Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Joanne Hardt always said she would continue to work "until the cows came home."
Well, the cows have come home and Joanne has retired from the Marlin office of Central Washington Grain Growers. The company's elevators mark the Marlin skyline.
JoAnn Hardt retired from the Marlin office of Central Washington Grain Growers after 17 years. She was essential to the running of the warehouse and maybe the town of Marlin, too. She officially worked as a bookkeeper and office manager, and unofficially as a historian, tour guide and information agent. Hardt said she ran the scales during harvest and sold the wheat and wrote checks to the farmers.
During the last couple of years, CWGG was putting in a new computer system, which probably contributed to Hardt’s job being phased out. Hardt said the warehouse was the last full-time business in Marlin and she thought it was sad to see it go. It will still be open in the summer, but the rest of her duties will be handled by the office in Waterville.
Hardt thought her boss must have noticed how many puzzles and books she completed during the winter months, so the last couple of years they started sending her on all kinds of errands, having her work in the Waterville and Coulee City offices when she was needed, running for parts and whatever else they could think of. She said the thing she loved about the job, even more than all the great people she met, from farmers to truck drivers to the office people to the warehouse workers, was that whenever she had a question about the job, the other employees did their best to help her.
Hardt emphasized the rest of the staff were courteous and efficient, no question was wrong and she felt like she got excellent training. She was very thankful for that.
The thing she misses most is seeing everyone stop by the elevator. The one reason she is really happy to be retired, though, is that she now has her summers free. Apparently, before taking the warehouse job she loved being outside in the summer time, going to the lake and working outside during harvest.
Hardt already has a new job at Experience Quilts! in Odessa giving Lise Ott a break once a week. She also plans to continue her work on the library board and as the Lincoln County Family Research Council Vice President.
She jokingly thanked Gordon Peterson for recommending that she be interviewed by The Record, and now she wants to make sure he tells his own work and retirement story for publication.
Reader Comments(0)