Much has changed in the mining industry over the past 30 years, but for two Teck employees in the Elk Valley, B.C., the one constant has been each other.
On February 21, 2018, Dean and Glenda Hewitt officially retired, saying goodbye to their careers and hello to the next phase of their lives, after a combined 68 years in mining.
“We came in the door together, and we’re walking out the door together,” says Dean, formerly Superintendent, Materials Operations at Elkview and Line Creek Operations. The couple has been together for 36 years, married for 32, and they have two beautiful daughters and three grandchildren.
“Now we’re going to do what we want when we want—that’s my retirement motto,” adds Glenda, whose final role was Finance Administrative Assistant at the Mountain View office.
The two first came across the country to B.C. from Eastern Canada in the early 1980s, looking for work in mining. It was a natural choice for the two 20-somethings, both of whom had parents working in the industry.
“Before that, though, the longest job I held was for 15 months, and now I’ve been with this company for 34 years; it’s all I really know,” says Dean.
Over the years, Dean has worked at all of Teck’s steelmaking coal operations in Tumbler Ridge, Hinton and the Elk Valley in a variety of positions, starting as a warehouse worker before moving into a buyer role, and eventually into his last position with the company. Glenda also began in the warehouse, moving to an Executive Assistant role and eventually to her final role in Sparwood.
They were always fulfilled by their work, which has helped them achieve their ultimate goal of retiring at 55.
As for the coming years, the Hewitts already have big travel plans in the works—including a trip to Mexico, with much more expected to follow in the future as they set their sights on Australia, Alaska and the many regions of Canada they have yet to visit.
“People say it takes about a year to settle into retirement; our next couple of years are pretty busy. Keep in mind that we have three grandchildren,” says Dean.
As for what they would say to current or prospective employees about their time with the company, Glenda has this message: “We’re grateful for all our years at Teck, which afforded us a quality lifestyle that we were able to balance with our family life. The company has been nothing short of awesome to us.”
