Last week, we lost a wonderful friend and coworker. Greg Sykora devoted nearly five decades to Willmar Electric after joining the company in 1979. Greg was a bridge to a part of our company that very few current Willmar Electric employees can remember. His history with the company goes back to the 1970s, when he worked side by side with our Grandpa Elmo Chapin, one of the second-generation owners. Our company is now fourth-generation, and Greg worked alongside three generations of ownership. We all loved and respected him.
There is so much to share about Greg and his time at Willmar Electric. He served as a model coworker in so many ways that it is difficult to summarize them all briefly.
Grandpa and Greg built and maintained the company’s Alarm Division, based on Grandpa’s vision of providing a public service that protected local businesses and homes as modern security systems were becoming more common throughout our community.
Greg also served people in many other ways. He served at the state level on the electrical board and in numerous community organizations. Countless times, he made after-hours calls and stayed late to help others so they could keep their businesses and missions going.
Greg invested in others. He loved mentoring; he took the time to teach, encourage, and invest in others, leaving a lasting impact on countless coworkers and apprentices.
Our industry is built on an apprenticeship model. The system is designed for journeymen like Greg to take apprentices under their wing and teach them the trade. Some journeymen see it as an opportunity to pass along the dirtiest or hardest tasks. Greg saw it as an opportunity to help someone learn a trade he loved. He invested in the apprentices he worked with. Those apprentices became journeymen and helped grow our company. Too often, people hold others back because they fear being surpassed or losing authority. Greg never thought that way. He wanted to develop people because he wanted them to make the most of their God-given talents.
Greg worked hard. He put in long hours. I have no idea how many hours Greg worked during his career at Willmar Electric—we don’t keep records that far back. But it is safe to say that, given his longevity and the fact that he was consistently among the leaders in hours worked each year, Greg is likely tens of thousands of hours ahead of everyone else.
Greg wasn’t driven by long hours or recognition.; it was accomplishment. He wanted to make sure the customer was getting what the customer needed.
He also didn’t waste resources. He would reuse or rework things to keep them running. He would explore solutions until he was certain we wouldn’t waste anything.
At Willmar Electric, we say our purpose is “people making a difference for people.”
Our core values are: Treat Others the Way You Want to be Treated, Merit Shop, Thrifty, and Meet Customer Needs. Greg started his career before we formally documented those values. But as I review what I’ve written about him, I realize I could have saved us all some time by simply listing our purpose statement and core values and saying that Greg Sykora was the perfect embodiment of them all—because he was. Greg and others like him inspired us to write them down. He modeled them for multiple generations of coworkers.
On a personal note, I remember that a few years after I moved to Nebraska, a coworker asked me if I missed anything about working in the Willmar office. I quickly answered, “Greg Sykora. I miss seeing Greg Sykora.”
I guess that means I am one of the people Greg invested in.
I praise the Lord for putting Greg Sykora in my life.
