While your crossing your fingers that your package arrives by the holidays, FedEx in Grand Forks is working hard to make sure that happens. With the company's renowned overnight delivery, FedEx can deliver that package just as fast as Santa can.
Fed-Ex's Grand Forks division focuses on express delivery services. The company, located at the Grand Forks International Airport, specializes in overnight and two-day delivery.
This express shipping process is obviously fast. A Boeing 757 cargo plane arrives at 6:30 a.m., carrying more than 10,000 packages from the FedEx World Hub location in Memphis, Tenn. Grand Forks FedEx employees unload the entire cargo plane, scan and weigh all package arrivals, then sort the packages according to destination.
By 8 a.m., FedEx's small feeder planes are loaded and leaving for Minot, Williston, N.D., Bismarck, Dickinson, N.D., and other regional cities. Full semi-trucks also depart for multiple destinations throughout the state including Fargo, and the FedEx local courier trucks are on their way to your door. All of this happens in less than two hours.
"It is organized chaos," said Brandon Maus, FedEx operations manager. "We have over 100 great employees that make our entire receiving and sending process run smoothly."
ADVERTISEMENT
What happens after the big morning rush? FedEx doesn't send the giant 757 plane back empty. The company has a partnership with the U.S. Postal Service to reload the cargo plane with mail to send back to Memphis.
The Grand Forks FedEx division has one of the largest geographical service areas to cover in the U.S. FedEx has an average of 20 feeder departures and arrivals going in and out of Grand Forks every day to deliver all across North Dakota and northern Minnesota, making it the largest FedEx feeder plane operation in the country.
After the morning rush, the FedEx team spends the day taking care of special packages that come through needing a little extra care and attention.
"We ship many important business documents for national companies and the United States Government. We've even shipped human organs going to hospitals for transplants," Maus said. One of the most unique packages ever to come across the Grand Forks warehouse was a 6-foot-tall lion made completely of Legos.
The FedEx day shift also spends their afternoons setting up for the evening rush when the local FedEx courier trucks return with their local package pick-ups about 6 p.m. Then the "organized chaos" begins again, only in reverse. A cargo plane arrives in at the Grand Forks FedEx with local mail and is unloaded. By 10 p.m. the cargo plane is fully reloaded with FedEx packages and again leaves for the Memphis FedEx hub.
The Grand Forks FedEx division has continued to see a steady growth in shipping due to a strong regional economy. "Our package traffic is consistently increasing," said Maus. "We've been in Grand Forks for over 25 years, and this year has been our busiest yet."
You may not see a sleigh on your roof, but you likely will spot a Grand Forks FedEx courier delivering packages just in time for the holiday.
Michaela Schell is the marketing associate for the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corp. To have your business featured in the EDC's monthly Herald profile contact her at (701) 746-2720 or michaelas@grandforks.org .
ADVERTISEMENT
