On Dec. 15, family, friends, co-workers and customers braved the cold, blustery winter weather and adverse road conditions to attend a luncheon at Fontana's Trucking on Commonwealth Drive. It was a special occasion – to bid farewell to Manager Bruce Bailey and extend best wishes in his upcoming retirement.
“I didn't know when this day was going to come,” said Fontana's owner Dennis Day. “When I bought him (Bruce) out in 2006, he said “I'm going to stay for six months and I'm done at road bans. It's been 16 years.”
After sharing a couple of anecdotes about their working relationship, Day praised Bailey's work ethic and dedication to his duties. He said the company is fortunate to have long-term staff and having Bailey on board as manager has been a contributing factor.
“All of these people have been here a long time working with Bruce because of the respect everybody has,” Day said. “In the 16 years that we've had the company, I think somebody else has answered the phone twice.”
For his part, Bailey thanked his wife Bev, who also worked with Fontana's in past years, and four adult children for their support behind-the-scenes. He spoke fondly of his almost four decades with the business, during which he experienced the highs, lows and adaptations that come with servicing the petroleum industry that’s an economic driver in the Virden area.
“On Dec.1, 39 years ago, we moved from Kitimat, B.C. back to Virden and bought Fontana's Trucking. At that time, we had three children, with a fourth to come later,” he said.
“The first four months I spent swamping for the only truck driver Fontana's had. In those days, we
didn't have a picker or a forklift (which were added later). It (loading and unloading of pipe and equipment) was all (by) manual labour.”
The inherent volatility of the petroleum sector drove the company to take the time necessary to establish an area of expertise and build upon it.
“We ventured into various parts of the oil field,” Bailey said. “After the oil industry had its ups and downs, we decided we would look into a better niche to work in, and we found we worked very well in pipe and tubing distribution and picker work. That's where the company is today and does a very good job of it.”
Bailey acknowledged and paid tribute to the valued employees he has worked with over the years.
“One of the greatest things is the employees of the company,” he said. “I have watched and become amazed at the resourcefulness of some and the things they have learned and incorporated into their everyday work ethic. I worked in various other industry sectors, but I found it takes a special breed of person to work in the oil industry.”
To appreciative applause, Day presented Bailey with the keys to a new 2022 Ford F-150 pickup truck as a retirement gift and thank-you for his decades of dedicated service. The truck was on display in the shop during the luncheon.
As for what lies ahead for him, Bailey was short on details.
“I'm not sure how it is going to play out next year,” he said. “I'd like to extend best wishes to Bear (Trapp) and his crew for continued success.”
