I went in to the office on the day after Remembrance Day for my scheduled work day. I had been told not to bring a lunch as they were planning a staff luncheon. It turned out to be a retirement luncheon for me. In addition to all of my co-workers at Mac Plastics, there were also two guys, Randy and David, from the parent company. Randy is now based at the Whitehorse head office, but happened to be in Edmonton. And David lives in Strathmore and drove up for the day. Some speeches were made and I was thanked for my years of service to the company and for building such a solid operation. They seemed genuinely grateful, and pledged to keep my legacy ongoing. They presented a plaque honoring not only me, but also my late father, for the contributions that we made in starting and building the company. I understand that this plaque will be permanently displayed in the office. In addition to all that, they presented me with a gift card for a local photography store. That gift card was of a sizeable value and I want to use it to buy myself something that I will have for the rest of my life. I'm not sure exactly what that will be, but it will NOT be some shitty digital camera that is obsolete and worn out in two years time....
It has been a challenge for me to transition out of the ownership of the company. I have always worked for myself and never had to answer to anyone before. I've been anxiously awaiting the day when my work commitments will end and I can be fully retired. But, it was really touching to be appreciated like this and to be recognized for what I accomplished. In my thank you speech I thanked the new management team for their generosity, but also thanked my staff for being with me all through the years and for being part of the team that made this accomplishment possible, and for helping to provide me with the opportunity for an early retirement. It was a nice day...
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