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The Fabric of the Community, In UPS Brown
The Fabric of the Community, In UPS Brown
By Ali Patusky
Often lovingly referred to as “the man in brown” by those who know him, Michael “Mike” Elliot has been delivering packages in the Middleburg area for the United Parcel Service (UPS) for nearly a quarter of a century.
Living in Virginia “off and on” his whole life, Mike settled in Northern Virginia in the mid-1980s. His delivery days over the last 24 years often start bright and early at five in the morning, when he leaves his home in Manassas to “pick up the truck” in Chantilly. From there, he begins his route.
His area spans from Aldie to the town of Middleburg and even out the Atoka Road. He often works 14-15 hour days, five days a week. It’s “Monday through Friday. I’m dead on Saturday,” he said with a laugh.
Despite all that time behind the wheel, it’s hardly a lonely gig, even though he usually can’t “hear his phone ringing over the sound of the diesel truck” when he’s driving. The countless daily face-to-face interactions with the people of the community are what he loves most about the job.
His favorite part is “the people, talking to people, the people I’ve met. Friends I’ve met,” he said. “There’s a lot of good people out here.”
And those people definitely adore him, too. Mike can be found many afternoons at Highcliffe Clothiers on Washington Street in Middleburg, popping into the shop between deliveries to ease back on to a comfy blue chair and catch up with owner Mark Metzger. They’ve known each other for a dozen years and Metzger spoke enthusiastically about Mike’s “winsome personality.”
“He’s a nice man,” Metzger said. “He delivers my packages, picks them up. If I need a favor, an early pickup, an early drop off, he’s willing to do those things for me, which is a great thing. We expect to see him every day. It’s just one of those things when you’re a business owner, just like you take care of your employees, you take care of Mike, he takes care of you.”
Metzger added that Mike is even a friend to the four-legged friends he encounters on his deliveries. “He’s always got a little treat for the dogs,” he said. “They always know when his truck comes in.”
Mike recently and most appropriately received the “2023 Power of One Award” from the Middleburg Business & Professional Association for his exceptional services.
Punkin Lee, the long-time head of the MBPA and the owner of Journeyman Saddlers on Federal St., also mentioned Mike’s warm personality and exceptional professional service.
“He can bring you a surprise gift, the part you ordered, or retail deliveries,” she said. “He knows where he can go if he comes to a store and they’ve closed or they’ve had an emergency and nobody’s there. He is so helpful and so all-knowing.”
Clearly, Mike Elliott is far more than just a delivery guy. He’s also a friend to one and all. As Metzger said, he’s “part of the fabric of the community.”
