Meet The UPS Store Retail Owner, Ted Phillips

Meet Ted Phillips, a lifelong Colorado native who owns two The UPS Store locations along with his wife Danielle. Behind Ted's warm smile and great sense of humor, is a multi-talented man with a charitable nature.

Ted grew up in Fort Collins and graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in Industrial Engineering. His brother was a pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps, and his father was an electrical engineer, so it was "a no brainer" to combine these two passions: engineering and planes for Ted's initial career path. Ted's first job was at Boeing Aircrafts in Seattle as a lead industrial engineer. He worked on the world's largest twinjet, Boeing 777, also known as the Triple Seven. Ted shares a fun fact about this aircraft – it is the only plane in the world to have the engine attached with only four large bolts (fuse pins) mounted to the wing.

Ted made his way back to Colorado to pursue other career avenues, including the purchase of his first The UPS Store location in 2004. While Ted still worked full-time as an IT Project Manager at CenturyLink, his wife Danielle ran their first store for seven years. In 2011, Danielle and Ted had an opportunity to acquire a second The UPS Store, so Ted left his job and "jumped in full-time" to help his wife manage both of their retail stores.

Ted is extremely grateful for his "capable team" that runs the stores daily. He shares "they are like his family" and they share his same can-do attitude and daily motto: "If you're not part of the solution, you are part of the problem." He is also blessed to have built relationships with many customers for over ten plus years, and is humbled that during the holiday season his customers bring his store and staff so many delicious cookies and fruit basket gifts as a thank you for their great customer service.

Ted and Danielle feel more comfortable giving back to their local communities than receiving and are very active in local charities dear to their hearts. One of Ted's favorite charities is "Stick Up for Kids" where he partners with the Colorado Eagles AHL Team. The ice hockey athlete's warm-up before games and then donate those hockey sticks to raise funds. Ted donates all of the proceeds to local charities and to the Toys for Tots Literacy Program. Over the course of six years of being involved with this charity, he proudly shares they have contributed over $400,000 for Northern Colorado charities. Ted's philanthropic legacy was learned from an early age when his parents set up a local high school scholarship program, which to this day, he still sponsors. The scholarship program awards graduating seniors technical trade school scholarships.

When not giving back to charities, Ted keeps busy at home by collecting and restoring muscle cars. His current baby, a 1970 red Chevelle, is being restored and he is on the hunt for a 1969 Camaro for Danielle. The Chevelle was "his dream car that he could never have in high school," so when he turned 40, his wife surprised him with his dream car as a gift. When not in the garage tinkering on cars, he can be found on Sundays cooking a lot of brisket on his trusty Traeger grill or cheering on his beloved Denver Broncos or the Colorado Eagles. As a season ticket holder to the Eagles, he attends as many games as he can, and he has had the pleasure of hosting one of their championship trophies in the store for customers to visit.

Other fun facts about Ted? Once upon a time, he was a General Manager for McDonalds for eleven years and is currently the Co-op President for The UPS Store locations throughout Denver. Ted enjoys listening to country music, and he has a soft spot for 80's hair metal bands, like Def Leppard.

When asked what his biggest surprise was about owning a The UPS Store? He shares the "loyalty and repeat customers that continue to come in" who often tell him that his store and his team are "so valuable" – this humbling feedback is always welcomed and always shared directly with his team!

Next time you are in one of Ted's stores, say hello and ask to see a recent picture of his car that is being restored!