After 40 years of serving the Medicine Hat area doing what I loved, I have decided to retire. It’s been a great journey! It’s kept me fit and healthy, and I’m very proud of my safety record of my staff in a relatively dangerous business.

I’ve had many wonderful people working with me over the years, many that I consider close friends. Thank you to James Morris for over 25 years of work loyalty and friendship “it’s been great“. My son Thomas Devine you’ve been my pride and privilege to work with you. Over the years Rod Schritt, Gary Bray, Jansen Melander, Jerod Kopeck and Richard Hill are just some of the great hardworking people. Also two employees that are no longer with us, Glen Shirley and my brother Stephen Devine, R.I.P. Thank you all, I couldn’t have done it without you.

Small businesses don’t run alone, book keepers, mechanics, equipment suppliers, bankers and many others who helped make it successful, thanks. But most of all my supportive wife that helped in every way possible and imaginable.

Customers - it has been a pleasure! Thank you for the work.

For 40 years I’ve done business in the ‘Hat’ only on a handshake! When the job is done I get paid! In 40 years and close to $14 million in jobs completed, I have only lost $865 in unpaid invoices. I think that says a lot about the integrity of our community, and dispels the ‘myth’ that “you can’t trust people”. I made a great choice to be a local small business, and I want to thank all my customers for supporting Rite Enterprises.

John Devine