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Gov. Tom Wolf recently visited the future site of the United Parcel Service’s (UPS) Northeast Regional Hub.

The project is one of four UPS locations supported by the Governor’s Action Team.

The team works with businesses that are considering locating or expanding in Pennsylvania. It is comprised of economic development professionals who report directly to the governor. Since the team’s founding, it has invested more than $16 billion, supported 404 completed projects, created more than 45,000 jobs, and retained more than 140,000 positions.

UPS will expand its locations in Carlisle, Lehigh Valley, Lower Swatara, and Philadelphia. The expansion will create 1,721 full-time jobs and retain another 6,458 full-time jobs.

Just before Christmas, Andrew “Andy” Stearns, young son of Ben and Luisa Stearns of Phillips, got a big surprise. His hero, “Randy The UPS Driver”, invited him to come for a visit at the UPS warehouse in Waterville.

“The whole UPS facility treated Andy like they knew who he was,” Luisa Stearns, Andy’s mom, declared, “They included him in everything. They put him to work. Gave him a whole tour!

The general manager, Mark, whom Luisa described as “a very, very nice man who was just so caring for the people around him, including ourselves”, and Randy gave Andy a certificate of recognition, which read: “in recognition of outstanding service and excellence.”
“And,” exclaimed Andy, “a medal, a real medal!”

“Everyone clapped, everyone was recording,” she continued, “It was incredible!”

UPS is building its fourth largest hub facility in the country outside of Middletown in Lower Swatara Township.

A UPS official confirmed this week that the brand-new distribution center will open in June.

“The 775,000-square-foot distribution facility features the latest sorting, processing, and data capture technology,” Tom Farrell, a UPS spokesperson said in an e-mail. Seven hundred and fifty people are expected to work at that facility.

Atlanta police arrested three people, who they said they caught stealing UPS packages out of a truck. Investigators said one of those arrested is a former contract driver for UPS.

Investigators found two UPS trailers parked at the PETRO truck stop on Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway. Police released bodycam video of officers inside the trailers where they found hundreds of packages in all shapes and sizes. One officer can be heard saying “This is like Christmas”.