Three years ago, long-term employee Lannie Dietle announced that he was retiring on August 23, 2018 (his 65th birthday), and then moving to Maryland. Since his principal objective is to be closer to family, rather than to leave the workforce, we asked him to continue working after the move. He agreed, and as the transition date approaches, the nature of our future working relationship has drawn more clearly into focus.
Transition planning is an important activity in any business, and we take it very seriously. As one of our most experienced employees, Mr. Dietle has long had a prominent seal-related leadership role. After the move, he will help others assume more leadership and technical responsibilities. This will prepare them for the day when his expertise is no longer available. He will also step into the background regarding customer support, allowing other knowledgeable employees to experience increased customer support responsibility.
Although Mr. Dietle will primarily work from Maryland, he will still maintain an office at our Texas headquarters, where he will spend approximately one week per month. Although we will certainly miss having him here daily, we are happy that the move will allow him to spend more time with family. We know that his passion, insights, and meticulous nature will survive the move, and his assistance will only be a phone call or e-mail away.
A 1974 honors graduate of California University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Dietle has worked in the petroleum industry all his adult life. He joined Kalsi Engineering in 1982 and has been involved in nearly every aspect of our rotary shaft seal business since its inception. The deep respect we have for him is rooted in his many valuable technical contributions. His seal geometry and mounting hardware innovations are covered by 36 US patents and innumerable foreign patents, which stand as a testament to his pioneering work in the field of polymeric high pressure rotary shaft seals. We celebrate the 36 years he spent with the company in Texas and look forward to the future.
