As you can imagine, we have employed hundreds of people in our 70 years. And there is one common theme - most people are "BCG 4 Life." We are like a happy Hotel California. You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave :) When walking through the BC Greenhouse building, it's not uncommon to come across a past employee who has joined us to pitch in on a busy week or month or season. And it's a great place to teach young people a strong work ethic by giving them an after school job or work for the summer. BCG has been the first job for many, many friends and family members over the years.
Yesterday I received a call from a nice man named Martin who started working at BCG in 1972 at 16 years of age. He had heard from Henry that I was looking for historical stories and wanted to share a few. The first thing he mentions is that when he looks back on it now, he is amazed at how Henry and Greta raised four children and a successful business and were still the best bosses he ever worked with. That says a lot.
He goes on to tell the story of when an employee blew out the clutch in Henry's old orange Chevy Two. Then there was the time when while doing a delivery Martin strapped down a $100 exhaust fan system and arrived to find it had blown out somewhere down the road. When confessing to Henry, he just laughed. As Henry said to me "There's no point in getting mad. What's done is done so it's better to have a good laugh about it." Martin is a great example of people coming back to BCG later as he briefly sold Novolux greenhouses before moving on to become a notary.
As with any good business, the heart of the company is the people. The heart of this company is enormous and we all benefit from those that have come and gone and made it a better place to work, to learn and make friends for life.
In 2021, BC Greenhouse Builders will be moving to a new location and we are so excited to bring all of our history and stories with us.
Wishing you a safe and happy holiday season. May 2021 be brighter for all! Cheers!
