Q. What principles will you take with you moving forward?
A. Number one, this may sound odd, I tell every new employee that the number one thing I want them to remember is we are paid to be nice to people and I feel that is a simple philosophy that I hope I can take with me into retirement. I’m looking to being nice my fellow human beings. If you wake up every morning and you say to yourself, I’m going to have a great day, and set the tone, you must be nice to people as a result.
Q. What response have you received from the community since announcing your retirement?
A. Everyone has been very supportive but words like, ‘You’re killing me Larry” “What are you going to do?” “Why?”.. all of those things. I pretty much end up telling them the sale thing, this was part of a goal I set and I feel fortunate that I can stick to that goal when a lot of people can’t today. We hear that people are going to have to work later and later in life because of financial challenges and my wife and I feel that we have a budget that will allow us to be able to travel and enjoy the rest of our years.
Q. Will Phoenix remain your home?
A. It will, at least for the next three to five years. We feel an affinity towards California and specifically Santa Barbara. We lived there from ’98 until we moved here. I opened the State Street location and my wife and I bought a home there and we love the proximity of everything, the beauty of the ocean and it’s just a beautiful spot. If we were to go anywhere that’s where it would be.
Q. Will you cry on your last day?
A. When I announced my retirement to the store a few weeks ago, I did find myself getting more emotional than I had originally thought, so I just don’t know. When I announced it, there was five weeks notice so there has been plenty of time to visit with everybody. The last day on Good Friday, it may at some point grab me. The store is having a breakfast for me that morning and I think they may doing something that will be touching, so I just don’t know.
Larry, you will be missed! We appreciate your dedication to the Valley and wish you the best for your retirement years ahead!
