Celebrating 65 Years of Precision Automation
On January 7th 2011, Fred Rexon Sr. stood at the podium in front of almost 200 current and former employees, family and friends. He was overwhelmed with emotion after seeing many milestone awards given out to longtime employees of Precision Automation. He had heard heartfelt speeches about him, his business and the resolve and determination he had shown over an illustrious 65 year career. He heard many jokes from old friends, many stories of his younger years and the Precision Parts Company and a wonderful speech from Glen Morris, a longtime friend and President of pāco manufacturing, which nearly brought a happy tear to many in the room.
Then there he stood, it was his turn. Our sage and proprietor faced the people and business that reinforce his legacy. His family, friends, and employees all seemed to blend into one great audience. He spoke about Precision Parts and that old pot belly stove. He spoke about the Indiana Corporation and the old movie theater in Jeffersonville. He spoke about what this all meant to him. He showed the composure of a four star general as it must have been tough to fight back the emotions he was feeling. He gracefully thanked his family, the Precision Automation family, and all of his friends who helped him along the way, for he could have never accomplished all that he had by himself. He was aware that so many longtime companions and friends helped to bring him and our business from that first lathe to the joyous celebration that occurred the evening of the 7th. In turn, he received a grateful applause and a standing ovation from the room of admirers.
What a wonderful evening of celebration last Friday night was. Not only were we there to celebrate the 65th birthday of our business, but we were in attendance to cheer on our longtime skipper into retirement and thank him for his years of dedication and service that had nurtured our business and enhanced so many of our lives along the way.
The story of our business truly is a great one. We have created a legacy of achievement that every employee of Precision Automation should be profoundly proud of. We have always remained true to our customers, our employees and our mission statement. I can only imagine what an overwhelming sense of pride our longtime skipper must have felt during this affair.
2011 marks a very special milestone for our company. 65 years is a tremendous accomplishment. Yet this evening was a celebration of that and much more. Beyond Precision’s birthday and Fred Rexon Sr.’s retirement, we celebrated many individual milestone achievements as well. Tom Ulrich and Dave Amadio reached the coveted 25 year mark as employees, Bruce Frank and Gerry Renzi reached the 30 year milestone and Mike Menaquale and Dave O’Reilly reached 35 years. Harry McAdams was also recognized as currently being our longest tenured employee at 42 years. All were recognized for their dedication and commitment to the betterment of our business over the years. They are certainly deserving of praise.
These longevity awards serve as an accomplishment for these individuals but also as testament to the business culture that we have created. As a business we are proud that our new hires are happy to be here and are with us for the long haul. Having a high percentage of long tenured employees is not as common in today’s business environment as it once was. However, we value these long tenured employees as role models for the younger generation and recognize that they possess the knowledge and expertise that very few have. Our commitment to the betterment of our organization begins with our people and we couldn’t be happier with our team. A couple guests made comments to me that night noting that the long-term commitment of our employees makes Precision a unique and extraordinary company.
I could write for days about this organization, where it came from, where it’s been and where it’s going. However, I’m going to defer to a wonderful video that Beth Pomponio put together. This short video chronicles our history in a series of photographs that date back to our very first years. I’m sure you will learn a little, see some old friends in these pictures and truly get an idea of how special this business is to all who have come to know us.
I want to wrap this post up by thanking our most recent retiree Fred Rexon Sr. for the 65 years he has put into making Precision a wonderful organization that we are all proud to represent. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for his drive and dedication. To those long tenured employees mentioned and everyone involved in our organization, thank you for continuing the tradition of excellence. Let’s make our anniversary year, 2011, better than ever!