Fun Facts About Greg Reed: Q &A with the National Star Route Mail Contractors Association New Executive Director

Where did you grow up?

I was born and raised in northern New Jersey. Like all good New Jerseyans, I have outsized pride for the Garden State. But do not ask me what exit.

What activities did you participate in as a kid?

Sports were a prominent part of growing up for me and my younger sister. I played competitive soccer all my life, including through college, and was a successful middle distance track athlete during high school. My personal record for the mile is 4 minutes and 34 seconds. I am considerably slower now. As younger men, John Sheehy and I would have given each other a run for the money.

Before becoming the NSRMCA Executive Director, what did you do for a living?

Prior to joining the NSRMCA, I worked for another transportation trade association: the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, one of the largest trucking associations in the country. I advocated on behalf of owner-operator truck drivers, of all types, throughout the nation before legislatures, regulatory agencies, and in the court of law. Before that was a constitutional rights litigator for primarily small businesses and entrepreneurs that wanted to pursue the American dream and would have but for anticompetitive laws. And I started my career as the research assistant to nationally syndicated columnist George F. Will. 

But my favorite job will always be the one summer that I worked as a gelato salesman for an artisanal gelato company. My office was situated above the factory floor. It does not get better.

Tell us about your family.

My wife, Dina, and I are the proud parents of three. Lorenzo (6), Viviana (4), and Cecilia (2) are the light of our lives. I am blessed to have three incredible children and a magnificent wife. 

Where do you call home today?

My family and I live in northern Virginia now. Dina and I met in Washington, D.C. and have called the D.C. area home for a total of 14 years. Most of Dina’s family and my sister live in New York City so we frequently make the trip up I-95.

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Dina says I never sleep. But my favorite time of day is the early morning before the family is awake and the sun is just rising. 

When you are not working, how do you spend your time?

My life outside of work is dedicated to my family. There is never a shortage of things to do around the house. I also coach Lorenzo’s soccer team and will start coaching Viviana’s team in the autumn.

Do you have a favorite food or dish?

Dina is first generation Italian American and a remarkable home cook. I could eat my weight in pasta for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and never tire of it. 

Favorite dessert?

Ice cream. And while I will never complain about any ice cream, mint chocolate chip is undeniably the best.

Do you have a favorite place to visit?

I have three: the Shenandoah Valley in the autumn, the Outer Banks in the summer for a family vacation, and Italy every few years if we can manage it. Much of Dina’s family still resides where her parents grew up, a small coastal town in a quiet part of the country. The hospitality that comes with that culture and Dina’s family always makes for a magical trip.

Favorite type of music?

Jazz is most often heard at home, and we are suckers for Frank Sinatra. But otherwise, it is rock and roll. Cecilia, in particular, loves “We will rock you” by Queen. 

Do you have any pet peeves?

Never ask to share a dessert. I permit the children to have a taste, but only because they are still quite young. And there is a correct and incorrect way to load a dishwasher. If you know, you know.

What is the dumbest thing you have ever done?

I have a competitive streak a mile wide. I spent one summer training to compete in a milkshake drinking contest. There are physical limits to what one’s digestive system can endure. It did not go well.