By Dave Yochum. It’s the December “busy season” at the U.S. Post Office on Liverpool, where Gladys Torres runs the operation. She’s the postmistress for the Zip Code we all know by heart: 28031.

The package volume after Thanksgiving literally quadruples, said Torres who grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y.

On the job a total of 24 years, she said working in Cornelius is fun and challenging. She supervises 35 employees and parcels out praise whenever she can.

“I’m dealing with many different personalities and getting them on one accord can be challenging, but I must say I have a great group here so the challenge is very minimal,” she said.

A bigger challenge is keeping a fleet of aging vehicles on the road. “I have to give credit to our Vehicle Maintenance Department in Charlotte. The vehicles are older and require regular maintenance, which they ensure happens,” she said.

She often meets residents in the “lobby, making sure that each and every customer is receiving quality customer service.”

And Torres is good with the title Postmaster, so you don’t have to be worried whether you should say Postmistress. She’s also good if you call her Gladys.

In the two years that she has been here she has worked on the exterior appearance of the building as well as the interior. Parking remains a challenge during the holidays.

The mother of five—and grandmother to “seven beautiful grandchildren”—is currently enrolled in school, working toward a degree in business.

During the course of the year volume is usually a few hundred pieces per carrier; there are 18 carriers.