[eweissenbach]

I worked for two companies that I continue to be very proud of. I was recruited by New York Life after 14 years of teaching/coaching, and started as a sales rep. After two years I was recruited into management and spent the next 18 years as a sales manager, sales development manager, and general manager. New York Life was and continues to be an outstanding company which takes ethics very seriously, and operates in the best interest of the owners, which are the policyholders. Their products are not always the cheapest, but the quality, and the reliability, not to mention the expertise of their representatives are unparalleled in the industry.

After retiring from nylic at age 57 I was offered a management position in marketing at Principal Financial Group in Des Moines by a former basketball player and employee of mine. Principal too was a company driven by ethics and the best interest of their customers. I worked there five years and enjoyed every minute, and would probably still work there but for the weekly commute and having to stay in an apartment in DSM, while my bride lived full-time at our lake home.

I am sure many of you retired from or once worked for companies of which you are very proud. Tell everyone about them so that they might get some extra exposure and everyone reading them midht get some ideas for future purchases. At the very least it should provide some interesting insights.

[wendyquat]

I was a sales associate for AFLAC for 25 years. They also are an ethics driven company and in my many years helping people with all kinds of claims, mostly cancer, I saw AFLAC "bend over backwards" to help their clients. Many times they went "above and beyond" to make sure their policyholders received every penny coming to them for a claim.

As a self employed agent, I'd still work for them but although their products are good for life for current policyholders, they can't be purchased after the age of 65. My market would be very small now that we are FROGS!

It used to, and still does, make me angry when people say insurance companies are only in it for the money! It may be true of some companies but I can assure you there are companies, like AFLAC, out there that actually want to help you. If you've ever been the recipient of supplemental catastrophic insurance policy proceeds you already KNOW the benefits!

[Shimpy]

I was a machinist/tool maker for CDA Intercorp in Deerfield Bch Fl. In addition to working on all the latest military hardware such as the F 22 fighter, we made parts for most satellites. We also were instrumental in the first Hubble telescope repair and have many applications on the JWST that will replace the hubble over 1,000,000 miles out. We have built parts on all the Mars rovers etc. We completed building components for future missions that I couldn't possibly live long enough to see arrive at their destination in space.

[skyguy79]

Originally Posted by wendyquat

I was a sales associate for AFLAC for 25 years. They also are an ethics driven company and in my many years helping people with all kinds of claims, mostly cancer, I saw AFLAC "bend over backwards" to help their clients. Many times they went "above and beyond" to make sure their policyholders received every penny coming to them for a claim.

As a self employed agent, I'd still work for them but although their products are good for life for current policyholders, they can't be purchased after the age of 65. My market would be very small now that we are FROGS!

It used to, and still does, make me angry when people say insurance companies are only in it for the money! It may be true of some companies but I can assure you there are companies, like AFLAC, out there that actually want to help you. If you've ever been the recipient of supplemental catastrophic insurance policy proceeds you already KNOW the benefits!

In the years I worked for the NYS DMV, I only remember one occasion that I interacted with an AFLAC employee. I still distinctly remember her to this day because of her positive and enthusiastic attitude toward her employer. Seems like it was positively a ducky place to work!

As for my employeer, let's just say that I was happy to have a decent job, appreciate that they cooperated in dealing with my physical limitations making it possible for me to reach retirement age without having to ever go on disability!

[villagegolfer]

Who cares? I'm retired and do not like to think of the past as much as how much fun I will have tomorrow in The Villages.

[momesu]

I, in my out of home, work life have mainly worked for not-for-profit employers. For several years I worked for the National Headquarters Office of Goodwill Industries as their comptroller. In this capacity I was fortunate to attend many meetings and visit many of the local Goodwill organizations. I was very proud to be part of this organization that helped train and provide employment for people who had various types of disabilities. I can not begin to tell you the amazing people I met during those years.
I left Goodwill to take on the most challenging career of my life. Over 4 years time I became a stay-at-home mother of three. The pay was nil and unfortunately from many, the respect for this job was also nil, but I would not change that career choice for anything. (I do have to say at this point of my life though I do wish it came with some retirement benifits. But even lacking that I would not change those years with my children and being able to guide them in their becoming responsible and caring adults.)
When my children were in their teens I went to work for my church as a bookkeeper and a director of adult and family programs. Also not a job that paid well or provided any retirement, but one that gave me great joy to do and I think, or at least hoped benefited many.
Due to my career choices and a marriage that took a turn I did not expect my retirement is not necessarily what I hope or thought it would be, but it will be better than many others and I will be content. And in retrospect I would not change a thing....other than maybe the marriage outcome.
I know this is probably not the response the OP was seeking, but it is the work and the people I worked for that I am proud of. It is my career story.
Suzanne

