Second at last week’s Masters Tournament. Third in Houston two weeks ago. But after two near misses and over 10,000 miles travelled, UPS Golf Ambassador Louis Oosthuizen clinched a victory at the Maybank Malaysian Open over the weekend.

The 29 year-old South African defied the psychological fatigue of just missing out on a Green Jacket at Augusta National last Sunday and the physical challenges of a 30-hour journey to Kuala Lumpur to win by three shots. Read More »

Next week, from April 16-18, a few UPS executives including our Chief Operating Officer David Abney and UPS Chief Sustainability Officer Scott Wicker will be heading west to attend FORTUNE Brainstorm Green (UPS is a sponsor).  It’s a conference that brings together business people, government policymakers, investors and non-profit leaders to talk about the business of sustainability. I had the chance to catch up with Scott to discuss his thoughts on the conference and what he’s hoping to get out of the event.  Check out the video below…

While the conference is invitation-only, the folks at FORTUNE stream most of the discussions live online (register here), so we thought we’d discuss a few over at facebook.com/ups:

April 16^th @345p EDT:
THE GREEN CONSUMER: HOW NEW MEDIA IS CHANGING THE GAME

April 17^th @1015a EDT:
ENGAGING THE CEO AND THE BOARD

April 18^th @1020a EDT:
WHAT IS NATURE WORTH?

If you’re like me, you’ve already filed your taxes—a month or two ago! I guess I like seeing that refund in my bank account, so I try to file as soon as possible. But there are many out there (you know who you are) who wait til the last minute to file their taxes, even if the IRS gives them an extra couple days to file. I guess the looming threat of late fees doesn’t scare them. Maybe they like the stress, who knows?

Fortunately, there’s relief for all you last-minute filers. Your neighborhood The UPS Store location offers copying, postal and shipping services to help you get your taxes to Uncle Sam on time. Many of The UPS Store locations actually stay open late on April 17 to accommodate the procastinators. And some even throw a Tax Break party to celebrate our right to pay taxes.

Most people who physically send their returns to the IRS use the mail, but did you know you can also SHIP your federal tax returns via UPS? What’s better than watching your tax forms make their way to the IRS? With UPS shipping, you get a tracking number so you can track your return all the way to Uncle Sam.

If you’re mailing, don’t forget they’ve got to be postmarked by April 17.

What are you planning to do with your tax return?

For sports fans it’s a great week – from March Madness to the tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.  Kentucky won the Madness and now the world will be watching as Tiger Woods chases Jack Nicklaus’ record and battles with newcomer Rory McIlroy for that prestigious green jacket.  

It’s also been a great week for UPS.  Every year, The Business Journals conducts a very special survey to determine the brands that best meet the needs of small- and mid-sized businesses.  More than 2,000 leaders in that arena were surveyed this year regarding almost 300 brands and UPS came out a double-winner.  UPS was named the best brand in the Business Services category, and The UPS Store was named the best brand in the Retail category — 2012 American Brand Excellence Awards.

UPS pays a great deal of attention to its small- and mid-sized customers because they’re the backbone of the U.S. economy . . .  and we know we can help small companies become big companies.  Take BudgetGolf.com, where you can find great deals on clubs, clothes and bags.  Todd Messineo started out in a small Illinois store in 1999 with just five employees.  Since then, he’s grown the business into a multi-million dollar company and with UPS on his side, is able to deliver on the store’s promise of rapid, top-of-the-line service with same-day shipping.

Like many other small business owners, Messineo prepared for big losses during the 2009 recession.  But he also worked closely with UPS Business Solutions and devised a strategy to bolster e-commerce sales.  His bottom line – he grew 205%!  He also followed mobile commerce trends and enabled golfers to shop right from their phones.  Today, about 10% of the company’s sales are administered with a mobile device.   

Messineo is working hard to stay current with retail trends by offering free shipping.  He’s also looking to UPS to automate his delivery systems and identify a reasonable flat rate on international shipping that will increase sales in Canada.  Another goal is to increase efficiency even more without sacrificing the customer service that is the cornerstone of his business.

