After 73 years of combined service in the Cadiz branch parts department, brothers Rick Ferri (above left) and Ron Ferri (above right) are retiring.
Rick was the first to join Columbus Equipment Company, in January 1981. He had been laid off by three different coal mines when his father-in-law Dale McKeen, the parts manager at the time, recommended him for a job on the Cadiz parts desk.
The parts department was very different then, Rick noted. To find a part, he’d look up the number on microfiche, then consult a huge book to find where the part was shelved. Once he’d sold the part, he had to manually record the sale on a small card to keep track of inventory.
All that changed when the company adopted computers, which led to Ron’s hiring in 1984. Ron, a former construction worker, had taken some computer classes at Ohio University. Rick realized the parts department needed someone with computer skills and recommended his twin.
Rick has been parts manager in Cadiz since 1995, and at times he also managed the parts and service departments for the Canton and Cambridge branches. Ron has worked behind the counter for 35 years.
Ron retired on Oct. 1 and Rick retired in January 2020. The brothers have similar plans for retirement: do some home repairs and play golf. Ron will spend time with his grandkids, and Rick and his wife plan to travel.
The Ferri brothers leave big shoes to fill, but Cadiz employees are stepping up to the task. Chris Taylor, the branch’s PSR for 19 years, is working alongside Rick and training for the parts manager role. New hire Matt Scott will replace Ron as CSR and work with Ean Moore, who joined the branch a year ago to replace another longtime parts CSR, Al Cope. Ken Skinner runs the warehouse, and the company has hired Tim Mears as the new PSR in Cadiz, said Dan Minnis, Cadiz branch manager.
“Rick and Ron were really good about giving us advance notice about their retirements and they’re working side by side to train the younger guys for the transition,” Minnis said.
Columbus Equipment Company thanks Rick and Ron for their decades of dedicated service in helping our customers. We wish them the very best in their retirement.