It was a shock to realize Dave, the founder, had just thrown a dinner roll at me and narrowly missed my head. He couldn’t have been more entertained by everyone’s reaction. We were all sitting around Brews having lunch after working on the Bryn Du property renovations. Granville, Ohio will always remind me of that quirky moment that makes me smile.
In 1996 I began working for The Longaberger Company in Dresden, Ohio where I responded to letters from thousands of people, on behalf of the family. I was 28 then and excited to be a part of a growing business led by fun, creative people. I wore many hats for the next six years, always volunteering to learn something new. It was inspiring to be influenced by the vision sparked by a man with epilepsy who didn’t graduate from high school.
By 1999, our fearless leader, Dave Longaberger had passed away from cancer. In his wake were 190 properties, 8,000 employees, and, a billion-dollar company. We were asked to consider “exactly what we did to contribute to the company” if we planned to keep our jobs. No one kept their jobs trying to compete against cheap imports.
A few of us were tasked with cleaning out the old Bryn Du Mansion where Dave had lived for a time. In the dust of his bedroom mirror, someone had traced out the message, “Dave was here”. At the time it made me very sad that someone would be so disrespectful. But in hindsight, he would have laughed at the simple notion written about such an impactful life. He was creative, relentless, funny, and most of all down to earth.
He gave the rest of us hope, jobs, and many great memories. His legacy lives on in our hearts and memories, if not in the millions of maple baskets we still cherish.
Wendy Richmond, RN