Helping Messineo and other entrepreneurs with the tools needed to make shipping, visibility and easy returns more efficient represents the power of logistics.  And it’s doubly nice when it helps small companies grow.

That UPS commitment to small business also is why The UPS Store is sponsoring “Entrepreneur” magazine’s “Entrepreneur of 2012” contest.  For the fifth consecutive year, the magazine is searching nationwide for exceptionally inspired entrepreneurs to share their story of how they have revolutionized their industry, employees and community.  Entrepreneurs can submit their entries at http://entrepreneur.com/e2012.

My journey with United Way started about 30 years ago. I only did it because I was asked. As the years passed and I became more aware of United Way’s work, I realized that giving was simply the right thing to do. Living United means making our community a better place. I’ve contributed money through our United Way campaign but when I became the 2012 Orange County United Way Campaign Chair, I really got to see where those contributions were going. To me, the end of the line is about the people whose lives are being changed because of the generosity of our community. It shows that no matter how much you give, your support does make a difference. 

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Driver saves Jack Russell terrier with mouth-to-snout resuscitation

Package car driver Reynaldo Alcantara is being called a hero by his coworkers for saving the life of a dog while on his daily route.

Thanks to Reynaldo’s quick actions, knowledge of animal emergency procedures, and his love of animals, he successfully administered “mouth-to-snout” resuscitation to a choking Jack Russell Terrier. The procedure is similar to traditional mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for humans, with the main difference being that the person performing the procedure closes the dog’s mouth, and then breathes into its nose. 

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Quality, exceptional service, variety, reliability and cost efficiency have gone into crafting UPS’s products and services for more than a century. It’s a standard that’s been set by our founder, Jim Casey.

As the needs of customers have changed, so has UPS. With an unmatched portfolio to get you those new hot pink stilettos, shiny golf clubs, latest gadget, prescription medicine or grandma’s cookies, UPS is committed to getting your package where it needs to be on time and with a smile.

Recently, UPS was rewarded an Image Award by the German publication VerkehrsRundshau magazine for placing first in the “Courier, Express and Parcel Services” category of its Image-Ranking survey. This is an opinion poll to gauge the image and awareness levels of the leading companies offering commercial vehicles and products and services for commercial vehicle fleets.

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We have all been there – you get home after a long day to find one of those “sorry we missed you” notices stuck on the door. And if you’re anything like me, rearranging my busy schedule or trying to find the time to go pick up the package does not always make it on my “to-do” list. Figuring out there just aren’t enough hours in the day is a lesson I have learned pretty quickly and finding ways to “up” the convenience factor has gone from convenient to critical.

At least 1 million other people have joined me and know the enjoyment of a service that tells me when a package is on the way. UPS My Choice sends a free delivery alert (phone, text or email) the day before it arrives.

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In a recent Facebook chat sponsored by The UPS Store, I fielded the standard questions about generating more leads and more sales, but right on cue I also got several variations of this question/comment about social media.

“I have limited time and all this new social stuff keeps coming, how do I determine what is the best tool to use or where to start?”

It’s a great question, but mostly it’s the wrong question, because it’s centered on tactics – Facebook or Twitter, Blogging or Tweeting – when it should be centered on objectives and results.

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When it comes to March Madness®, everyone loves a Cinderella story. Last year, Butler University was a Cinderella repeat – advancing to the finals during the 2010 and 2011 tournaments. And this year, Norfolk State, Lehigh and Ohio achieved “David vs. Goliath” glory in the first round.

At UPS, we love Cinderella stories too. Especially in business. Our “Game Changers” campaign celebrates the story of people who see opportunities and solutions that others overlook. And in the process, achieve success. Companies like Southwest Airlines and UPS customer Zappos were one-time upstarts who reached success with ingenuity, teamwork, vision and smart planning. We call that logistics at UPS.

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