37 Years, Countless Cutting Tools, and a Lot of Great Memories
Some employees become part of a company. Others become part of its history.
When Scott Smith joined us in 1989, we were still operating under the GUHDO banner, the company itself was only a few years old, and none of us could have imagined that Scott would still be here 37 years later.
Today, Scott officially retires—and it’s difficult to sum up nearly four decades together in a few paragraphs.
Over the years, Scott has become an invaluable part of GDP Tooling and an extraordinary source of tooling knowledge. He’s watched the industry change, traveled with us to trade shows and industry events around the world, built relationships with customers and suppliers, solved more tooling problems than we could possibly count, and accumulated the kind of experience that simply can’t be taught from a manual.
But when we look back, it’s not just the work we remember.
There was Hawaii in 1999 for the Woodworking Industry Conference. Trips to LIGNA in Hannover, Germany. And one of my personal favorite memories—a visit to Hameln, home of the Pied Piper, with Scott and our late customer and dear friend Bill Ritchie of Cleveland Tool & Cutter.
And then there were the everyday memories.
Scott is one of the most down-to-earth people you’ll ever meet, with a great sense of humor and a very level-headed and upbeat demeanor. An absolute joy to work with! 😊.
Through all those years, he has been loyal, dependable, knowledgeable and genuinely fun to work with. When someone has been beside you for 37 years, they’re no longer simply an employee. They’re part of the fabric of the company—and part of your life.
So today is bittersweet.
We’re tremendously happy for Scott as he begins this next chapter, but there is no question that GDP Tooling won’t be quite the same without him here every day.
Scott, thank you for 37 years of loyalty, friendship, laughter, knowledge and memories. You’ve helped make the company what it is today, and you’ve certainly earned the opportunity to sleep in on Monday morning.
Our promise stands – if retirement becomes too boring – we will always welcome you back!
We’ll miss you very much.
Happy retirement, Scott! ❤️
