By Jennifer Rogers, Tribune staff writer

Albert Lea’s Mailboxes and Parcel Depot has been renamed Total Choice Shipping.

&8220;The gentleman that sold us the MPD package was going to retire, so a trainer for the company, Jim Brown, and a partner started a new company, Total Choice Shipping,&8221; said Neil Berg, co-owner of Total Choice Shipping. &8220;We started working with the new company because we wanted to be able to expand.&8221;

Berg and his wife, Bobbi, co-own the mail and business service center located at 146 W. William St. Total Choice Shipping offers mailbox rental, office supplies, vinyl banners and magnetic vehicle signs, business cards, passport photos, notary service, custom self-ink stamps, money orders, phone cards, collating, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, packing, shipping, color and black and white copies, ink jet cartridges, presentation paper, shipping supplies, greeting cards, laminating, printing services, moving supplies, binding, three-hole punching and boxes of any size.

The store works with DHL, Fedex, UPS and the United States Postal Service.

&8220;We work with all of the major shipping companies and we will help customers fill out all of the necessary forms,&8221; said Neil Berg. &8220;That is the nice part.&8221;

With the name change also came some changes in the store. There is an additional service counter and the Bergs now have the ability to network to other Total Choice Shipping locations. There are six other stores in southern Minnesota and Iowa.

&8220;If someone is on the road and they’ve worked with Total Choice Shipping before they will know they can feel comfortable coming to us,&8221; said Neil Berg, because the stores mostly offer the same services and products.

&8220;The second service counter really helps with Christmas traffic,&8221; said Bobbi Berg.

The Bergs have been in the mail business since April 2004.

&8220;We always thought Albert Lea needed some kind of store where you had a choice for shipping

needs,&8221; said Bobbi Berg.

Before starting their business, Neil Berg owned his own business. Bobbi Berg works at Alliant Energy as well as the store.

There are two other employees at the store, Trevor Berg, the couple’s son, and Randy Parks.

Total Choice Shipping is open weekdays 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to noon. For more information call 373-1465 or e-mail tcs-albertlea@qwest.net.