I went through a brief history, which actually started 41 years ago this month (December) in a two car garage and my basement and in a few minutes took us to the present day with some of the "physical" things. But, as I explained, that is not the history that is most relevant. The most relevant history is about people. There are lots of people who have contributed to our forty years. Some from the past and some are still part of Richway. It is all these people who helped us establish "what we are" for our customers. I recalled groups of people working until 2 or 3 or later in the morning to complete a rush order for a customer (this happened several times), people working New Years Eve to meet our customer's needs, and other examples of "busting butt" for our customers. We rather routinely went beyond what our customers expected and we still do.
In return for all that people have given to Richway, we have tried to give something back. A sense of belonging and contributing to something. The opportunity to go home at night knowing that they have been appreciated and that their ideas and thoughts have validity. I have often said that we give people a lot of rope; they can hang themselves or swing just like in a great big swing. They can laugh and have fun. It is important to laugh and have fun at work. We have tried to give opportunities for a sense of accomplishment, self worth, and job satisfaction. We have not always been successful, but that has been the goal.
Finally, I told them that if you read my blog (this one) you would see recurring themes: Success takes hard work. The importance of customer service. And lastly the story from my mother that has been a guiding principle for me: To succeed you must do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, and you must do it regardless of whether you want to do it or not.
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We bust ours to keep you on schedule!
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