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Canfield Postmaster calls it a career after 37 years
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Canfield Post Office Postmaster Paul Ruchtie addresses the mailroom May 7, his last day as postmaster. He says Canfield is one of the best post offices he has worked with.
By SHAIYLA HAKEEM
What started off as just a college job turned into a career that lasted more than two decades.
Canfield Postmaster Paul Ruchtie has decided to retire after 37 years of service. His last day at the post office was May 7. He transferred to the Canfield location in September 2001, but his history in the postal industry began decades earlier.
Ruchtie gives credit for his success to his late father who he initially pushed him toward the industry. While Ruchtie was attending college, his father, who worked at the post office, urged him to pursue a federal job with the post office. He wanted Ruchtie to receive a college education, but also follow in his footsteps.
“He told me, ‘Go to school, but take the Civil Services Exam until you decide what you want to do as your career,’” Ruchtie said. “Eventually, the postal service became my career.”
Ruchtie began his postal career in 1973, at the age of 19, as a city letter carrier in Struthers. He managed to work his way up the chain into a management position by 1981 and to a postmaster position by 1989.
One of the major changes since Ruchtie began his career has been the technological advances. He said automation and barcodes were nonexistent when he began.
“People used to sort the mail by hand when I started, now computers sort the mail,” Ruchtie said.
He has been transferred to several post offices throughout his career, but said Canfield was one of his favorites. Many employees at the Canfield post office experienced bittersweet emotions on Ruchtie’s last day.
Customer Service Supervisor Joe Metzinger has worked with Ruchtie since he arrived in 2001. He said the transition between postmasters was a smooth one and he will be greatly missed.
“We’re gonna miss him, he kept things structured,” Metzinger said. “He’s done great things for us as far as customer service and saving hours and time.”
Though Ruchtie is retiring from the postal industry, he is not retiring from the workforce. May 10 marked his first day as assistant manager at a Giant Eagle Get-Go station in Chippewa, Pa. He said he wanted to pursue a different career path while he was young and opportunity presented itself.
Ruchtie is beginning a new chapter in his life with Giant Eagle, but he will not forget about his time in Canfield.
“I will miss coming to work, seeing the employees and talking with the customers,” he said.