Retiring UPS driver Roger Siebrandt was all smiles as he served hot dogs at the Imperial Theatre Saturday afternoon as a thank-you to the community. At left, Emma Jenkins waits for hers. (Johnson Publications photo)
Popular driver retires from UPS
Something special must be present to keep someone with the same company for more than 38 years.
For Roger Siebrandt, it’s the people of this community.
Siebrandt’s final day as the UPS driver for the Imperial area came last Friday. He marked 38.5 years with the company.
“People have been great to work with here,” he said.
On Saturday, Siebrandt provided his own thank-you to the community when he served a hot dog lunch and provided a free movie at the Imperial Theatre.
He said they served 170 hot dogs and a good crowd attended the movie, “Spiderman.”
“Imperial has kept me pretty busy,” he said.
He’s driven the Imperial route the past 16 years. Always based out of the McCook UPS Center, he’s also driven routes that took him to Cambridge, Arapahoe, Indianola, Bartley, Danbury, Lebanon, Wilsonville, Culbertson, Trenton and Stratton, he said.
Starting with UPS in 1979, he was an 18-year-old McCook High School senior at the time. He recalls UPS advertised a part-time loading and vehicle washing position.
A starting wage of $8 an hour was very good pay at the time, he said, “and UPS has always had good benefits.”
He couldn’t drive until he was 21, but once he was behind the wheel, he stayed there.
“It’s the people. They get excited to see a package delivered,” he said.
His wife, Marti, who was in Imperial with him Saturday, said her husband is a “people person,” so the job fit him well.
Siebrandt also said he likes the outdoors, and he has taken in a lot of that over the years as a driver.
An average day on the Imperial route would find him making between 100 an 110 stops.
Sometimes, depending on the day’s load, he’d also deliver to Enders and some of the rural stops northwest of Imperial.
While there have been a lot of bad roads over the years, as he made the 120-mile round trip, Siebrandt said the only times he didn’t deliver his packages were when the highway was closed.
One of the big changes he’s seen over the years is within the UPS company.
Siebrandt noted the company dates back to 1907, so has been in business 110 years.
To view more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition. https://etypeservices.com/Imperial%20RepublicanID359/