now, he makes 35% more stops daily in just one community, New Rockford. He said the rise in online shopping, particularly on Amazon, has accounted for much of the increase.
I personally nominated Litzinger for this award, as we at the Transcript see him everyday and have witnessed first hand his focus on customer service. The Transcript offers UPS shipping services, including free package dropoff and retail shipping. We process several packages daily, and he arrives in the afternoon at the end of his route to both gather up all the parcels customers bring us and deliver our goods to us. His reliable service, attention to detail, and care and concern for customer's needs are greatly appreciated. Other members of the Chamber board of directors echoed this sentiment when we considered nominations this past month. He has made quite an impact on New Rockford!
Litzinger said his favorite part of the job is joking with customers, and there is no shortage of that when he shows up at our office. The friendly banter is something we look forward to daily, and we sure notice when he gets a day off and another driver shows up at our door.
Brown button-up shirts and dress pants weren't always this Grand Forks native's uniform of choice. Litzinger pursued a degree in fire technology after graduating from high school in 1999. Upon receiving his degree from Northland Community & Technical College in East Grand Forks, Minn., his first "career" instead called for full turnout gear, as he managed wildland fires at Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge south of Carrington.
Litzinger and his wife have three children, a 9-year-old son and twin daughters who are 18 months old. In his spare time, he enjoys hockey. He built an ice rink in his backyard, and he helps coach his son's hockey team.
If you know of someone who goes above and beyond to deliver excellent customer service in Eddy County, nominate them for this award! Nominations are accepted at any time. Stop by the Transcript to pick up a nomination form, download and print a form online at http://www.cityofnewrockford.com or email your nomination to [email protected]. Generally one winner is chosen monthly. The Employee of the Month program is sponsored by the New Rockford Area Chamber of Commerce.
