The balloons were inflated, the cake was ready to be cut and the attendants were poised for applause. And then Jamie walked through the door and the place lit up. After 19 years, Jamie Doucet was retiring from Wendy’s and his friends, co-workers and family were there to applaud him on his day.
Said Kris Simmons, Employment Specialist for The Moore Center: “We’re celebrating! We’re thanking him for all of his time.”
“I think it’s time for him to enjoy himself and retire,” said Cecile Johnston, Jamie’s job coach. “It was a decision made by everybody and we all support that.”
And it is an achievement worth celebrating. Jamie’s tenure represents a true success story, both as a testament to his devotion to his job and an emblem of what career development at The Moore Center means.
“Our agency strives to create opportunities for a good life,” says Jen Sylvester, Senior Manager of Employment Services at The Moore Center’s Individual Day Services. “A core approach to fulfilling that mission is helping our clients secure work. Jamie’s incredible story of dependability and hard work is a perfect example of what we try to do.”
A governing concept for The Moore Center is the belief that all individuals who want to work should have the opportunity to explore, develop, and succeed in meaningful, community-based employment. To accomplish this, The Moore Center works closely with employers to identify their individual staffing needs and match up candidates.
“We are much more than an employment placement service. We value the employer-employee match first and foremost,” Sylvester continued. “It must be mutually beneficial to both the employee and the employer.”
This reciprocity is key to the success of the career development program, and the symbiosis of Jamie’s Wendy’s experience is emblematic.
“Jamie has had a meaningful career and Wendy’s reaped the benefits of a dedicated, well-trained and supported employee,” says Sylvester. “In an industry where there is a significant amount of turnover, Jamie’s longevity really means something.”
Jamie’s duties included cleaning windows, wiping trays, applying place-mats, taking out the garbage and, most importantly, creating a dining environment that drew in customers. While that last one may not have been included in his job description per se, over the years Jamie’s friendly disposition and relationships with the regulars became a hallmark of the Wendy’s on Second Street in Manchester.
“There was a consensus that a lot of people have come here regularly because Jamie kept it nice and clean,” said Johnston. “He also greeted his customers warmly and helped the elderly. He will be sorely missed.”
