Ed. It didn’t occur to me to ask his last name. He has always been, Ed.
He started working for Les Schwab in 1980, but his profile still says, “Ed.”
Ed is one of the hardest working people in the Methow Valley. I say “one of” because I obviously don’t know everyone, but in my circles, he is the hardest working person I know in the valley.
He’s the manager of a Les Schwab franchise owned by Shwab-Ellison. He works six days a week, every day Les Schwab is open. He does everything. Paperwork, answering phones, dealing with anxious customers (me), and when he’s short-staffed, does the physical grunt work himself.
One evening long past six, I drove past his shop and saw him working on paperwork in his “corner office” across from the parked school buses.
How much you put into it is how much you’ll get out of it, he told me, and he mentioned several times that the younger generation has a different work ethic.
Ed has been managing the Les Schwab shop in the valley for 24 years. He’s a hands-on manager and his shop runs smoothly. A former customer service manager myself, I know within ten minutes of walking into a business what’s working and what isn’t. Ed’s shop is the epitome of efficiency and great customer service. I know what it takes to get to that point, and all I can say is, Ed, you trained your people well.
If only all businesses could run this well.
Ed hired the new incoming manager, Brian Gustafson, nine years ago to be his assistant manager. Gustafson did so well, he became manager of Les Schwab in Brewster and has been there for six years. A valley resident, his commute will be shorter now.
Ed didn’t want an interview. He is affable once he gets to know you, but he’s all work and no play. At least none that I know about.
He mentioned that he used to run.
Passing by his shop last evening, I saw Ed casually talking to someone outside. That was a sight. Ed in the fresh air, talking to someone in a non-business atmosphere?
I pulled over.
I asked if he wouldn’t mind posing for a picture under his retirement sign.
“You know I didn’t want an article written,” he said.
“You’re not giving me much to write about you,” I responded.
It’s when I sat down to publish a Scene of the Day that I realized how much I had to say about Ed.
Ed is going to live in Phoenix with one child and spend time in Denver and Idaho with his two other children.
“It’s good you have three children,” I told him. “If you had more you would need to travel to four places.”
Ed chuckled.
Ed will be at Les Schwab until the end of the month.
Happy retirement, Ed!
