GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — George Smith started working with Edgecombe Furniture when he was just 17 years old in 1953.
He is now 87 and has dedicated the past few years of his employment to learning how to maintain and fix the sewing machines used in daily operations. He used to work in the upholstery department.
When he started working, he was paid 75 cents an hour and made $30 a week. His light bill was only $7 a month and when he built his first house in 1965, his mortgage was only $60 a month.
“I love what I do. I enjoy coming to work. I love the people I work for,” said Smith.
He said that he felt that God was the reason he was placed there and continued to work there for so many years.
“I feel like this is where God wanted me to be,” Smith said. “This has worked. I took it that way. ‘God, this is where you want me to be so I’ll make myself happy’,” said Smith.
Smith still enjoys working with his hands and seeing the rewards that come from that. He has no plans to stop anytime soon.
“Seeing what I can do, what I can accomplish with my hands. It just makes it more rewarding to me,” said Smith.
Edgecombe Furniture will be celebrating Smith and his accomplishments on Thursday. View the video to see him work and talk about the experiences he’s had throughout his career.
