Most people can't imagine working at the same company for 50 years, but Dalton native Lennie Nicholson says she can't imagine anything else.
She began working at Aladdin Mills in 1966 when she was still in high school as part of a Vocational Occupational Training program and was hired on full-time after graduation as a traffic controller, managing truck shipments and making $2.25 an hour - a dollar more than the federal minimum wage at the time. This October, Nicholson celebrated 50 years with Mohawk Industries - Aladdin and Mohawk merged in 1994 - and said she has no plans of retiring soon.
"I never had a reason to leave," she said. "The culture of our business and the support I've always felt here makes Mohawk feel like family. When you're happy somewhere and feel like you belong, why would you leave?"
Mohawk honored Nicholson with a reception in which she was feted with gifts, commemorative items and a framed letter of congratulations from Mohawk chairman and chief executive officer Jeff Lorberbaum.
"Whenever people refer to Aladdin as a family business, I remind them that it wasn't only because Aladdin was run by a family but also because the people at the company became a family," Lorberbaum said.
During her tenure with the company, Nicholson has had many different job titles in the billing, invoicing, production and claims departments, where she is currently a claims analyst, and she has experienced a variety of changes with acquisitions, leadership, popular flooring styles and advances in technology.
One of the biggest shifts Nicholson faced was learning to use a computer, and she said the best advice she received during that transition was to not be afraid of the machine because any mistakes she made could be fixed.
"Lennie's positive 'can do' attitude has always been so contagious to everyone that works with her," claims manager Michele Vowell said.