This blog is in honor of soon to be Fischer Lumber retiree, John Leckrone. We asked him to tell us about his experience at Fischer Lumber and here is what he had to say.
“I started at Fischer Lumber on June 16, 1986 when I was 28 years old. I was hired by Bud Fischer to work at the main service counter. I didn’t know anything about cabinets but took great interest in it and I guess that is how it all started. Once my interest was sparked, I took a few design classes to help me learn the basics of kitchen design.
In the beginning, I used a 6’ display, a few door samples, graph paper, scale rule, legal pad and a calculator. No cell phones, fax or computers to assist. I kept my desk at the main service counter just in case things didn’t work out in cabinets and I had another desk in the cabinet department. When I first started, I didn’t have enough cabinet work to be full time in that department, so I worked at both desks. Over time, our cabinet sales started to increase, and it grew to more than I could take care of myself. I knew to keep growing the business, it would require more employees. I started out with part time help, and as the workload increased, I added more full-time employees.
I have seen a lot of changes over my 33 years at Fischer Lumber. House styles have changed as well as how we use our kitchens. However, through all of the changes I rolled with the punches and continued to learn more and grow with the company.
Bud, David, Jim and Ed Fischer have always given me the freedom to do what I felt was in the best interest of the company and my colleagues.”
Through the years, John has been a vital member of the Fischer Lumber team. We are sad to see him go, but we are even more grateful for his work and dedication to helping our company grow. From all of us at Fischer Lumber Co., good luck, John!