News Blog Posts Tagged as Retirement

Matt Fischer's Retirement

Published 03/23/2018

It is with both great excitement and a little sadness that Gannon & Scott announces the retirement of longtime Engineering Manager, Matthew J. Fischer.

Matt began his career with Gannon & Scott in 2001, bringing with him extensive metal refining experience and knowledge from his many years at Handy & Harman.

During his career at Gannon & Scott, Matt managed a number of major projects.

However, none were larger or more transformative than the Cranston Expansion Project, a multi-year endeavor culminating with the opening of our Sharpe Drive facility in Cranston, RI.

Under his direction, the multi-million dollar TRu3Tec Thermal Reduction Furnace and Pollution Control System, was designed, fabricated, and installed at the new facility, not only revolutionizing Gannon’s burning capabilities but also taking the company’s environmental sustainability initiatives to the next level.

In addition to providing Gannon & Scott with an unmatched production capability, the size, scope and sophistication of the pollution control system is the part that Matt was most proud of.

Click Here to request more information on the TRu3Tec Thermal Reduction System that Matt made possible.

As tribute to his efforts in coordinating this major project, there still hangs a placard above the new Thermal Reduction System (TR-3, which Matt designed), dubbing the location the “Fischer TRail”.

 

Everyone at Gannon & Scott wishes Matt the very best of luck in his retirement, and thank him in earnest for his tremendous contributions to the company’s success over the years.

 

We are proud to be able to call him a member of the Gannon & Scott family.

We hope that all of Matt’s TRails ahead are happy ones.

John King's Retirement

Published 11/09/2017

GANNON & SCOTT ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT OF Chief Financial Officer -Press Release

Gannon & Scott is both pleased and sad to announce the recent retirement of John H. King, Executive Vice President and CFO.

John joined Gannon & Scott in 2000, and was instrumental in the success of the company’s expansion to Phoenix, AZ. John also drove the acquisition of a second facility in Cranston, RI, which features the one of the most sophisticated environmental control systems in the refining industry; the facility also has almost an acre of solar panels generating green energy for the local power grid.

John began his 45-year career in the precious metals industry in the early 1970s at the Citibank precious metals depository in New York City, after serving in the U.S. Army from 1968-1970. At the time, it was the largest commercial depository in the country. In 1979, under John’s guidance, Citibank introduced a successful retail Precious Metals Certificate program, which was prominently featured in Citibank’s 1979 Annual Report. 

In 1984 John relocated to Rhode Island to manage the operations of Fleet Bank’s precious metals unit. At Fleet, John managed the project to automate the unit’s manual accounting system. Under his guidance, the operation became a separate legal entity and supported a lending unit that grew to over $1.5 Billion in commitments.

In addition to his extensive experience working in precious metals and his service to his country, John was a tireless volunteer, both within and outside the industry. 

In addition to various other leadership roles, John served as President of the local chapter of the International Precious Metals Institute (IPMI) for more than 10 years, and has been an active member of the national IPMI organization. 

Under John’s leadership, the New England Chapter of the IPMI developed an annual event to support local jewelry design efforts with an annual Jewelry Design Competition that provides scholarships and support to New England university students and programs involved in jewelry design.

In addition to his professional charitable endeavors, John was also a founding member of the original Board of Directors of the Providence Ronald McDonald House (PRMH). John served on the board for over 10 years, including the critical first several years when the PRMH was built as a result of a successful capital campaign.

John and his wife, Linda, devote numerous hours to the success of the PRMH, and its continued growth and success remain a fitting testimony to John’s dedication and efforts. John also served as Treasurer of the RI Youth Soccer Association.

 

  At Gannon & Scott, John has shared his talents and drive to help guide the company from a traditional secondary precious metals refiner to the powerhouse it is now - one that serves a multitude of industries, from traditional jewelry manufacturers to electronic scrap recyclers to global manufacturers of medical and electronic devices.

As a key member of the executive management team, John’s impact on Gannon & Scott will continue long after his retirement.

“He will be missed by many in the industry, but by none as much as his colleagues at Gannon & Scott,” noted Margaret Gannon-Jones, Chairman of Gannon & Scott.

