In this day and age, not many people spend their whole careers with one company.
Tuesday, the Moose Jaw Co-op honoured four employees who spent all or most of their working lives at the Co-op.
"It's becoming a rare thing when you can gather to celebrate 20, 30 or 40 years in a company," said Greg Karmazenuk, who is retiring after managing the meat department in Moose Jaw for 22 years. "I am both fortunate and proud to have worked for the Co-op for 41 years. It doesn't happen unless you have the support of your team members and great leadership from the management team as well. I was fortunate enough, in my career, to have both."
Karmazenuk, Rick Cartman, Steve McDougall and Steven Ward were all honoured at a retirement banquet at the Heritage Inn. Recently retired Moose Jaw Co-op general manager Gerry Onyskevitch also spoke at the event.
Cartman said he didn't even really know what the Co-op was when he first started working there as a 15 year old in 1974 in his small town. His mom said he should get a job and that the Co-op was hiring. He returned to the company in 1983 in Swift Current and then moved to Tisdale and finally to Moose Jaw where he served as the grocery department manager.
He said whether it was a first job or your career, working at the Co-op was a great experience.
"I saw a place where sometimes people started as a student. Sometimes people started mid-career, but there was a good opportunity for a lot of people to work at the Co-op," Cartman said. "I've been proud of it. Some of my staff have gone on to become teachers, nurses, politicians, pastors, GMs... there's been a variety or people.
"It was a good career for me."
Karmazenuk began working at his local Co-op as a stock clerk in Carman, Man when he was 17 and worked his way up to running the meat department.
Onyskevitch praised Karmazenuk for helping turn around the local meat department when he moved to Moose Jaw 22 years ago and making it profitable by offering the quality that customers expected.
McDougall was a stock clerk in the grocery department. He worked at the local Co-op for 39 years and met his wife there.
Ward was a courtesy clerk in the grocery department. He began working at the Co-op as a work experience placement and became a staple of the store. His co-workers remembered his ever-present smile and said the customers were already missing him.
