News and notes from Imagine! and the Imagine! Foundation.

Good News Friday

Oct-18-2019

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Boulder Beer, Colorado’s oldest brewery still in operation, was the employer of recently retired worker Bill. For 26 years, Bill came into work an hour or two early to start coffee for his fellow employees and worked until the end of his shift with as much vigor and excitement as any employer would dream of in an employee.

Bill worked on the Production Team, where he would operate the bottling line, train new employees, and clean the work area. “Bill has an engineering mind,” as Brewmaster David Zuckerman said, “so he keys in on sound and often has been the first line of warning of equipment going bad.” On any given day, other employees would go to Bill with questions or for help if a machine wasn’t functioning properly. In fact, Bill was so dedicated and well-loved in his job that he was awarded the Employee of the Year award in 2011.

Bill’s employment at Boulder Beer wasn’t only great for Bill, he was cited by multiple sources as the reason other employees enjoyed coming into work. He was dubbed the Morale Guru and the Chief of Employee Retention by several coworkers. His cheerful demeanor brought a smile to everyone’s face and made the days fly by.

“When Bill was on vacation, the day seemed a lot longer,” says one of his co-workers.

He was so well-loved by his coworkers that one of them Jordan designed a beer especially for Bill. Jordan says, “Bill became very special to me,” so much so that Jordan brewed a beer in his honor – Behave Yourself Coffee Blonde Ale. The beer was given this name to commemorate Bill’s famous phrase as well as his love for coffee. The phrase, “You behave yourself,” was often accompanied with a waggle of his finger and a stern look on his face. The sign that was designed for the beer still hangs in the Boulder Beer pub today.

There were few dry eyes when Bill retired and many coworkers reminisced on how much they will miss him. But Bill is enjoying the retired life. He takes art classes, rides the bus to fun destinations, and is traveling a lot more. He has worked hard for 26 years and deserves the new adventures. Great job, Bill! You are a friend to many and an inspiration to all!