Tributes

This page is a  remembrance page for some people I knew who worked most of their lives in retail.   Feel free to comment and tell everyone of your experiences with them as well.

 

                                    Ron Lovelady

I had the privilege of working as Ron’s Assistant Manager for the opening and first 2 years of Longs #166 Foothill Plaza.   I can honestly say those were some of the best years of my career.   Ron taught me how to be a successful manager for Longs while taking care of your people and having fun at the same time.  Whether it was softball games, picnics or Christmas parties, the employees there bonded as a team and became a family that you felt proud to be a part of.  When I became a Store Manager I modeled my behavior after what he had shown me, as many others who worked for him did.

Later in my career Ron helped me open my first store in Laguna Hills and was an invaluable resource and help to me.  For a brief time he was my Area Manager before moving to the corporate office to run Human Resources.  I remember thinking there could not be a better person being in charge of that department, being the caring person he was.  After he became Southern Regional V.P. he was the one who handed me my Presidents Ring, which was the highlight of my career at Longs and I remember thinking that day what a huge part he played in my career.   When he was let go from Longs, that day I knew that Longs had changed for the worse, because any company who wouldn’t want Ron Lovelady working there was not a company I wanted to work for any more.

Thank you Ron, for being my boss, mentor and friend above all.

 

 

 

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