James Harris, Corporate Counselor, United Parcel Service, said that while he was proud to be named to the Who’s Who of Black Atlanta, he was even more proud of UPS’s commitment to community service.
“While I am proud to be recognized by my peers with the Who’s Who of Black Atlanta, I am probably more proud of the work that UPS does in the community. I sit on the board of Zoo Atlanta, the board for the minority recruiting efforts for the American Red Cross and the National Urban League. So I look at those activities as being a part of who I am and how we are connected to the community.”
Harris, a mechanical engineering graduate at Tennessee State before receiving his law degree at the Illinois Institute of Technology, oversees the intellectual properties and patented trademarks, and also has the responsibility of reviewing UPS’s advertising and sponsorship with such major sporting events such as the Olympics, the National Football League, Major League Baseball and NASCAR.
In a nutshell, what would you say are the keys to your success?
Hard work, education and giving of yourself.
What is your approach to accomplishing your business objectives?
No matter what job you have, do your best. We are there for a reason; I am blessed to be there. And whatever I can do to help someone else, I have a responsibility to do whatever I can.
How important is social media to UPS’ business strategy?
At UPS, we understand the importance of social media. I actually review and approve all social media for UPS,” he said, to which Natalie Godwin chimed in: “Right now we have a big initiative with Twitter. We are doing a lot of Twitter parties for UPS and we’re doing a lot of small business promotions,” added Godwin, the PR person for UPS in Atlanta. “And we’re doing a lot with our business shipping season which is the holiday season. So we know that social media is important for us to reach a much younger audience. And, as a global corporation, we know we have to reach all of our targets, no matter the age, no matter the location.” –terry shropshire
