Going Away Party

Ben has worked with a wonderful group here in Sacramento and they are truly going to miss him. He has only been here for ten (10) short months and has made such a huge impact on the lives of his coworkers. I have never heard such great words coming from his colleagues before as I did last night. I always knew he was fantastic but to hear it from the heart of others makes it all more real.

Jack, Ben’s counterpart, gave him a going away party last night. People had the chance to come by and say their goodbyes and wish Ben luck and his hypothetical move. No one is supposed to know about the change until he is officially in place. There was food, music, drinking and of course bocce ball. I think that everyone had a great time. Many of the wives had never met and so this was the first time we all had gotten together. Kind of ironic that it also will be the last for most of us. I know that Ben has really enjoyed working with this team here in Sacramento and I know that he will build a new team that will be just as outstanding as this one. He had people from all over the operation say wonderful things about him and how much he cares for the people and the company.

I will say that he has some of the nicest coworkers I have ever met and such a great variety. One lady has lived on all seven continents, the chief steward and his wife are world travelers and I don’t mean just Europe, and his service team members are from all over the place. He has helped many of them develop into fabulous employees who now work their jobs differently because he has shown them a new way to look at the whole picture. I hope that his efforts stay with his previous employees and that his new employees will develop well beyond their potential.

We are looking forward to the next chapter in our lives as it begins on Monday. We will be sad to leave behind those who we have come to care about here. But it is a fabulous opportunity for Ben to stretch his wings and prove to himself exactly what he is capable of doing. I can hardly wait to see you all in Salt Lake City.