Charlie’s Foreman, Levester “Duke” Watt, perfectly described the type of teammate that Charlie was when he shared, “Charlie has [worked] with me for 27 years and he taught me a lot about paving. He’s always kept everyone grounded and reminded [us] to watch out for traffic. He was a great inspiration for our crew and had a positive attitude every day we came to work.”
In order to hear how he’s achieved such a strong and long-standing career, we sat down with Charlie to hear his experience firsthand:
Do you remember your first day? When you started, did you think you would end up retiring from here?
“It was 1988. I worked at a steel mill making iron and then started working with Lehman-Roberts. I operated a distributor truck and used the shovel, the lute, and [more]. I’ve done all kinds of work in my lifetime. It was the thing for me… I just enjoyed doing the work. Lehman-Roberts [has been] a good place to work, I’ll tell you that.”
What were some of the greatest successes and challenges over the years?
“It was good on everything. I taught [the team] a lot on different things. It was a dangerous job [on the roads], so someone had to be on watch. I enjoyed the job and miss it. We were close like a family.”
What did you enjoy most about work?
“I enjoyed luting and shoveling. I was also on the screed once upon a time. I just enjoyed doing the work.” Charlie also shared his deep love for the people he worked with on a day-to-day basis.
Describe the characteristics of your team.
“We were a family. All of them were nice and I tried to do the same. It was a wonderful thing, all the years I was there.”
Charlie’s years of dedication and teaching were certainly a large influence in bringing up the next generation of construction professionals. We thank him for his service and wish him many more years of prosperity in doing what he loves!
