Five years ago, Scott Lindemann felt it was time for a transfer to a different U.S Postal Service outlet in Minnesota. Serving as postmaster at Waconia wasn’t really what he wanted especially when 14-hour workdays became more frequent. So, he decided a move to Kimball would suit him best. “The people here attracted me,” Lindemann said. “And I wanted to be up here near St. Cloud.” Since then, Lindemann, his wife Bobbie, and their two children Karla and Kurt have settled in comfortably. “I love it here, this is the best community I have had to interact professionally and personally,” Lindemann said. This is the fourth town in which Lindemann has served as postmaster. Prior to the move to Kimball, he was postmaster at Becker, Gaylord and Waconia. All in all, he has been postmaster in the U.S. Postal Service for 24 years. But his relationship with the postal service runs even longer. Lindemann began as a clerk in Shakopee almost 35 years ago, and it is his love to serve the community that has kept him in this business for so long. “I enjoy the service and doing things for people. It is kind of nice handing a grandmother a letter from a grandkid she’s been looking for,” Lindemann said. “Every day when I go back (home)I feel I have done something worthwhile.” Changes Throughout his career at the postal service, Lindemann has witnessed a lot of changes. One of those changes was the introduction of the personal computer. Before that, it was extremely difficult for the postal service to conduct bulk mailing. In fact, as Lindemann recalls, the only items mailed in bulk form were newspapers and magazines. Thanks to the personal computer, bulk mailing is much easier today. While the introduction of the personal computer was celebrated, the eventual arrival of the Internet wasn’t. “We are losing business because of the Internet,” Lindemann said. “It is definitely having impact on our first-class volume ( personal mail, bills) which have always increased each year except for the last few years.” The postal service, Lindemann said, is using the Internet to its advantage by going after the parcel mailing business. He said that there is only so much people can do through the Internet. For example, people purchase things from the Internet all the time, but the items still need to be delivered. “You can’t get something delivered through the telephone line,” Lindemann said. Responsiblity The most important thing for Lindemann is making sure the community is served best. His responsibilities as postmaster are many. He is accountable for all mail delivery in his zip code, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He supervises the handling of 5,000 to 10,000 pieces of incoming mail daily at the Kimball Post Office. Outgoing mail, he said, generally ranges anywhere between 3,000 and 5,000 pieces. But that’s not all. He still has other managerial duties in running the post office. But the one thing he focuses on is preserving the trust the public has long put into the U.S. Postal Service. “People can drop their mail at a mail box anywhere in the country and they don’t have to care what happens to it because they trust us to deliver it,” Lindemann said. “My job is to make sure it stays that way.” Settle down For now, Lindemann is all set to settle down in Kimball. Karla is now married while Kurt recently graduated from St. Cloud Technical College. As for Lindemann and his wife Bobbie, they recently moved to Kimball after purchasing a home here a few weeks ago; they had resided in Watkins the last four years. Careerwise, Lindemann is eligible to retire in two years but intends to continue serving the community for another five or six years at least. No matter how long, one thing is for sure: He intends to retire in Kimball. “I really want to thank the people in the community for accepting me into the community the way they have,” Lindemann said. “We’ve moved into other small communities like this but never had the warm and open reception that we have had here.”
