Retention is something every employer struggles with. Not only is it costly, but it can be disheartening to lose a good worker. The average worker stays at a job for just 4.4 years. The good employees find a bigger/better opportunity. The highly driven employees often go on to start their own business. 

And the not-so-good employees just get let go. 

Thankfully, there are exceptions to the rules. Being an employee owned company, Ever-Roll has a highly invested staff that’s passionate about what they do and where they work.  

This is especially true for Ron Bright. He’s exceeded the national average of employment by about 50 years. 

A Quality Welder, 55 Years in the Making 

In 1962, Ron Bright was a recent high school graduate who simply enjoyed taking care of his 1955 Chevy. Then one day, a friend asked him if he was looking for a job. 

“Not really,” Ron said, “But I’ll go to work.” 

The next morning, he got up and went to work at Ever-Roll. In the 55 years since, a lot has changed in the world. But one thing hasn’t. Ron still gets up in the morning, and he goes into work at Ever-Roll. 

“He’s that guy that came to work every day,” says Ed Kohl, president here at Ever-Roll. “For many years, he had perfect attendance. He’s not the kind of guy that created any problems. He was does his job and does it well.” 

In his time at Ever-Roll, Ron has fabricated countless metal tubes, rods, and wire rings. But that’s not all he’s forged. Ron has a natural gift for developing quality friendships with everyone around him. 

“We never had one disagreement over the years,” says fellow employee Sirrell Alexander. “I wish I could find a woman like that.” 

Andrea Merz, who has been friends with Ron for nearly 20 years adds “You can’t’ take him anywhere, because everybody flocks around him. He’s just got that persona about him (and) everybody loves his beard.” 

Needless to say, Ever-Roll is very privileged to have Ron (and his glorious beard) as a part of our team. We recently had the opportunity of celebrating this incredible milestone with him at a luncheon held in his honor. 

Additionally, he was just interviewed in Springfield’s own News-Sun. Make sure to check out the full story here. 

We hope to keep Ron Bright (or RB, as we call him) around as long as he’s willing to stay. For now, he seems content with that plan as well. 

“After 55 years,” says RB, “it’s hard to quit.”