And when computer giant Hewlett-Packard Co. needed help managing its Moscow warehouse, Pony Express took the job. Nevertheless, Pony Express has lost some big clients to DHL, which has an extensive internal network in Russia and offers volume discounts. But Craig Curphey, DHL's Russia manager, says Pony Express has proven a worthy adversary on the St. Petersburg route. To stay competitive, Bryant and Wheeler keep a lid on expenses. Their spartan headquarters are leased from Moscow State University and still decorated with a bust of Lenin.
Employees have to use their own cars for deliveries outside Moscow.
Since devaluation, they have negotiated reductions in rent and shipping costs, trimmed some salaries, and made a few layoffs. It has made people refocus on controlling costs. The biggest worry today is that multinationals could curtail or shut their Russian operations. For now, Bryant and Wheeler insist that they're still profitable, and they've just added four vehicles to their fleet. Like the sagebrush heroes it's named for, Pony Express seems determined that the mail will get through.