06/22/2026
In September of the year 2000, Champion International announced they were bought by International Paper. I had worked at the mill since 1980 and was now a Maintenance Planner/Area Manager. We were all devastated by this news. Within a couple of months, IP offered the first package to salaried employees, cutting down the workforce. We had until November 30th to turn in our response, take the package or stay. However, if you were to stay, there was no guarantee you would still have your job. The restructure plans were not announced, so if you stayed and then your job was eliminated, you lost out on the package. It was a hard decision, but I decided to take the early retirement package and open a courier service. It was a longshot, but I felt it was a necessary service our area didn't currently have available to manufacturers and suppliers, and the opportunity was there. My last day at the mill was May 31st, 2001 and 30 days later, on July 1, 2001, FSI - Fleet Services Inc. was born. We started with the two of us, my husband Jim and I, and a small Nissan pickup and a Jeep Cherokee. We carried small parts, the largest about 300 lbs. We grew in moderation, expanded into medical deliveries as well, and still have some of the same customers we started with. They are like family because we have been partners for so many years. We wanted to remain a small business throughout the years, because we wanted to keep our service personalized for our customers. We are a unique service, and hope to remain that way. We have more trucks, trailers and drivers than we started with, but the care we give our customers remains the same. We offer a unique personalized service for your individual business, and we are told we do it well. So, this JULY 1st, 2026 we celebrate 25 years in business! There were ups and downs over the years, every business has them, but we have rolled with them. Our roles have changed and I am semi-retired, Jim passed away 7 years ago, and Jamey has managed our Field Operations for many years now. We have had some excellent couriers working with us over the years, highly skilled individuals with many years of experience in the industrial world. We are a local, family business, with a success story and happy to serve the businesses in our community and beyond.
