Dad's Retirement

I’d just like to take a moment to recognize my dad on his upcoming retirement at the end of the month.  Over 30 years with the same company.  That’s a hard number for someone like me to fathom, especially when you consider the average person in my generation will work 4 or 5 jobs.  There are plenty of people at Kraft who would be more than willing to step up and talk about his accomplishments.  There are probably even more people who will tell you about his character and how much they respect him.  The impact he has made and will leave behind him at Kraft is clear.  However, it’s the career achievements that never happened which are most important to me.  Given my dad’s education, aptitude and work ethic, I have no doubt that he could have climbed the corporate ladder as far as he wanted.  I sincerely mean that.  Early on in his professional career though, he made the decision that family would come first.  This meant he was always there to coach our soccer teams or help us with our school work.  The list would go on and on.  For all that, dad, I will be eternally grateful.  I think I speak for both my brother and sister when I say that it was the right decision.  Despite his commitment to family, he still gave his job the attention it deserved, and then some.  As his work responsibilities grew, so did his investment of time to the company.  Believe me, he was entrusted with some extremely difficult tasks and he owned them all.  Kraft knew it would take someone like him to right the ship in places it was off course.  Those in the family know about the long 14 hour days, which were far too often the norm and not the exception.  We know about the crazy hours he’d have to keep just so he could meet with 3^rd shift.  Frankly, I still don’t know how he found the time and energy to do everything he does.  Well, fortunately, that time is going to be a lot more abundant now.  I’m sure he’ll just fill it with something new though and the next chapters of his life will be just as impressive as the ones already written.  I hope he just takes some time to step back and relax.  I hope he can reflect on all that he’s accomplished and is damn proud of it; we all are.  He has shown us how to be a great professional and father.  I know I’ve still got a lot to learn about life, but if I end up being half the man my dad is when it’s all said and done, I’ll know I have done alright.  Here’s to a well deserved retirement.  Congratulations, Dad!