‘It’s been a great ride’
By Jennifer Champagne
Managing Editor
After more than 30 years with UPS — beginning part time before moving into a driving role that would span decades — Greg Adams is stepping into retirement, leaving behind not just a route but a network of relationships that defined his career.
Adams began his journey with UPS in November 1995, starting part time in the building before earning his way into a driving position. From there, he built a career spanning decades and thousands of deliveries across Munising, Wetmore and Shingleton. He eventually took over the Munising-area route from longtime driver Roger, first covering the route as a substitute before stepping into it full time after Roger’s retirement.
For the past eight years, Adams has handled the Munising-area route full time, though his connection to the community stretches even farther back.
“I subbed for him when he was on vacation since ’02,” Adams said. “And then I’ve been on the route since he retired.”
Over time, the job became about far more than packages.
“Oh my God, it’s unbelievable,” Adams said of the relationships he built. “Usually, small towns don’t have a welcoming committee if you’re not from there. I fit in like two peas in a pod.”
That sense of connection is echoed by the people he served.
One of those connections was with Griffin, a German shepherd at Dawn Kelley’s Melstrand Union General Store. Adams said he would sometimes hide in the store and have Griffin come find him, turning deliveries into a game of hide-and-seek. Kelley raises and trains German shepherds for police departments, and Griffin — who Adams said “wasn’t quite cut out” for that work — became a favorite along his route. After a period away from the route, Adams later learned Griffin had developed a brain tumor and had passed on.
Kelley described Adams as “a fantastic representative of UPS” who “exceeds all expectations for quality and friendly service.”
“But beyond that, he is an amazing human,” Kelley said. “He’s always engaging and friendly. My dogs adore him, and he always takes the time to pet them, give them treats and make them feel special. He leaves all of us happier when he’s been here.”
For Adams, those small moments — a quick conversation, a familiar face or a dog waiting at the end of a driveway — became the most meaningful part of the job.
“I’m going to miss the people,” he said. “I’m not going to miss the job.”
Over the years, Adams became known not only for reliability but for going above and beyond. Whether it meant tracking down customers in parking lots or remembering where someone worked, he treated each stop as personal.
“I might get rid of five other packages at one place of business,” he said. “I found one in the parking lot of Family Dollar the other day and walked over and handed it to her.”
That level of service, he said, came from time and cultivating relationships — something he feels has become more challenging as operational priorities have shifted in recent years.
“When I built all these relationships, we had time,” Adams said. “Now they want you to take the package to the house, say hi and goodbye and go. The expectation is that there is no talking whatsoever.”
Still, the impact of those earlier years remains.
Munising resident Jill-Anne Essinger said Adams “just fit right in” when he took over the route years ago, continuing the connection established by his predecessor.
“He always came into our office at school with a smile on his face and some fun story,” Essinger said. “Even after I retired, when I’d see him around town, he’d ask how I was enjoying retirement and [discuss] how much longer he had.”
For many residents and business owners, Adams became more than a delivery driver — he became a dependable presence.
“Greg’s been a great UPS man,” Essinger said. “I didn’t even really know his last name. I always just had him under ‘UPS Greg.’ It was great that I could send him a text and ask what time he might be by.”
Essinger said that kind of reliability reflects a broader sense of trust in the community: “I think a lot of the people that are in the service area of Munising are like that — kinda like going to Putvin’s and you know you can call Jeff [DeFrancesco] in a heartbeat if you need something at an odd hour.”
Adams is known for being an all-around great guy.
“He stepped right into Roger’s position and made the transition easy — he knew everybody and was always accommodating,” said Debbie DeFrancesco Nedeau, co-owner of Putvin Drug Store.
As tourism increased and traffic grew heavier in the summer months, the job became more challenging. Adams noted that navigating Munising during peak season could be “almost impossible,” but it never changed his approach.
“You just keep right on trucking,” he said.
He also weathered literal storms. In one particularly severe winter “quite a few years ago,” Adams said he was the only driver able to make it into Munising during dangerous conditions that had shut down much of the area.
“If you look back in The Munising News, the weather was absolutely horrific,” Adams said. “And I made it to Munising. I was the only one that made it that day. And Willie took my picture and put me on the front page of the newspaper.”
But for all the challenges, it is the relationships he will carry forward.
Larry Sanders of Shingleton said Adams’ presence went beyond routine deliveries.
“He is the man — he is just tremendous,” Sanders said. “Even if it wasn’t UPS, he’s the kind of guy who would say, ‘Hi. How you doing?’ and make your day better.”
That bond extended to Sanders’ German shepherd, Rocky — one of many dogs along Adams’ route that came to recognize not just the truck but the person behind the wheel.
Rocky knew the sound before the truck even came into view.
“You’d hear that brown truck coming down the road, and pretty soon here he comes,” Sanders said. “And Greg was, ‘Hiya buddy!’ and that dog would just light up.”
For Rocky, Adams wasn’t just a delivery driver — he was a friend.
“When he sees Greg in that truck, he turns into a puppy,” Sanders said. “He almost prances.”
As Adams prepares for retirement, he says he’s looking forward to building a summer home in Gwinn and enjoying a slower pace of life. But he has no plans to disappear.
“I’ve got eight years’ worth of Christmas gift cards to spend in town, so I will be around,” he said with a laugh.
He also hopes to stay connected to the community that welcomed him. Adams said he plans to continue attending local events and staying involved with groups he’s supported over the years.
“Saturday night, they have that Hundred Man — it’s basically a gun raffle at the golf course — and I go to that every year,” he said. “And then I go to the Alger Whitetails banquet at the ice rink the week after Labor Day every year.”
He will be remembered for his “above and beyond” approach to his job.
“We had him trained pretty well at the drug store,” DeFrancesco Nedeau said. “He was part of our Putvin’s family. We wish him well and expect to still see him around.”
And while the brown truck may soon come with a different driver, the impact Adams leaves behind will remain — in the people, the routines and even the dogs that still listen for the familiar sound.
Sanders said Rocky would likely be “heartbroken” not to see Adams on his route, but happy for him in retirement.