Former ABX/DHL employees rebounded at UPS … paying bills, For some it happened paying for a place to live quickly, for others it in Missouri, and the kids in college,” took a while He said that period “drained our savings”; we The News Journal had to go to bank to see recently reached out if we could pay half of our publicly and asked former house payment, but we DHL/ABX employees only had to do that one to share their experi- time.” ences before, during and For a year-and-a-half he after DHL shut its doors commuted every week locally. to Missouri — a 10-hour These are their stories: drive. He joined the UPS Darrin Tissandier, Louisville, management training Ky. program, and since 2010 Darrin Tissandier he’s been a maintenance graduated in 1986 from supervisor in Louisville. Blanchester High School. He continues to com- After serving in the U.S. mute from Hillsboro to Air Force for four years Louisville (2.5 hours one (where he met his wife), way). While in Louisville they lived in Brown he’s one of 7 residents of County. a “crash house” with men Darrin started working from St. Louis, Indianap- at the Airborne Express Courtesy photo | Darrin Tissandier olis, Ohio and Michigan. sort center in Wilmington This group photo, which includes Darrin Tissandier, shows workers at Airborne Express in Wilmington in 1993. Tissandier is standing, just Some of those work at in 1992, and by 1994 to the right of the middle, hat on and hands crossed. Southwest Airlines — in he was a junior aircraft Dallas. mechanic there. years and three months to keep our heads above Of his days with Air- “It was a great place to — December 2013 was water,” he said. borne Express in Wilm- work,” he said. “A lot of his last rotation. He said he estimates ington, he said, “Ask any- good people.” He eventually shuttered he’s one of about 40 for- body that worked there; He said they knew that his own business for mer Airborne Express they’ll tell you it was the layoffs were coming, and good. He applied for the employees now at UPS best company they ever the announcement was UPS management train- in Louisville — including worked for.” made in the spring. In ing program, and after some that commute from August they began taking nine months was hired as this area to Louisville, Deanna Liermann, voluntary layoffs and he a line maintenance super- including … Wilmington decided “to be one of the visor. Deanna Liermann is first ones out the door.” He did that for a year- David Allard, Hillsboro a lifelong Wilmington “I had two kids in high and-a-half before taking David Allard, 51, is resident married for 37 school,” he said. “I didn’t his current job as an originally from Indiana, years to Bill, a current want to chase air main- aging aircraft inspector but he, his wife of 31 city council member. tenance jobs around the for UPS. He flies all over years and three kids have They have two sons, who world. I started a busi- the world for UPS — his resided in Hillsboro since graduated in 2000 and ness installing medical recent trips include to 1993. The three kids 2013. equipment in hospitals.” Taiwan, Singapore and are grown and still live She started at Airborne The new business was Germany — although nearby. Express part-time in 1987 going well until “the most of his travel is with- David started working and after a few months economy crashed in 2009 in the U.S. at Airborne Express in went full-time in inven- and hospitals quit spend- Through all the turmoil 1993, first working in tory control in the aircraft ing money.” of the 2000s, “By the hangar maintenance, then parts section until 1997. His business was down grace of God we never on the flight line, then in She then was in engineer- to one employee besides got behind on one bill,” maintenance control. ing for three years as himself, so he worked in he said. He said that in 2008, Courtesy photo | Darrin Tissandier a component research Darrin Tissandier formerly worked at ABX in Wilmington; he is now construction and excavat- His wife had complete “We knew layoffs were with UPS in Louisville (shown). analyst, analyzing what ing and tried to keep his nursing school in 2000. coming; the writing was parts were effective for business going. Their third child was on the wall. DHL was the company’s planes, “I did that for over a born in 2004. They had the total opposite of Air- At the time, the Allards’ companies and took a job handling part requests year,” he said. “Then in built a new house in borne. We knew we were three children were all in as a part-time mechanic and more. 2010 I had opportunity, 2005. losing customers.” college. with UPS in Springfield, “That wasn’t my niche,” from a former Airborne His wife had been He said he was with He said he tried to Missouri; friends of his she said, so in 20o0 she Express guy, to go to working part-time, “But DHL “until the end” remain upbeat. “A lot of who worked there said he returned to inventory Afghanistan with Black- when I got laid off she when he was one of the people were nervous, but could eventually get on control as a material water Aviation as aircraft stepped up into high gear, last two laid off in main- I knew there were jobs full-time. assistant. inspector. working as much as she tenance control in spring out there.” “Things didn’t get He did that for three could, and we were able 2009. He applied at many tough on us until the year See REBOUNDED | 8 Clinton County’s comeback story since DHL’s departure We’ve come a long way quarters of Deutsche Post da Fogle. Earlier that Commissioner Randy since DHL’s bombshell World Net — DHL’s par- year the two saw their Riley said, “It would be ent company — Deutsche full-time jobs cut back to awful for our community Post’s CEO Frank Appel 6 and a half hours. to lose 6,000 jobs [an WILMINGTON — On described the restructur- They went to talk with early number reported] May 28, 2008, DHL ing of DHL’s business in upper management about — even 500 jobs. That announced it planned the United States as a it. would affect every fam- to partner with UPS “comprehensive and radi- “We were told to make ily, every person in Clin- to transport DHL’s air cal plan.” the adjustments,” Michael ton County. I hate the shipments within North The U.S. division of related. thought of it happening.” America (a deal that DHL reportedly had Of the announcement He added, “I’m sad that never materialized). News Journal photo been losing hundreds of 24 hours earlier, Michael DHL is losing money, but The privately owned CBS News’ “60 Minutes” featured a story in January 2009 on the millions of dollars annu- said, “We got blind-sided. the big impact is what it’s DHL Air Park in Wilm- plight of Wilmington in the wake of DHL’s closing, with a follow-up ally in its attempt to be There’s no other job in going to be on us.” ington had served as story in December 2009. a third player in the U.S. Clinton County that’s Two of the first pub- DHL’s air and ground tions in Wilmington and face-to-face with our domestic shipping market going to pay that [her lic meetings scheduled superhub in North Amer- would be eliminated. employees, and tell them with UPS and FedEx. $17.55 hourly wage].” here in the wake of the ica since fall 2005 — for There were thousands that none of them deserve That goal may have been Fogle said she was announcement were a two and a half years. The employed as night-time it. And that it’s a really, overly ambitious from concerned about the air community prayer service consolidation of DHL’s air sorters, some of them really hard thing to go the start, even before the park workers who had at the Wilmington First operations in Wilmington area farmers who wanted through and we’ll help economy was weakened done nothing else, “espe- Baptist Church and a had been a centerpiece of the health insurance each other get through by the Great Recession. cially the older people gathering spear-headed a $1.2 billion investment coverage and extra cash it,” said ABX Air then- A day after the who have been there 25 by union activists. in its U.S. network by the provided by their moon- President John Graber announcement the News years. You know, they’re The latter meeting global delivery company. lighting. later that day. Journal spoke with ABX 50 years old. They can’t focused on the The announcement “We tried to talk about At a press conference in employees and friends retire yet.” meant night sort opera- this openly, honestly the Bonn, Germany head- Susie Michael and Rhon- Then-Clinton County See comebacK | 5 2 June 28, 2018 2018 PROGRESS News Journal Come grow with Wilmington Savings Bank Wilmington Savings Through it all, savings, CDs, mortgages, You’re invited to come Monday-Thursday 8:30 Bank was founded in Wilmington Savings home equity, consumer grow with Wilmington a.m.-5:p.m.; Friday 8:30 1890 and has been Bank has remained loans, auto loans and Savings Bank.