Matt Heier, Staples native, is named Little Falls Postmaster

Since graduating from Staples Motley High School in 1999, Matt Heier has worked to ensure thousands of people have gotten their mail through the United States Postal Service.

He’s held a variety of jobs within the postal system, including manager and supervisor. This past August, he was named postmaster at the Little Falls Post Office.

“I enjoy it,” Matt said of his work, adding that he’s “a people person,” and that his job has provided him with many opportunities to interact with others.

His first job was with the Bemidji Post Office, where he worked occasionally while attending Bemidji State University. Later, he was hired on at the Park Rapids Post Office.

In 2007, Matt relocated to the Baxter area, serving at the Baxter/Brainerd Post Office for the next seven-plus years; first as a supervisor and then as manager. “That was a 24-hour operation, which was a big switch from other post offices I had been at,” Heier said.

About 14 months ago, Matt and his family moved to Little Falls. “I started work at the Little Falls Post Office as supervisor,” he said. As previously mentioned, he is now the town’s postmaster.

Matt’s wife, Sally, teaches first grade at a school in Little Falls. They have four children: Tay, seven; Kyce, five; Jaya, three and Ady, 15 months. 

In his “free time,” Matt  (who played a lot of sports during high school and college) enjoys serving as a referee for various sporting events at both the high school and college levels, including volleyball, basketball, football and track. “I’ve ref’d at nine state tournaments for basketball; and two state final games in volleyball, which was a lot of fun.”

Having grown up in a small town (his parents are Mike and Linda Heier), Matt said he is happy to be living and working in a town like Little Falls. “My wife grew up in Wadena,” he added, noting that her maiden name was Ohman.

He learned a lot about hard work from his parents and grandparents, Matt said. He also may have been influenced by his Grandpa Haugen to pursue a career in the postal service. “He was a rural mail carrier,” Matt shared. “My other grandpa, Grandpa (Fred) Heier, was a volunteer fireman with the Staples Fire Dept. for 37 years. That’s something I did as well when I lived in Park Rapids.”

Matt says he’s been inspired by a lot of people along the way. “I had a buddy who worked in the postal service and he’s the one who recommended me for my first job. He told them, ‘Hire this kid, he knows what he’s doing,’” Matt recalled.

He feels fortunate to have been employed with the U.S. Postal Service for so many years; and that he is now a postmaster. “One of the rewards of this job is that the benefits are really good.”

Matt said that he is very aware that it takes a team to accomplish everything at the post office. “I realize that most of my work is done while sitting at a desk. They (the other employees) are the ones out there working hard to get the mail out,” he said.

In light of this, when Matt was recognized as a top performer at the Little Falls Post Office in 2016, he decided to share this recognition with the other employees. Matt threw a party for everyone, including subs and the employees from RMPO (Remotely Managed Post Office) offices. In a press release, the former Little Falls Postmaster Erin Jeandrom noted, “He (Matt) told them he wouldn’t have been recognized without their hard work. What a wonderful example of paying it forward.”