More than 470 employees and guests celebrated the Wooster Brush Companys annual service awards at the College of Wooster in the Lowry Center on March 18. Service awards were presented to 59 employees. Bill Fagert, company president, and Keith Hancock, vice president of production, presented the tributes. Mike Palmer, human resource manager, served as master of ceremonies, and Ernie Buyok gave the invocation.
The evenings theme was Working Together Solves the Puzzle. Palmer said, The service awards being handed out tonight represent the Wooster Brush Companys appreciation and acknowledgment of long-service employees who have truly been a valued piece to our corporate picture of success.
Consistent with the dinners theme, each person attending received a 200-piece jigsaw puzzle depicting Wooster Brush memorabilia.
Twenty-five years of service is a special milestone at the Wooster Brush Company. Currently 176 retired workers and 138 active employees are members of the 25-Year Club, which includes the six new people who were inducted into the club Saturday night. Honored for a quarter-century of service were Bob Batchlet, Mary Clark, Donna Holderman, Nancy McMillen, Lisa Swift and Ron Whitman.
As a special thanks each of those employees received an engraved watch personally chosen by the recipient, a silver tie tack or necklace, an engraved paintbrush in a display case, a personalized paint roller, a certificate for a photo portrait and a stadium blanket woven with the 25-year emblem.
Wooster Brush also paid tribute to Tom Ringler for 45 years of service, and a dozen recipients received 40-year awards including Janet Brandt, Terry DeRodes, Rick Dice, Sandy Duncan, Denise Flynn, Cindy Hoover, Stan Hoover, Lou Ann LeFever, Mike Martin, Denise Retherford, Jim Smith and Melody Workman. Together this group makes up 480 years of service at Wooster Brush.
Recognized for 35 years of service were Kelly Becker, Rich Becker, Roger Becker, Brenda Stull, Pam Sword and Steve Tennant.
Celebrating 30 years of service were Ian Christie, Betty Croskey, Vickie Ebert, Keith Edwards, LuAnn Funk, Tom Green, Roy Hancock, Tami McKelvey and Lisa Morrow.
Awarded for 20 years of service were Kevin Austin, Larry Bailey, Barb Cormell, Kim Crosby, Lynn Croskey, Maurine Cutting, Bob Harvey, Mike Hatfield, Gabe Landon, Casey Mathews, Teresa Mosher and Gladys Williams.
A group of 13 people were acknowledged for their first Wooster Brush milestone of 15 years of service: Kori Badger, Sara Barstow, John Collier, Bob Davis, September Drouhard, Jamie Ebert, Ed Haffly, Ann King, Scott Melegari, Nick Moore, Jenifer Nebergall, Chuck Weirick and Kevin Zuercher.
Currently 585 people are employees of the Wooster Brush Company. The average length of service for all employees at the company is 15 years.
