The Start of a 30-Year Career
on Wednesday, April 30, 2014
in
Awards & Recognition
As Told by Harrold Annett
Sometime around the early part of 1984, TMC was considering the possibility of opening a terminal in Monroe, MI to service the North Star Steel Mill. Obviously one of the first questions that needed to be answered was: “Who is going to run it?”
The General Manager at North Star – Monroe, who I happened to be personal friends with, suggested that he knew a man that would be perfect for the job, and that he was currently working for another carrier serving the mill. After obtaining his phone number I proceeded to give this gentleman a call. His name was Ron Bean.
I explained to Ron who I was, who TMC was and what our plans were. By the time the conversation ended, I had made him a job offer. Ron said he would give it some thought and get back to me in a few days. Well, a few days later I did get a call from Ron to let me know he was turning my offer down. He thought it best just to stay where he was and thanked me for considering him for the position. Darn!
So, a few days later I received another call from Ron wondering if the position I had offered him was still open. Thank God it was and Ron accepted.
Next I said, “Ron you’re going to need some help. Do you know anyone who might be interested in coming on to work with you?” Ron says, “Yep, I call him Junior and right now he’s down in Florida driving a bread delivery truck.” I said, “Should I talk to him or do you want to do that?” Ron said, “I’ll take care of it. I’ll just call him and tell him to get loaded and head up to Monroe.” I asked, “How do you know he will take the job?” Ron says, “Consider it done, he’ll be here.”
Junior, by the way, ended up being Fred Skeen. And I think most of you know the rest of the story. (Read more on Ron and Fred in the Spring 2004 Issue of Destination: Excellence.) On April 30th Ron and Fred will celebrate their 30th anniversary with the company. These are two of the finest men God has ever put on this earth. Hard working, loyal, honest to a fault, and so many other words I can’t even think of to demonstrate the strong character traits they both display. Yes, I guess you would say those were the good old days, but even better days continue and I hope for a long time yet to come.
Thank you Ron and Fred for everything you have done for our company. People like you two have helped form the backbone of TMC; especially back on those years when there were just a few of us. Please join with me in congratulating Ron and Fred on this major milestone in their careers.
The photos of Ron and Fred were pulled from the TMC archives and believed to have been take in the late 1980s.