History of PBC

Professional Bank Couriers began servicing customers in January, 1994 and was incorporated in September, 1994 because of the demand for reliable, accountable courier service to financial institutions in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana.  Bill Thomas, the impetus for the formation of PBC, had worked for Pony Express Courier Corporation for ten years, and had witnessed the poor service bank and general commodity customers were receiving by courier companies in general, and knew there was a better way.  

His dreams to form a courier company that provided on-time, one-of-a-kind service that included a Performance Guarantee was carried out by his wife, Kay Thomas, and his children, Bryan Thomas and Melanie Thomas Ladd while he waited for the expiration of his non-compete agreement with Pony Express and then joined the company as its CEO.

For many years, the company’s largest percentage of business was from financial institutions, including several contracts with the Federal Reserve Bank of the United States in Cincinnati, OH, Memphis, TN and Little Rock, AR.   Because of the special, time-sensitive needs of financial institutions and stringent deadlines involved in check transportation, PBC was uniquely equipped to become the dominant check courier in eastern and central Kentucky within a very short period of time due to the detailed contingencies and well-trained personnel put in place. 

We at PBC have long believed check couriers are the true heroes of transportation, as pickups and deliveries are all made within hours of each other in order to meet deadlines mandated by the Federal Reserve Bank so the process of check clearing can occur as quickly as possible, and the country’s economy can continue to surge forward.  If checks in the process of collection do not meet the strict deadlines set forth by the Federal Reserve Bank and various correspondent banks across the country, banks may not have the necessary funds to loan to their customers, will lose interest they would have gained on their deposit (which could be in the millions of dollars) and may lose business to a competitor as a result.   Therefore, the most reliable and accountable check courier is sought out due to the risk involved.

Though over these past 13 years PBC’s Performance Guarantee has stated we will reimburse the customer for interest lost if a cash letter is delivered past its deadline to its destination, PBC has never had to expend more than ½ of 1 percent of its annual revenue for reimbursement to customers due to our precision.  We don’t claim to be perfect, just accountable to our customers.

Today the company still services approximately 350 banks and branches on a daily basis, but has diversified over the years to include accounts such as payroll companies, the Kentucky Virtual Library System, medical billing companies, insurance companies, newspaper and publication distribution and pharmaceuticals deliveries.  This diversification occurred largely due to the passage and implementation of what is known as “Check 21”, or  “The Check Clearing in the 21st Century Act” by the U.S. Government in October of 2004.  This Act allows for the electronic transfer of checks in some situations as opposed to the presentment of the actual check to a depository financial institution.  As the electronic transfer of funds becomes mandated by the Federal Reserve Bank over the next several years, the need for check couriers will decline and finally disappear.

In May of 2007, Professional Bank Couriers changed our name to Professional Business Couriers to more accurately reflect the variety of customers we service and types of services we offer.   Our fleet of approximately 65 vehicles still travels over 4 million miles annually to service our customers, and are manned by employees, many of whom have been with our company for over ten years.

We have recently launched a program where we “wrap” our fleet with advertisements.  They are now “rolling billboards” and allow our advertisers to have tremendous exposure due to the number of miles each vehicle travels on a daily basis.

Professional Business Couriers intends to continue to service our customers’ transportation needs for many years to come.  Our experience with same-day and next-day transportation has prepared us for whatever may come.