Tom Salentine to Retire after 46 Years with Van’s Lumber

Tom Salentine

Tom Salentine will retire from his position as job coordinator on March 31 after 46 years with Van’s Lumber. Salentine started at Van’s in 1970 as a laborer and worked his way up to foreman in 1973, then to his current position of job coordinator in 1976.

Throughout his time at Van’s, Salentine witnessed a lot of changes, notably, the company’s growth. “It’s been great to see how the company has grown in the last 40-some years – adding new services, like remodeling, and expanding the number of crews,” Salentine shared. A memorable peak in Salentine’s career was working on the Luxury Suites Hotel in Green Bay. “I was a foreman then and we did the framing for the hotel,” he said. “It was the biggest job I ever worked on. We built a lot of large houses, but this was something different.”

In addition to the many memorable projects he managed, Salentine shared that the people at Van’s made it an enjoyable place to work. “It’s a family oriented business and they treat you well. Van’s is family owned…but everyone is treated like family.” Salentine will miss working with many Van’s employees, some of whom he’s worked with for more than 40 years.

As much as he’ll miss the people and some of his favorite daily job responsibilities, Salentine says he’s looking forward to turning his attention to personal interests. “I love to hunt and fish. Plus, I have 10 grandchildren,” he beamed. “I’ll get to spend more time with them and work on some projects around the house.”

For more information, visit VansLumber.com.