WALLINGFORD -- They often meet in passing, service many of the same clients, perform a similar job for three multinational competitors, and also happen to be friends.

Monday afternoon at 1 p.m., four delivery trucks pulled into the parking lot at the Pacific Buffet & Grill on Ives Road. It was the annual lunch meeting where Bob Devaney of the United States Parcel Service, Steve Perkowski and Bruce Zetomer of United Parcel Service, and Scott Hastings of Fed Ex take time out of their busy schedules to catch up and chat about the route and customers they all share.

For 16 years the men have met at a location near or along their service route, North Plains Industrial Road, and through the years they have seen many changes in both the landscape and the population.

"We know Wallingford. We've watched Wallingford grow up, businesses get bigger, and business get smaller," said Devaney, recalling when North Plains Industrial road was a sand pit.

Perkowski said working on the same route is no different from working in the same high rise building, because the men encounter the same people every day.

They have witnessed children grow up, have shared the sadness of someone passing away, and watched buildings fall down. "Unlike a residential route, you really get to know the people. You learn when they're having a baby, getting married, or fooling around," Perkowski said.

Devaney calls himself the elder of the group and jokes that he has watched the others grow up. He believes in the service the USPS provides, and takes advantage of it himself. "If I have to send something special, I sent it USPS," as Perkowski interjects, "Send it UPS!"

"People look at it as a game," said Devaney, referring to their competing employers. "But, we all help each other."

For instance, if a client has moved, or someone new is working in an office building, the men can rely on one another to help find the missing person.

The holidays are the only time of the year the four men make the time get together. "We're all timed," Devaney said. "Usually, we just don't have the time."

After several servings at the buffet, the men checked their watches, split the tab and returned to their route.

shernandez@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2266