Farewell to the Rock: Charlie 'Overtime' Corwell's Remarkable 44-Year Journey

July 27, 2023, marks Charlie 'Overtime' Corwell's final day at the Rock, a momentous occasion celebrated by his colleagues and friends.

In this heartfelt episode, Charlie and Shanna share a candid conversation, reminiscing about his incredible 44-year career, during which he skillfully operated every piece of equipment owned by the company, amassing an astounding two million miles behind the wheel.

His dedication and commitment have earned him the affectionate moniker 'Overtime,' a testament to his tireless work ethic and unwavering loyalty to the company.

As the conversation draws to a close, emotions run high as Charlie prepares to bid farewell to the Rock and embark on a new chapter of his life.

The legacy of his contributions and the impact of his unwavering dedication will forever be cherished by the company and everyone whose lives he touched during his illustrious career.

Transcript

Keith Severson: 0:00

Welcome to Rock Talk Shorts. This podcast offers a quick hit of Granite Rock People Stories. Get ready to be inspired and entertained.

Shanna Crigger: 0:10

Well, let's start. Tell us your first name, your last name, how long you've been at Granite Rock in your position.

Charlie Crowell: 0:18

Charles Corwell, everybody calls me Charlie Been here since July the 9th, 1979, 44 years, and for the past 27 or so years I've been on the low bed for the construction division. I started out on the spreader trucks in Redwood City and then I moved over a little bit to the concrete side for a while, helped out, learned how. When I started, betsy was in charge and, as of if you see, my license plate says Betsy's best. I've had that since, I think about 85 86 when she retired.

Charlie Crowell: 1:10

Yeah, when Bruce came on he started with his IPDP program and with that there was myself and a couple other guys and they said, hey, it's like a good deal, let's, let's sign up for something. And I kind of looked at it and he goes oh, come on, charlie, you know we're here, they're gonna pass to learn. And I was like, oh yeah, not a bad idea. So I did the IPDP program as long as we kept. It hasn't been around now for a few years, but you know I went from learning how to drive a concrete mixer to hauling powder. Yeah, I pretty much did a lot, plus mechanical things.

Shanna Crigger: 1:59

Well, tell me a little bit about what Betsy's best, how, how did she come to call you Betsy's best and why did she give you that?

Charlie Crowell: 2:08

Oh well, she actually didn't. But when she retired, the group of us in Redwood City on the spreader trucks, we wanted to do something, you know, for Betsy. I mean we were lucky enough and we had her for quite a while and what we got to know her well and some of us we called her mom. Okay, that, I mean that's really the way she was to us and we could call her up and if we wanted to have a meeting or we wanted to have something she would come up, and that's a whole other story. But yeah, so we all had a lot of respect for Betsy and when she retired kicked around some ideas. So one of the guys says, hey, how about if we have a Betsy's vest and plaque on the wall and we'll get a license plate and then rotate it around whoever wins to their truck?

Shanna Crigger: 3:14

So talk about what's the life of a low-boy, low-bed driver Like? What is that? What's a day like you did it for almost 30 years. That alone you were hauling equipment to all the job sites. Tell us what that was like it's not boring.

Charlie Crowell: 3:32

Every day is a challenge and it may not really look and seem, but it is. Different locations, different places. You have to get into Some of the roads up in Santa Cruz mountains, up here, places that we go with equipment, you know, and you have to order your own permits to be able to go on some of these roads. Or you have to know when you need pilot cars with your loads. There's a lot, a lot more to it than just driving a truck. The party that we had at the Moscone Center, that was definitely one of the highlights, and not only because of the party, not only because of Met George Bush. But I delivered. We had a lot of equipment in there and I brought mostly all of that into that Moscone Center. That was a challenge and, yeah, besides being 100 years old, which is an incredible feat in today's day, having a big, beautiful party that we had. As for me, getting the equipment into the Moscone Center and out was really a challenge.

Charlie Crowell: 4:55

And I set up all the permits on getting that stuff in there with the city of San Francisco. I think that's probably the biggest one.

Shanna Crigger: 5:05

So what's on the retirement docket? What are you going to be doing?

Charlie Crowell: 5:09

Well, at this point I'm not sure outside of watching grandkids. Grandkids have seen to become a big priority, and my kids are close by, and the closer by the more we watch.

Shanna Crigger: 5:27

Sounds like you get a lot of the grandkids watching tasks, which is awesome and you have three daughters.

Keith Severson: 5:35

Thank you for tuning in to Rock Talk Shorts. Join us next time as we continue to celebrate the remarkable people of Granite Rock. Until then, keep on rockin'.