10 Things You Didn’t Know about UPS CEO David Abney

As far as companies that deal with packages are concerned, many people are more familiar with those like UPS than they are with FedEx or even the United States Postal Service. The big brown trucks can be seen in every part of the country and the company is responsible for air travel to many other countries as well. To say that this is a money-making endeavor is a dramatic understatement. The company has been in business for decades and as the United States Postal Service continues to struggle financially, business at UPS continues to pick up.

The thing that is truly unique about this particular business is that almost everyone has dealt with UPS in one way or another. If you’re not employed by the company, you still have experience with them because you’ve either sent or received packages via UPS. As a direct result, you might be interested to know more about the Chief Executive Officer of the company, David Abney. While the story of UPS is interesting in and of itself, his story is nothing to sneeze at, either. Below are 10 things about him that you probably don’t know.

1. He’s a Mississippi native

He grew up in a town called Greenwood, Mississippi. He’s extremely proud of his Mississippi roots and he frequently does everything he can when it comes to helping out the town in which he grew up. He wants other people to see that through hard work and dedication, there is no amount of success that isn’t possible.

2. He graduated from college in the 1970s

Abney attended Delta State University and graduated from the college in 1976. He always had an eye on business and he wanted to be successful from the start. Fortunately, he put all of that hard work and determination into being successful and he has a great deal to show for it today.

3. He’s always worked for UPS

During the 1970s when Abney was in college, he went to work for UPS in what he probably thought was just a job to help him pay the bills until he graduated. However, he really liked working for the company and once he did graduate, he made the decision to continue on there. As a result, he has steadily climbed up through the ranks, working for this company during his entire adult life.

4. He used to hold the position of Chief Operating Officer

In 2007 he was promoted to this position and he held it until 2014. At that time, he was promoted to Chief Executive Officer, the position he currently holds today.

5. He also serves as the company’s chairman

In addition to being the Chief Executive Officer for UPS, he’s also the chairman of the company. He has held both positions since his promotion in 2014.

6. He’s also active in other businesses

Business is something that Abney is very interested in. As a result, he also served on the Board of Directors for Johnson Controls for quite some time.

7. He met his wife during college

He and his wife have been together since they met during college. At the time, she was his college sweetheart. It’s interesting to see someone that has managed to be so successful at their chosen profession and in their personal life as well.

8. He gives back to the college he attended

Abney realizes that it’s important to give back and he does exactly that by serving on the board for the college that gave him the foundation for his success.

9. He thrives on staying busy

Obviously, he has a great deal of ambition. You would think that merely serving as CEO and chairman of UPS would keep him busy enough, but when you factor in his activities on the Board of Directors with both Johnson Controls and Delta State University, you wonder how he manages to do it all.

10. He puts others first

Unfortunately, business often gets a reputation for stepping on everyone else in order to get ahead. Perhaps the reason that Abney has been so successful is because he puts everyone else first and makes sure that everything he’s involved with is done with integrity and honor. He does this because that’s the way he’s always lived his life. He also hopes that it will teach others that business should be conducted this way.