Our Vice-President of People and Culture, David Dietrich, has retired after 30 years with The Erb Group. Dave has been integral in building our Human Resources team and helping foster a culture of communication, integrity, and support. His presence in the office will be missed, as he always lifted spirits wherever he went. With his new journey on the horizon, he took some time to reflect on his time at The Erb Group with us and what he’s looking forward to the most in the coming years in this new chapter of his life. In 1993, when Dave was hired at The Erb Group, he led our accounting team as a Canadian Division Controller since his background started in accounting and finance. When going in for his interview, he stopped and talked to the man who greeted him in the lobby. The two started talking about who Dave was, what he was interviewing for, and where he was from and had a pleasant conversation. Only after they had been talking for a while did this other man introduce himself as Vernon Erb. Dave was taken aback by how casual this interaction with the Founder of the company was, and Vernon decided to sit in on his interview that day. The rest is history. When transitioning to the Vice-President of People and Culture, it was quite a change from his previous position. Having been with the company for fifteen years at that point in time, he knew the people and the company culture quite well. However, when approached by Wendell to take over the position, he still had to take some time to think about it considering how different his role would be and the challenges it would entail. When considering the role, he called one of his old professors to ask what his thoughts were on the matter. He received some solid advice, with his professor stating, “You already have half the battle over. You know the company, the organization, and the culture. Your business and finance background will help you along the way.” His professor wasn’t wrong. With just over thirty years under his belt, Dave Dietrich helped to shape our Human Resources Department into one that runs like a well-oiled machine. Dave has led the team to win 10 Top Fleet Employer Awards, 11 Best Fleets to Drive For recognitions and many more accolades. He’s now retiring to spend more time with his family at his favourite place – the cottage. From humble beginnings to a more than impactful end, Dave will be dearly missed among our teams at Head Office, as well as the transportation industry as a whole. From all of us here at The Erb Group, thank you, Dave.