Janet Hagen has served in post offices all over America since 1995, but the Dowagiac U.S. Post Office holds a special place in her heart and she doesn’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon.

Hagen was hired as postmaster in July and has since been applying her years of knowledge to helping people at the post office and helping employees do their job and get people’s mail to them every day.

“It’s a different feeling when you are in your own community” Hagen said. “We are actually a presence and people know you. People feel more comfortable if they know you and they see you.”

Hagen grew up in Dowagiac and after a stint in California returned home to Dowagiac where she said today she is seeing lots of familiar faces.

Hagen took an interest in the post office world while she was working to sell Avon makeup. On a regular trip to the post office, Hagen saw a help wanted sign for clerks at the post office in Niles.

Hagen said the job stability appealed to her, but she also thought she had what it took to change the way that customers and post office employees interacted. She said she wanted to completely change the attitude and make interactions easy and pleasant.

Today she continues to apply those skills and trouble shoots any unforeseen issues or helps customers leave feeling happy and reassured that their package will get where it needs to go.

And over the years, Hagen put this goal to work time after time, using it to help form positive relationships with customers, even if they were having a very bad day and might be looking for someone to take it out on.

In addition, Hagen said that as postmaster you are the community representative.

“You are making sure that everyone gets their mail every day. There’s a lot of behind the scenes that goes on that most people are not aware of,” she said.

One such scene is how much sorting mail has changed over the years. Before where sorting every letter was manual to today where computers are able to help carriers dived and conquer by sorting packages by where they need to go.

One thing people might not know about the Dowagiac Post Office is that during the spring a high range of baby chicken and turkeys get shipped — this is legal and the chicks are not harmed, but come spring time Hagen said the post office is filled with the peeping sounds of baby birds.

Hagen’s journey has just begun at the Dowagiac Post Office, but she said she looks forward to the work ahead and overall she’s very glad to be home.

“I’ve lived in California and many different states but there’s nothing like home.”