Published on: August 17, 2023 by Blair Haas
According to the US Bureau of Labor statistics, the median amount of time that an employee works for one company is roughly 5 years. Surprisingly, it has stayed fairly steady for the last 40 years. Therefore, when an employee reaches 50 years with the same business, it is truly remarkable. When that employee has worked in a factory environment as a welder, you know that something extraordinary has occurred. Bud Industries is incredibly proud to recognize that Jim Brown, who joined our company on August 17, 1973, has reached that milestone. Jim is the first factory employee and first non-owner to reach this status.
Jim Brown receiving the plaque that will be permanently installed in our cafeteria
Jim tells the story that at 19, he really did not know what he wanted to do for a career. A friend mentioned that Bud was hiring and was a good place to work. He knew nothing about our company but figured he might as well apply and if he got the job, it would give him some income while he figured out what he really wanted to do. The rest is history. Jim’s career has included helping train new employees, rising to the level of a lead man, and overall, acting as a mentor for the hundreds of people who have worked for Bud through the years. Jim has always been able to be counted on to provide good advice on how to improve a product or streamline a process and readily made the transition to robotics as Bud added that capability about 25 years ago.
Alas, Jim decided to retire on his 50th anniversary but true to his work ethic, he has offered to return whenever we need him to pitch in if needed for bottlenecks or to help with training.
To mark this double milestone, a luncheon was held for all employees and Jim was joined by his wife and two of his children to enjoy the tributes that were showered upon him. Jim received an engraved watch from the company for reaching 50 years and a gift card to mark his retirement. Jim also was moved to learn that a plaque with his photo and a brief description of his career will be placed in the company cafeteria.
Congratulations and good luck Jim!
