Longtime Peerless employee retires

Albert Budd, a 39-year employee at Peerless Products in Fort Scott, stands ready for his retirement party last Friday.(Ruth Campbell/Tribune)

Albert Budd started his Memorial Day weekend with some cake -- in honor of his 39 years of service to Peerless Products Inc.

The 65-year-old Richards, Mo., resident had worked at Peerless, which makes high-performance aluminum commercial and architectural windows, for a total of 46 years -- off and on.

Colleagues congratulated Budd on his retirement and enjoyed various types of cake on the floor of the Fort Scott plant on Friday. Budd was presented with a card, a $200 gift certificate and a photo of himself and other plant workers from 39 years ago.

Budd has worked throughout Peerless during his time there, mostly in the screen department. "It's a pretty nice place to work," he said. "... I've got a lot of friends here."

With all of his free time, Budd plans to do a lot of fishing and horseback riding. "I'll kind of miss it, but I've worked here long enough. It's time for me to relax and take it easy."

Human Resources Manager Mike Jackman said Budd was one of the few longtime employees left at Peerless. "They're dwindling away. We're down to nine who have been here over 30 years," Jackman said.

Nancy Mashek and Johnna Schreckhise said Budd always had a smile on his face at work. "He's been a very steady worker since he's been out here. He's worked in pretty much every area of the plant. I'm sure he'll be missed in the screen department," Mashek said. "... He never downs anybody."

Plant Manager Bill Jones, who has worked with Budd for 36 years, expressed similar sentiments. "Albert's a good, loyal, dedicated employee. He's always done us a good job," Jones said.

Master Scheduler Steve Cliffman added Budd has always been consistent and never missed work. Budd has worked on the door line, trim, grids, screens and assembly line. "He's been real dependable," Cliffman said, adding his personality was always pleasant.

"I never saw him get really upset. If he did, he handled it pretty well. He's pretty easy going," Cliffman added.

Budd and his wife, Kathy, have five children, Albert Lee, Russell, David, Holly and Amber, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.