March News – Celebrating Dedication and Tenure!
To all Merrill Industries Customers and Colleagues,
With March Madness, Daylight Savings Time, St. Patty’s Day and the first day of Spring we are gearing up for longer days and warmer weather ahead!
With that, our thoughts turn to our long-term employees and the commitment their tenures attest to. Merrill has six employees who have been here over 30 years and we are very pleased to have them on our team and would like to share a little bit about them with you!
Starting with our very knowledgeable, talented and valuable Sheri Bell, and as one customer crowned her “Merrill’s Queen of Inside Sales!” Sheri signed on with Merrill January 1978. That’s a whopping 41 years – talk about dedication! Sheri’s great disposition and extensive product knowledge comes in handy while processing sales orders for our customers on a daily basis. Sheri is a total “Minions” fan and most days provides a quip or two to laugh about! Sheri keeps orders, customer, and her colleagues on their toes – like a great “Queen-Mum” could!
David Szewczul, the “Dean” of our sales staff, has been with Merrill since October 1978. Certainly, an incredible and successful 41-year career, which is unheard of in today’s world; a tribute to his loyalty and dedication to Merrill, his colleagues and valued customers. Dave is an avid golfer, is a member of the Tunxis Plantation CC and in 2017 added a fifth trophy to his collection with a 1st place win at the Connecticut Public Links Championship demonstrating he is Connecticut’s best amateur golfer!
Rick Todd, Senior Designer, came to Merrill in January 1979, also celebrating 40 years of service. Rick collaborates with Merrill customers to design their ideal packaging solutions. Rick also is the spearhead for the Mini-Golf Fundraising event. Working closely with our recently hired junior designer, both creative minds make magic with corrugated! (You can view a video of the February Library Mini-Golf event on our website here). Kudos to another successful long-term career!
Our next employee is Dan Avery, the “Captain” of the Merrill Shipping department. Dan came to Merrill December 1983, and since displayed 35 years of dedicated and valued service! The Shipping department runs smoothly on a daily basis – thanks to Dan’s knowledge, talent, and photographic memory to keep everything ship-shape – like a good “Captain” should. Dan’s exuberant personality and quick-witted quips keep Merrill employees laughing throughout the day! Thank you, Dan for the merriment!
Our next employee has been with Merrill for 33 years and is out and about daily! Robert Brooks, came to Merrill in September 1985. One of Merrill’s safest drivers, Bob is in the perfect career as he prides himself with the ability to get along with people! Traveling throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island to each of our customers on any given day, Bob explains that folks at Colt Manufacturing, Bull Metals and Durham Manufacturing look forward to his arrival and enjoy chatting! During his off-time from Merrill, Bob enjoys the great outdoors – fishing, kayaking and yard work keeping his home beautiful!
Last, but not least, is Richard Vazquez with a 32-year tenure here at Merrill! As one of Merrill’s dedicated Press Operators, Richard hired on in September 1986 and enjoys his time at work, explaining it “just feels like my second home!” Richard provided a grand tour of each machine he uses on a daily basis and prides himself with his extensive knowledge of these corrugated printing machines: EMBA, S&S, Koppers and the corrugated Stitching machine, as well. During his time away from Merrill he enjoys bike riding and spending precious time with his five grandchildren bringing them to amusement parks and the movies.
Richard Vasquez proudly displays some of his many finished goods.
In retrospect, this means some of our 30+ Tenure folks hired on in their late teen’s early twenties. They have witnessed Merrill at it’s best and stayed steadfast when it wasn’t. That, in itself, speaks volumes to their dedication and desire to make Merrill successful! As Richard Wheeler, CEO stated: “These six talented and dedicated employees have a total of 221 years of experience taking great care of our valued customers to the best of their ability. I think that’s pretty impressive, don’t you?”
A great big “Congratulations!” to celebrate our Over-30 Tenure folks and a “Thank You!” to every dedicated Merrill employee.
Thank you for reading and remember, we strive to develop package solution for all your needs!
Rick Wheeler, CEO
Packaging Solutions – Made Simple!!