Sunday, October 17, 2010

15 Years = Ruby, Rose, Crystal, Watch

October 16TH, 1995; my first day at Southwest Airlines in Omaha. Know what that means? Yesterday I celebrated my anniversary with the company. It's been a great ride too. So much has happened in my life during this long journey. And so much has changed within the company as well throughout these last 15 years. Thanks to SWA, I've been able to buy my house and live comfortably while enjoying a schedule that's pretty nice. I have Sundays and Mondays off and I'm done working during the week at 1:30 PM. The rest of my days are free to do whatever I like! I also get 4 weeks of vacation time each year. LUV it!

I've seen many people come and go in the Omaha station. I've trained new hires and showed them the ropes. I have also been the treasurer of our local Culture Committee for roughly ten years too. The committee is responsible for fund raising in our community and putting on our station Christmas party and other employee outings throughout the year. Our largest charity is the Ronald McDonald House and that's throughout the entire system wherever we fly.

Last week while waiting for an airplane to land, our manager came into our break room and said he had an announcement to make. He had in hand, a blue box. It was for me! I knew what it was. A watch. Any employee that has a 15 year anniversary, is given a watch from our CEO, Gary Kelly. I also received a nice letter from him and a 15 year pin with two inset rubies. So I actually received two of the four aforementioned items. Cool, huh? After my one year anniversary I got a pin but with a different stone. That seems like lifetimes ago! I'm still amazed at how long I've actually been in Omaha. It's a great city and I have met many wonderful friends. Would you like to see the watch and pin? Check it out....


You can click the picture to see it up close.

It's a brushed silver polish finish with our airline symbol in the middle.

My 15 year lapel pin.
I'm very proud of my job and what I do. My body might tell you otherwise after all these years of such physical labor but I feel it's kept me in better shape than I might otherwise be in!

1 comment:

Kevin Moberg said...

Both the watch and pin are very nice. Is the pin something you would wear on a lapel, maybe on a work jacket or something?

Congratulations on your anniversary!