‘There's always a way here at FedEx': Notably happy employee wants to spread joy through each print and package

LUBBOCK, Texas -- Walking into the FedEx off of 82nd Street and Quaker Avenue, employee Mark Bearden’s voice is unmistakable. It’s filled with infectious joy as he greets each customer with a wide smile. After all, they’re his favorite part of his job.

“My favorite thing to do is to make sure to help every customer – make sure they're taken care of,” Bearden said.

The simple act of printing paper or packaging a box brings gratitude to Bearden. He’s just happy to be there.

“Do what you love and love what you do,” Bearden said.

Bearden’s store manager, Brandon Fox, told EverythingLubbock.com that in the eight years Bearden has worked at the location, he has never seen the employee unhappy.

“You know the saying a bad apple spoils the bunch? So Mark is the exact opposite of that,” Fox said. “He’s always on. Mark is never off.”

Customers even come back to the storefront to solely see Bearden.

“Quite often, customers will come in and they'll apologize to me or to somebody and say, ‘I'm so sorry, but I'm going to wait for Mark,” Fox said.

Bearden said a lot of inspiration for the way he treats others comes from his grandmother, who always told him to treat everyone “wonderful.”

To achieve this, Bearden remembers little things about the customers, like what type of books they read or if they typically come in to print artwork or maps. But it isn’t just that – he knows the printer paper, the packages and the printers in the store like the back of his hand.

“It's amazing how these work. It's like magic, just like magic,” Bearden said about the store’s printers.

Bearden makes his way through the store each day, simultaneously checking on each printer and on each customer he passes, making sure they’re all having a good day. He said he doesn’t plan to stop doing this anytime soon.

“My hope is that I, at least, touched some customers and made an impact in their day – made their day a little bit better,” Bearden said. “That's what I love about FedEx. There's always a way. I still think we should have that on our t-shirts. There's always a way here at FedEx.”