We recently held a celebratory dinner recognising staff who have been with us for 25 years or longer.
In total 82 people, who have notched up 3,000 years of combined service, are the first to join our new 25-Year Club. All received a £625 Love to Shop voucher - £25 for each year.
We also held a special dinner at Saunton Sands Hotel on Friday 27th April which was attended by 25 Year Club members, their partners and RGB's directors.
Graham Aggett, who has been at our Exeter branch for the past 44 years, was one of those who attended the dinner. Having joined the company straight from school as an apprentice on 1st April 1974, Graham now works in the yard and as a relief driver, and has a family connection with the company.
Graham commented:
"My uncle Roy Wills joined RGB in 1950 and after that, myself, my father and my brother-in-law have all proudly worked for the company. That means that after nearly 44 years I maintain my family's connection with RGB, which has now spanned nearly 70 years."
Also, part of the 25 Year Club is Andy Quick, who has been based at our Wiveliscombe branch since 1986. Having grown up in the area, he used to visit the site with his father as a child before it became part of the RGB group.
Andy believes the loyalty comes from the company treating staff extremely fairly, he said:
"RGB genuinely cares about its staff, and they make you feel important. They didn't have to organise a dinner, but it's things like that which make you feel appreciated. It was fantastic to meet up with old colleagues and the generous gift voucher was a complete surprise and an added bonus."
We also invited those who had recently retired but had worked for the company for 25 years or longer, to the celebration. This included four people who all retired in the same year, but still meet up regularly, despite having worked at different RGB branches.
Mike Mortimore who was based at our Exeter branch before retiring, added:
"Prior to joining RGB I had thirteen jobs, so it was a big turning point in my life and it really helped me to settle down. It's a fantastic company to work for, with great people and I have wonderful memories. It was fantastic to attend the dinner and catch up with former colleagues."
Kevin Fenlon, CEO at RGB Building Supplies, commented:
"We were delighted to be able to recognise our long-serving employees for their dedication and loyalty; every member of our team is a great asset to RGB and all play a valuable part in our continued success. It's great to have a large number of employees who can share their wealth of knowledge with our customers and those starting their careers with the company.
"The celebratory dinner was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and it was a pleasure to hear the first members of our 25 Year Club share stories about their time with the business."