More than a hundred people gathered at Sundt’s Tempe office last week for a luncheon that recognized the special efforts of retirees who spent 20 years or more with the company. Several special guests were in attendance, including spouses of the retirees and a number of current employees. The retirees were shown pictures of some of Sundt’s current projects as well as a short video showing the relocation of a 1,120–foot-long bridge over the Willamette River in Portland, Ore. The retirees were announced and honored by having their names engraved on the concrete monuments erected on the path to the building’s entrance.
Several of the retirees in attendance spent well over 20 years with the company, such as Ray Bargull (35 years), Bill Damme (34 years), Steve Schipper (32 years), and Hedy Bagherpour (approximately 30 years).
“Sundt is a remarkable company that was built by dedicated employee-owners,” said CEO Dave Crawford, “and it continues to grow through the dedication of its talented people. We decided to create this event to celebrate the work of our 20-plus year veterans and thank them for their service. We also want to create an incentive for our young people to continuously change and improve the company and have their names engraved on the concrete monuments. There are currently 228 retired administrative and craft employees who spent 20 or more years with Sundt. In addition, we have approximately 50 current employees with 20 or more years of service whose names will be added to the monuments in the coming years as they retire. We have a history of great projects built by superb people. This is certainly a tradition we want to maintain and enhance.”