UPS History

"The world is now the UPS community. UPSers around the world reflect the UPS image of quality."

"The world is now the UPS community. UPSers around the world reflect the UPS image of quality. We want to provide a service that is in the public interest, that is safe, that is concerned with the environment. We will continue our legacy as a sensitive, responsible corporate citizen with the highest level of integrity."

—Kent C. "Oz" Nelson, CEO 1989–1991

1992

UPS Supply Chain Solutions

UPS Supply Chain Solutions^® provides logistics, global freight, financial, and mail services to enhance customers' business performance and improve their global supply chains.

1989

Around the world

UPS extends service into Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Today UPS serves more than 220 countries and territories.

1988

UPS Airlines

UPS starts its own airline – the fastest major airline start-up in FAA history. Today, it's one of the largest airlines in the world.

1975

Crossing the border

UPS goes abroad for the first time by offering services in Toronto, Canada. Services begin in West Germany the following year.

1975

A vision for growth

UPS achieves a longtime goal by becoming the first package delivery company to serve every address in the 48 continental United States.

"We are constantly evolving new and improved ways, methods and facilities to better perform our work and service."

"We are constantly evolving new and improved ways, methods and facilities to better perform our work and service. We are constantly making changes to improve and to meet ever-changing conditions. We don’t have good answers for many things. We are evolving and we are learning more each day. There is no dearth of good, creative thinking throughout our organization. As far as results are concerned, we can feel that we have done fairly well, but we should all take heart in knowing there are tremendous opportunities to make improvements."

—George D. Smith, CEO 1962–1972

1953

Gaining a foothold

UPS begins to make great strides in growing its "common carrier" service. Within a few decades, common carrier rights allow UPS to compete with the U.S. Postal Service and deliver packages between all customers both private and commercial in the Midwest, Southeast, and Northeast U.S.

1953

Back in the air

UPS re-launches its air service - again using commercial airlines to carry packages. The service would later come to be known as Blue Label Air.

"… we would have to put into it something that had never been done before."

"… we quickly reached the conclusion that if we were to make a success of the parcel delivery business, we would have to put into it something that had never been done before. So we collected ideas from every source that we could and used the ones we believed would improve our service or otherwise contribute to success."

—Jim Casey, CEO 1907–1962

1930

Expanding retail delivery

Despite the Depression, UPS begins deliveries and moves its headquarters to New York City. Throughout the next two decades UPS launches retail delivery services in Chicago, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Philadelphia.

1929

UPS first uses airplanes

UPS briefly offers delivery by air, using private airlines to carry packages long distances. UPS ends the service in 1931.

1919

Delivering retail packages

The company expands from Seattle to Oakland, California, and was delivering retail packages for department stores, renaming itself United Parcel Service.

1907

Launched with a $100 loan

Jim Casey, right, and Claude Ryan start American Messenger Company – which eventually becomes the world's largest package delivery company, UPS.