Tales Of A Fourth Generation Textile Executive: Happy Retirement To Joel Preefer
At the end of this year, one of our star Jaftex (mostly A.E. Nathan & Henry Glass) in house salesmen is retiring, Joel Preefer. It is with very mixed emotions that I make this announcement as this gentleman has been with our companies for nearly 30 years and has been working side by side with me since I started in the business around 10 years ago. The truth is that we spent a lot more time working and traveling together in my earlier days when I was learning the ropes and he contributed a great bit to my knowledge of the business. I have since graduated and we don’t work as closely together anymore, but I consider Joel a great friend and confidante. He knows a lot of stuff and isn’t afraid to share it for the benefit of the company. He also is always looking out for the company which is such an important quality in an employee.
So what can I say? I must say thank you. Thank you Joel for your loyalty to our companies and to my family. Thank you for teaching me a lot about this business, fabric and introducing me to tons of customers. Thank you for being so dedicated and hard working. Joel is always one of the first to get in the office every day for as long as I can remember. Even when I think I am getting in crazy early i.e. I can’t sleep at all or I am dealing with the kids being up or sick, he is usually there before me or right around the same time. There aren’t many people who you can say that about.
Joel is a go-to kind of guy. If you need something done, you go-to Joel and he never says “no.” There aren’t many people who you can say that about. He has tons of great stories about the good old days when selling fabric was SO much easier. He is full of the type of wisdom that is developed over many years working in the same industry. This guy knows the ropes.
There is so much more I can say about Joel, but I plan to say that in my little speech to him at our Christmas/Retirement party. So in closing, I just wanted to say so long to a great friend and an amazing employee, the office will certainly not be the same without you. I hope your retirement is full of joy and relaxation as you certainly deserve pal. Until we meet again. Don’t be a stranger.
If you know Joel and want to say something to him, either contact him directly or comment on this blog post. Thank you.
You will be missed, your friend,
Scott