At long last, the date of my retirement has arrived! On January 17th, 23 years after joining Empire Machinery, I will leave my desk for the last time. My career in this industry began in 1984 as a shear and press brake operator in a metal fabrication company in Toronto, Ontario. From Toronto to London and then to Winnipeg I quickly learned if you take care of your customers your customers will take care of you. For this very reason, Empire has grown to be a leading supplier of sheet metal and metal fabrication machinery to thousands of companies across Canada and the US.
I am leaving the company in more than capable hands. Sean Mashinter and Nathan McKay have been partners in Empire for 20 and 15 years, respectively. Both are exceptionally qualified and very customer focused and will be taking on a 100% ownership role after my departure.
I have many fond memories of my time with Empire. Most of them involve the wonderful group of people with whom I have worked and the many customers and suppliers that I call friends. I will miss you all so much.
My wife Carolyn and I will be spending time exploring our beautiful country and watching out for all the amazing places I have heard so much about from customers and friends I have talked with over the past 39 years. As we travel don’t be surprised if you get a call from me with hopes of meeting up for a coffee and catching up on the latest industry news.
I’ll see you then.
Rick