[eweissenbach]

Originally Posted by momesu

I, in my out of home, work life have mainly worked for not-for-profit employers. For several years I worked for the National Headquarters Office of Goodwill Industries as their comptroller. In this capacity I was fortunate to attend many meetings and visit many of the local Goodwill organizations. I was very proud to be part of this organization that helped train and provide employment for people who had various types of disabilities. I can not begin to tell you the amazing people I met during those years.
I left Goodwill to take on the most challenging career of my life. Over 4 years time I became a stay-at-home mother of three. The pay was nil and unfortunately from many, the respect for this job was also nil, but I would not change that career choice for anything. (I do have to say at this point of my life though I do wish it came with some retirement benifits. But even lacking that I would not change those years with my children and being able to guide them in their becoming responsible and caring adults.)
When my children were in their teens I went to work for my church as a bookkeeper and a director of adult and family programs. Also not a job that paid well or provided any retirement, but one that gave me great joy to do and I think, or at least hoped benefited many.
Due to my career choices and a marriage that took a turn I did not expect my retirement is not necessarily what I hope or thought it would be, but it will be better than many others and I will be content. And in retrospect I would not change a thing....other than maybe the marriage outcome.
I know this is probably not the response the OP was seeking, but it is the work and the people I worked for that I am proud of. It is my career story.
Suzanne

You should be very proud of your career choices! Thanks for sharing them.

[Bill-n-Brillo]

I worked with The Limited in the I.T. end of their business from the late '70s through the late '80s. What an exciting place! It certainly wasn't the deal for everyone, especially when other I.T.-related jobs could be had in central OH for more money and less effort. But it was quite an interesting business to be a part of. I was fortunate to be there during their largest period of growth and acquisitions and was afforded many opportunities to learn and grow with the company. A lot of it came at the expense of the personal time for Sandy and I, though - it was a 24/7/365 unspoken expectation of dedication to the organization in addition to being a real pressure-cooker type of work environment. But like Vince Lombardi believed, there was no room for second place as far as the company was concerned. It was "first place or no place" - they wanted to be leaders in the fashion retailing industry and demanded the best from everyone in the company. I left there with a high level of appreciation for what can be accomplished by an organization that settles for nothing less than being the best at what they do.

No regrets - wouldn't have traded those business experiences for anything else career-wise.

Bill

[GTTPF]

