Willa Vaught, MCH Account Executive Manager, will be retiring on May 2, 2008. Willa has contributed to the success of MCH and her experience, humor, and dedication will be missed. We spent time visiting with Willa about her long tenure with MCH and the evolution of the direct mailing industry.

Her journey with MCH began as a part-time high school student who spent many after-school hours and Saturdays working on inserting projects for the company. After graduation, MCH General Manager Carl Halter called Willa and offered her a full-time position with MCH. She chuckled when we asked her what her starting wage was and said, "I'm really not sure what my starting wage was but a really good raise back then was twenty-five cents. Mr. Halter would give me a twenty-cent raise and then tell me that if I reduced the amount of visiting with co-workers and could keep the amount of visiting in check for three weeks, I'd get the other nickel." In true Willa fashion, she said, "I always told him he should just keep the nickel!" After 41 years, there are many memories. Highlights from our conversation included attending trade shows, hand insertion races, rubber band wars among inserters, and receiving an apology letter from a Pitney-Bowes representative who said a woman couldn't possibly change the 100 lb. head on a 4-up Cheshire labeler.

The education industry was MCH's initial focus. In the early days, mailers sent as many pieces of mail to each school as they could. Improved technology and increasing costs necessitated the shift to much more targeted mailing campaigns. As the MCH institutional database expanded, Willa enjoyed helping customers see new opportunities in markets they hadn't thought of including in their campaigns. She remembered realizing that many of MCH clients were actually cross-marketers when she worked with a client who specialized in children's books and puzzles. As a young mother, she encouraged him to include doctor's offices, libraries, and hospital waiting rooms in his next campaign because they were all places where children needed something to occupy their time. Her reward for helping him achieve great response was a personalized puzzle that she still cherishes.

Willa fondly remembered MCH founder Dr. Forrest Long's wife, Helen, as her prized mentor. She said Helen's background as an educator made learning the list and database business very easy. When Helen saw potential in employees, she challenged them and helped them reach their fullest potential. Willa said that the special skills of the Long family were the foundation of MCH's vertical markets and contributed significantly to the company's growth. She stressed that working at MCH is like belonging to a family that has grown through the decades and that the company culture has always been that everyone works together for the good of the company. Her sentiments were echoed by MCH CEO Peter Long, "Anybody who dedicates 41 years to a family business IS part of the family!"

The MCH team will feel the building shift when Willa takes her collection of memories off the wall. As a lover of the outdoors, she's looking forward to helping her husband in his lawn care business. In addition, she has eight grandchildren who are looking forward to spending more time with her. Willa has certainly earned leisure time and we wish her the best as she adjusts to a new routine. To sum up this wonderful journey, Peter Long said, "We have always been amazed at the amount of love that Willa has for the company and that we have for her!"