How Do I Retire? by Cheri Kemp How do I say goodbye after nearly 33 years? I am not sure how, but one thing I am sure of is how happy I am to have made Crest Foods my home away from home for those 33 years. The people I have met, worked with, and come to know over the years have shaped my life and lead me in many directions and taught me many things that all put together, made me who I am today. And I am ever grateful for each and every one of you and the part you have played in my life. Making the decision to retire was both exciting and nerve-wracking. Prior to Crest, I spent 17 years working else where so, doing the math, I have worked for 50 years and decided it was time for me. I know it will be quite an adjustment to go from working every day, earning a paycheck and saving for the future, to not working, not earning and then spending the money I have managed to save! It is a total turn around in a way of life but I, and my hus- band, are ready for it. I am almost jealous of you ‘younger’ people who will get to witness Crest Foods continue to grow and build into the future as it has over my 33 years. In 1986, when I first started working at Crest Foods, there were between 225 and 250 employees and far fewer buildings at that time. That seemed like a lot of people way back then but look at us now- at times we have over 800 employees! In 1986 I had three young children and now those three children are adults with families of their own and have given me a total of eight grandchildren! This all seemed to pass in a blink of the eye. I like to say that after the first day of my new job at Crest Foods in 1986, I was so exhausted when I went home that I took a nap and woke up in 2019! Something that I am proud of is this newsletter, the Crest Ink. I worked on the very first issue when we decided to start a newsletter way back in 1988 and have worked on every issue in one form or another ever since. We have come a long way from printing on plain old paper to what you are holding today. Thanks to Erika Meiners who, a few years ago, brought us into the next generation of a bigger and better newsletter that makes me even prouder that I was able to be a part of it and what it represents for Crest Foods. I have always thought of Crest Foods as a hidden gem in the middle of corn fields and despite the growth Crest has seen over the years, still today hold the same family values and philosophy that was in place when I started. Advice I might give if someone were to ask? Work hard; be present at work; be a friend to others; be kind to oth- ers; think of Crest not as just a daily place to go, but a place to make a career out of. Crest Foods loves to look within its ranks to move people up the ladder. Don’t be afraid to work toward a new goal. How do I say goodbye? I don’t, I say “Until we meet again…”
Thank you, Kreider Services Every November, Kreider Services cooks up and deliv- ers Thanksgiving meals to all of their residents. When they delivered to the residents working on the Karlin Production Crew they were nice enough to bring along 20 extra meals so all of the employees working that day could share a meal together. Thank you for thinking of us with such a generous gesture!
20 Crest Ink January, February & March 2020
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker