Job changes are commonplace among the general population based on information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, making a worker who stay with an employer for the long haul a rare find. An economic news release from that Bureau indicated that roughly 33% of workers age 25 and older stayed with the same employer for at least 10 years. The percentage applied to employees age 45 and older.

Those statistics on the website www.bls.gov/news.release/tenure.t02.htm make Joe Goulet a special and rare find – the reason that AVEK's Board of Directors and Management chose to honor him in his retirement after 33 years of dedicated public service at the Agency. Directors approved a resolution honoring Joe, the Assistant Operations Manager, at the board meeting on Tuesday, April 12.

Board President Keith Dyas read the resolution which stated that Joe hired on as an Operator Trainee at the age of 22 and “through hard work, sacrifice and dedication” he advanced to the positions of Operator, Lead Operator, Superintendent and ultimately Assistant Manager of Operations.

Joe, who tends to avoid the limelight, praised the entire staff, managers, and Directors. He called AVEK “a crown jewel of an Agency in the Valley. The people make it that way. He also thanked his wife and Jon Bozigian. “I consider him not only my Supervisor, but my friend.

Director George Lane said, “Joe’s knowledge and commitment to the Agency will be hard to replace.”