About Us
Dependable Delivery Inc. delivers newspapers and magazines to New York City, Brooklyn, Bergen and Union Hudson areas. Through our quality delivery, attention to detail and prompt service, we have built a solid reputation of customer satisfaction. Our mission is to provide our customers with the most professional and courteous service.
More than fifty years ago, Ann Moskowitz should have been front-page news.
Moskowitz, a gutsy lady from the Bronx, turned the newspaper distribution industry on its ears when she founded Dependable Delivery Inc., the first female-owned daily paper delivery company ever. The move, a real New York success story, pitted her against a male dominated industry and some tough odds. But she survived.
Dependable started in early April of 1956, when Moskowitz borrowed about $1,0000 from ten relatives, some of whom were quick to point out that she faced an uphill battle – newspaper distribution was and always has been a bit of an “old boys club.” That became clear when Moskowitz and her business partner Ruth Sterling (who joined some years later) were frequently excluded from male dominated industry meetings and forced to defend their employees who were harassed by rivals because they worked “for the girls.”
On some days they were coerced to sell Dependable to male-owned delivery companies and on others was shut out of renting prime office locations because of pressure from male industry leaders who did not like having to compete for business against women. Other hurdles facing the pair included nagivating newspaper strikes and dealing with unruly, gun-toting delivery drivers.
A regular day for Moskowitz began at 2 a.m. and ended only after every last newspaper was delivered. If a deliveryman failed to show up for work, it was Moskowitz who loaded up a shopping bag with papers and set out on foot to distrubute them.
By the early 1960s, their ethics and drive enabled them to expand the business far beyond local publications. Now Dependable was handling newspapers and magazines from around the world and attracting new and prestigious clients.
Hard work by both Moskowitz and Sterling helped the pair to shatter the industry’s glass ceiling, an accomplishment that afforded them the luxury of choosing their employees with care and being able to care for their employees. Over the years, many workers in the industry said their goal was to land a job at Dependable.
Despite all odds, Dependable – which we lovingly refer to as the “The business” – has continued to survive and thrive, thanks to the superior effort of “the girls.” This legacy will continue through the efforts of the grand-children.