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Celebrating its foundation in South Africa in the same year that the country’s democracy was birthed, the PostNet brand is familiar to most Mzansi residents — whether or not they’ve taken advantage of its myriad services.
With its proudly South African feel, it may be surprising to learn that the company originated in the United States.
In the beginning
PostNet was founded by Steve Greenbaum and Brian Spindel in Nevada’s fun capital, Las Vegas, in 1992. By the next year, the company began franchising and has since increased its branches to thousands of locations in a dozen countries. According to its website, PostNet was established in South Africa to fill a glaring gap: the urgent need for an operation that could deliver a range of efficient business administration solutions; three decades later, it’s SA’s largest privately owned counter network in the document and parcel industry, trading across nearly 500 ownermanaged retail stores.
Other interesting facts and figures include that PostNet SA serves more than 75,000 walk-in customers across the land per day. The company has evolved along with the evolution of technology, thus allowing it to expand its services to six product types: courier, copy and print, digital, stationery, mailboxes, and criminal record checks.
When The BUZZard met ‘Mr PostNet’ atop his York Street HQ, a breakdown in that very tech was the only issue that momentarily robbed him of his smile. ‘We’re having telephone issues at Heatherpark and internet issues in Wilderness, which means a temporary interruption of operations – not ideal when most of our services depend on connectivity.’
He explains that all PostNet branches in South Africa use the company’s retail interface to support its operations. ‘Everything is done online, and that’s where all courier items are captured, so a break in this connection can prove quite challenging.’ But as owner of five local branches – York Street, Plattner Boulevard, Heather Park, the Kiosk at Eden Meander, and Wilderness – Craig Field is not as perturbed as a lesser business mogul might be under such circumstances.
Staff support saves the day
When asked about the trials of negotiating Kaaimans roadworks to reach his furthest-flung branch, Craig says it’s simply one of the tasks that his driver manages achieve on a daily basis. His trusty PostNet VW Caddy traverses George and surrounds and is driven by staffer Jayson, who also serves as counter assistant when not behind the wheel. Craig’s focus is mainly on admin and accounts, but he has just recently appointed an assistant in this department, which gives him a bit more time to focus on other pressing matters.
Many of these revolve around keeping staff on point while ensuring that they have the incentive to be as efficient as customers all over South Africa have come to expect. The BUZZard had to ask, since our meeting took place at Geronimo Spur located right above the main branch of PostNet George, whether Craig had an account for the purpose of such rendezvous. ‘Nope,’ he said, ‘but it’s a perfect spot to interview potential employees.’ The nine staff manning the buzzing shop downstairs are part of a 17-strong contingent.
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In the family way at Kingswood
When it comes to Craig’s history in George and his connection with Kingswood, it’s a long-standing link with a firm family foundation. ‘We started building in 2011 and moved into our home in Longbridge Road the next year. My sister and her husband relocated from Joburg at the same time, and initially we shared a house on the estate.’
With Craig being an accountant, his sister Tamryn a lawyer and her husband Brendan Maguire boasting a courier background, the trio was more than qualified to grab the reins when PostNet George came up for sale.
Along with his sibling and brother-in-law, Craig spent about a year setting up their new enterprise and acclimatising to the exquisite Southern Cape environment. Soon after, his partners had the opportunity to take over Trellidor George, and so Craig has been flying solo since.
‘At the same time, our folks retired to Plettenberg Bay, so it’s a mere 100km to visit them there, or for them to come and see us in George. Now in their early 70s, Mom and Dad are totally up to negotiating this scenic road. My sister now has a brood of three, so they’re keen to come see their grandkids at the drop of a hat!’
Whence he comes and where he digs to go
Born in Klerksdorp but essentially a Joburg native who matriculated at Trinity House, Craig hasn’t looked back since moving to George 13 years ago. He met his fiancée Lizette – a pharmaceutical assistant, in 2017. They both enjoy the tranquillity of Kingswood and love walking along the many pathways that traverse the estate.
When time allows, which isn’t often, Craig tends his garden, plays tennis at the Eden Technical High School courts, and has tried out padel just for fun. But his real racy secret is cars. ‘I’m a big BMW fan and exhibited my 2007 model E92 325i at this year’s George Old Car Show. I have a few collectables, but my PostNet runabout is an E46 BMW 318i.’
When not embroiled in making his courier company work at maximum capacity, Craig loads Lizette into one of these cruisers and says they love travelling into the Karoo, with Barrydale a favourite stop along the way. Check out www.postnet.co.za or call 0860 767 8638 to find out how Craig and his crew can be of service to you.
