Tom Salentine will retire from his position as job coordinator on March 31st after 46 years with Van’s Lumber. Salentine started at Van’s in 1970 as a laborer and worked his way up to foreman in 1973, then to his current position of job coordinator in 1976.
Throughout his time at Van’s, Salentine witnessed a lot of changes, notably, the company’s growth. “It’s been great to see how the company has grown over the last 40-some years – adding new services, like remodeling, and expanding the number of crews,” Salentine shared. A memorable peak in Salentine’s career was working on the Luxury Suites Hotel in Green Bay. “I was a foreman then and we did the framing for the hotel,” he said. “It was the biggest job I ever worked on. We built a lot of large houses, but this was something different.”
In addition to the many memorable projects he managed, Salentine shared that the people at Van’s made it an enjoyable place to work. “It’s a family-oriented business and they treat you well. Van’s is family owned … but everyone is treated like family.” Salentine will miss working with many Van’s employees, some of which he’s worked with for over 40 years. “I’ll miss the people I worked with, but also the people we built for too,” he added. “We built for a lot of nice people over the years.”
As much as he’ll miss the people and some of his favorite daily job responsibilities—like leading a crew or planning a project from start to finish—Salentine says he’s really looking forward to turning his attention to personal interests. “I love to hunt and fish. Plus, I have 10 grandchildren,” he beamed. “I’ll get to spend more time with them and work on some projects around the house.”
The Van’s staff is also sad to see Salentine go. His leadership qualities, valuable experience and expertise will be greatly missed. See Van’s employees as they say goodbye and wish him well in the following video:
Interested in a Construction Career?
Check out Tom’s top three pieces of advice for new employees …
#1 Be on time.
You must be punctual to be successful.
#2 Be reliable.
Don’t miss work. Show up every day ready to accomplish something.
#3 Set goals.
If you’re eager to learn, you’ll have the chance to be promoted. Don’t get stuck just going through the motions.
Van’s Lumber is always looking for hardworking individuals just like Tom. If his advice inspires you, check out our Careers page for the latest employment opportunities.