Which Fortune 500 company operates the UPS delivery network, founded as the American Messenger Company in 1907?

United Parcel Service operates the delivery network founded as the American Messenger Company in 1907.

James E. Casey and Claude Ryan established the American Messenger Company in Seattle, Washington, in 1907. The young business initially delivered messages and packages by bicycle and on foot. It later expanded into parcel delivery and adopted motor vehicles as its service area grew.

The company used several names during its development. It became United Parcel Service in 1919, when it expanded beyond Seattle into Oakland, California. UPS later built a large ground-delivery network and introduced air services, competing with postal operators and other private carriers.

UPS is commonly confused with FedEx, which was founded decades later as Federal Express in 1971. UPS’s distinctive brown vehicles and uniforms are associated with its historic branding, while its corporate name is United Parcel Service, Inc. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, today.