 

“The entire company is both pleased for John and his accomplishments, but saddened that we will no longer see him every day,” said Joe Peixoto, CEO. “We are all grateful to have been able share the last few years of John’s illustrious career in the precious metals industry.”

 

As part of Gannon & Scott’s on-going succession planning, David Deuel will succeed John as Chief Financial Officer.

 

John and his wife Linda reside in North Kingstown, RI. They plan on traveling and spending time with their two grandsons.

 

Rose's Retirement

Published 09/29/2016

After 30 years of service with Gannon & Scott, RoseMarie Fontaine retired from Gannon & Scott in May 2016.

Rose’s role at Gannon & Scott had always been a senior level Information Technology professional and during her tenure she had certainly seen many changes. In fact, when Rose started with the company it was to manage our very first terminal based computer system that the company was migrating to from a paper based system. Back in those days when PC’s were predicted to be a fad and there was no such thing as the internet, we were operating a climate controlled, high security, 200 square foot dedicated server and printer room. Data storage was on reel to reel magnetic tape and servers were the size of refrigerators. Pin feed dot matrix printers were so loud that they needed to be in their own sound and vibration enclosures. Rose was instrumental in the development and support of the Company’s proprietary core systems of record that support all aspects of the refining business. In addition, Rose had primary responsibility for several mission critical vendor systems, including our accounting, phone and sales team systems.

Rose’s in-depth understanding of our business processes, coupled with her trouble-shooting and problem-solving skills were invaluable in ensuring that the information systems ran smoothly.

As is the tradition in our IT department, Rose excelled at providing superior customer service to all of her internal customers. Leading up to Rose’s retirement she worked on passing the torch by training and mentoring Paige Jones to take over the position.

Rose’s plans for retirement include devoting more time to her favorite charity The imPOSSIBLE Dream. An avid golfer, Rose plans to further honing her game during retirement. As she is planning on remaining a resident of Rhode Island, we at Gannon & Scott are hopeful that Rose will take some time, from what we expect to be a busy schedule, to stop in and visit with us bringing that warm smile and sharp wit that we are all sure to miss.


Her work family at Gannon & Scott wishes Rose all the best retirement has to offer and thank her immensely for her many years of dedicated service.

 

Don Olson Retirement Announcement

Published 04/24/2015

Don Olson Retirement Announcement

It is with both extreme happiness and sincere regret that Gannon & Scott announces the retirement of a long-time and valued employee, Don Olson. Don was the Production Manager at Gannon & Scott’s Phoenix, AZ precious metals refining facility. 

A Coast Guard veteran who was stationed at Pt. Judith, RI, Don began his career in precious metals refining with Handy & Harman in 1971. Don held a number of supervisory positions with Handy & Harman, at their Attleboro, MA location. In 1990, he and his family relocated to Arizona, where Don continued his career at Handy’s Phoenix plant.

In 2000, Gannon & Scott acquired the Phoenix plant and fortunate to be able to retain Don’s services. He quickly became a trusted and valued member of our team.

Don is admired by everyone at Gannon & Scott. Several of his former Handy & Harman Attleboro colleagues work for Gannon & Scott in Cranston, RI and late last year the Cranston, RI team was able to enjoy a final Christmas party in RI with Don and his wife, Dianne. The Phoenix plant held a retirement luncheon for Don in early April of this year.

Don noted recently, “I feel privileged to have had a very fulfilling career and to have had the opportunity to work with some terrific people.  My last fifteen years in the precious metals refining industry have been the most inspiring, and I am very grateful they were spent at Gannon & Scott, a truly exceptional company.”

In retirement, Don and Dianne and their dog, TiGau, will stay in Payson, Arizona, where he hopes to sharpen his woodworking skills and travel with his wife. Don and Diane’s two daughters also live in Arizona and Don and Dianne are also looking forward to spending more time with them in retirement.

Don was born in Rhode Island, and while he spent the majority of his career in Arizona, his New England roots run deep. “There is nothing better than good old New England fish and chips”, according to Don. We wish Don and his family all the best in retirement and thank him for his many years of dedicated service.