A visit from visionaries Koeman, Thwing, and Martins.

The other day I heard a familiar, yet unexpected voice coming from the Fluke Networks Lab. In a moment I recognized the voice of Henri Koeman, the retired long time Fluke Networks employee and veteran of the cabling standards commitees. 

I set my work aside and went to join the engineering team in greeting our beloved friend and colleage.  Henri came to Fluke Park for a Coffee Club that we host for employees with over 20 years of service.  These events sometimes become a reunion of visionaries and we shamelessly take advantage of the opportunity to show off the work we're doing and pump our former colleagues for advice. 

Of course Henri ended up in the lab, observing some of the latest technology developments and offering his advice on what to do. It was good to see Henri in good health and the tone and volume of his voice eminating from a place that it did for so long assured me that retirement has not dampened his enthusiasm for the work that he helped lay the groundwork for. 

One of my mentors, Ted Thwing stopped by a little later. Ted retired from Fluke Networks in 2009 after 28 years with the company.  Among other accomplishements, he helped build our fiber testing from limited presence to a complete testing line and enterprise market leader.  A PHd in education, he had a real knack for teaching complex topics which served him as a college professor in addition to his role in the company.  A naturally positive personality, Ted is also thriving in retirement, using skills he honed at Fluke Networks to serve his church and the community. 

Joe Martins was also in the house.  Joe retired several years ago, and has come back to visit several times.  He is considered the founder of Fluke Networks.Another naturally positive guy, Joe always could see opportunities to improve and grow our business. He always encouraged us to be happy with our success, but not satisfied.I hear that he looks fantastic and has been running 5 miles a day. I will be increasing my running mileage this week.That's the report I want a few years after I retire!