Rosemary Harvey puts in the time to become business owner after filling in for daughter

Story and Photos by Shiloh Francis

Walking into the office of Western Mailers on St. Joseph Street, one cannot help but feel at ease. A fireplace roars. Quilts made by the proud owner adorn the walls. And more often than not, you’re greeted with a smile from the owner herself: Ms. Rosemary Harvey.

Odds are if you find yourself at Western Mailers it’s because you already know they can help, or because someone sent you there. “I get people out of jams,” smiles Rosemary.

GETTING STARTED

For more than 20 years Rosemary has been finding solutions for customers, but her journey began long before that.

It was 1994, she was a stay-at-home mom to four kids. Her daughter was working for Western Mailers part-time after school. Every so often they would call the house asking if she could pick up an extra shift. One day Rosemary finally asked about what the work entailed. “By this point my kids were in school and I figured maybe I could get a little work to helpsupport the bills,” she recalls.

It didn’t take long and Rosemary wasn’t simply stuffing envelopes. The current owner, Helen, was pushing her to do even more.

This was a big deal for Rosemary. As an Air Force wife, she had spent the previous years moving and taking care of kids. She did not have a college degree nor much work experience. The fact she was trusted to do something like bid on jobs was overwhelming at first. “She would let me make mistakes,” which was important to the learning and growing process.

Photo by Shiloh Francis

Eventually the company changed as Lee Enterprises saw direct mail was the way to go for businesses and they acquired Western Mailers. “I have always been one to save money, so I thought it was great I could work there and get my free newspaper!” She continued to learn the industry and soon they saw an opportunity to expand Western Mailers beyond the direct mail services.

“Someone recommended we look into getting an OCR – this would barcode the envelope for the Post Office,” she explained. For those in the non-postal world: the OCR is able to read the envelope (print or cursive) and then apply a barcode that tells the mail how to be sorted to put it on the right route.

Acquiring this machine would open the door for more bidding opportunities as well as streamline the mailing process.

FROM PART-TIME TO OWNER

This opportunity for expansion also opened the door for business ownership for Rosemary. She and business partner Kreg decided to look into buying Western Mailers back from Lee Enterprises. With a conversation from her sales-savvy father as well as a loan, she went into the office and walked out a business owner.

Going from a part-time employee to now business owner came with its learning curves just as one would expect. But a little hard work was not going to deter her. “You have to be willing to put in the time,” she would say to anyone wanting to be a successful business owner. And that she did! Together Kreg and Rosemary were not only able to pay back her father in full the first year. She was also able to pay herself enough to buy a new car for her and her family, as a now single mother. The two had a great dynamic: Kreg was able to manage the computers and operations side while Rosemary continued her role of being the worker bee.

RELATIONSHIPS LEAD TO SUCCESS

Between her father’s career in sales and her time as a military wife, Rosemary was used to moving around. But after thirty years in Rapid City, it’s safe to say this is home and where she has been able to put down roots. And it is because of Rapid City she believes she has been able to be a successful businessowner. “It’s a small enough community that I know I can find someone to call to give me the answers I need,” she explains. It’s easy to build relationships from the banker to customers and from there grow her network.

She would also credit her success from always putting herself in the shoes of the customer. “I ask new employees all the time, ‘How would you want to be treated if you were the customer?’” She is passionate about

Photo by Shiloh Francis

not only finding ways for her customers to save money, but to always find a solution. If the postal service says no to a unique mailer, like a sandwich in a brown paper bag, she goes a step further to find out how this unique idea could become a reality.

Her hard work and problem-solving is exactly why anyone who has worked with her will refer the next person. “Oh, you’re in a jam? You need to talk to Rosemary.”

Western Mailers specializes is first- and thirdclass mail at a discount for anyone mailing at least 200 pieces. They provide mailing, folding, stuffing, work with local printers, as well as list verification.