I started with a job as a heavy truck mechanic with a large truck leasing company. After being there about a year the VP of the company asked all the mechanics (union) if they wanted to go to any mechanical schools. The catch was the company would pay but they still had to work their shift. They all refused except me. I knew I was young and if this was going to become my profession I wanted to be as good at it as I could. I went to several schools to which all the mechanics were asked and they refused them all. After a few more schools the president of the company called me in his office. He told me that he had a plan for me(not telling me what it was at the time) if I was willing. I was game so they sent me to school for almost 2 more years without having to work my shift and getting paid. The other mechanics were upset and wanted the same but they were denied and told they had their chance. I then became a trouble shooter for the company and would be sent all over The East coast for weeks at a time. I was sent to shop after shop to find and solve the different problems and set up preventive maintance program for their specific situations in addition to the company maintance program. The company then had me set up a new maintance program for entire company (worldwide). I worked there almost 5 years. It was challanging but I enjoyed it. The president of the company left to open his own company in New England and asked me to go but I refused, our families were in NJ and PA. Unfortunatily I did not get along with the new President one little bit. It was like oil and water from day one and not worth the aggrivation. So I decided to open my own business. I started as a one man operation. I never advertized and my business phone was unlisted for 31 years. I had a few contacts to get me started and word of mouth took over. I was very selective what companies that I would do work for. I always had as much work as I wanted. All of the mechanics and even the want to be mechanics that I hired, I completely retrained to work my way. They knew from the begining that it was my way or the highway. If they weren't sure of something, just ask me, no problem. I never yelled at an employee just explained what went wrong and how to prevent it in the future. I treated my workers as I would like to be treated. I bought them lunch everyday. I was on the floor working with them side by side all the time. To them I was just one of the guys. I paid them top dollar and they worked hard for me. I also gave them bonuses from time to time for no reason. They knew that I would inspect every job before it left because my name was on it and I did. Most if not all of my workers loved working at my place and many retired from my shops. I only had two mechanics leave (one had personal problems at home, the other mover out of state.) in 31 years. We all became good friends and worked as a well oiled machine. We looked out for each other and cared about each others families. Unfortunatly I closed my business 3 years ago abruptly because of health problems. I found all of my people jobs and paid them until they got a job. I refused to sell my business because I didn't want someone else to ruin my name that I spent a lifetime building. At the risk of sounding egotistical (which I definatly am not) I'm just another blue collar working man, I believe that I was the best person that I ever worked for. I truely believe all that worked for me felt the same way. I keep in touch with most of them. We worked hard but always had time to have fun with each other. I actually really miss the guys, the hard work and deadlines.

[buzzy]

Fresh out of college, I was an engineer for Grumman Aerospace Corp. when we were landing astronauts on the moon. Very exciting, and I was working with really brilliant people. Grumman was a great company to work for, with a great reputation for its Naval aircraft. But, pure engineering was a volatile business, so I migrated over to information technology. Fast forward 24 years, and I had to leave during the aerospace slump in the early nineties.

I spent three years doing IT contract work inside the Washington DC Beltway. Neat assignments for the FAA and Dept of Defense, but not organizations that I would call well-run.

Moved to Florida, and got a good IT position at Mutual of America, a 3rd party pension management company. I discovered the inner workings of all sorts of pension products. This was a company that treated its customers with care and respect, and that culture trickled down to employee relations and civic duty. I was once chatting with a woman on an airplane, and found that my company had been paying her monthly retirement checks for years. She was so happy to meet someone from the company that she trusted with her financial well-being. That made me feel very good. I worked there for 12 years, and retired in 2008.

[red tail]

my avatar says it all. greatest job in the world. loved it for 40 years!

[Boudicca]

waaay back in the early 1970/s I was privileged to learn about the homes and children under the auspices of Christian Childrens' Fund. It was a Christian organization with facilities throughout the world, and in our own country, which provided an education, meals, clothing and a Christian education to children who would have nothing. In Third World countries, girls were educated (rare) and taught a trade (typing, sewing, cooking) which would provide them with an income throughout their lives. Same for the boys. Teach them to fish.... After learning about the homes, I wrote the advertising material which accompanied a sponsor's selection of country, along with brief information about the children available for sponsorship. Back in 1970, 85 cents of a one dollar contribution, went to the child. Amazing.

[wendyquat]

Originally Posted by villagegolfer

Who cares? I'm retired and do not like to think of the past as much as how much fun I will have tomorrow in The Villages.

I disagree villagegolfer. I really enjoy reading about the different things people did to get them here!

[gage405]

I love these stories! I find them very interesting and I like hearing
that people really enjoyed their careers.

[CaliforniaGirl]

My very first job out of college was with the Coca-Cola Company at their Atlanta headquarters.

Their motto of "The customer is always right, especially when they're wrong" served me extremely well throughout the course of my working life.

They had a company cafeteria that was larger than Golden Corral, and they served breakfast and lunch. All Coke products were free - and that included Minute Maid, so free OJ every morning. I was young and broke - my rent, utilities and car payment took 95% of my paycheck - and a $5 meal ticket lasted me 2 weeks. Lunch, including dessert and beverage, was 25 cents (even for 1974, this was dirt cheap.)

The only downside was that there were Coke fountains on every floor, but had to take the elevator up 4 floors for a water fountain. I am, to this very day, still a Coke addict.