READING, Penn.–After 30 years in commercial lending and the past five with Diamond Credit Union, Business Services Manager James Hufford found a unique way to retire.
Diamond CU said that for the past three years Hufford has been grooming Phil Fry, a long-time Diamond employee, to take over as business services manager. One characteristic Hufford could never instill in Fry was a desire to wear ties to work, according to the credit union. In celebration of that difference, Hufford has been counting down the last days of his employment by wearing a different tie each day and making them all available for sale to employees for $3 each. The proceeds will benefit the American Cancer Society Relay For Life, and the ties that don’t sell will be ceremoniously burned in the parking lot on his last day, according to Diamond CU.
“But don’t let the tie sale fool you,” Diamond said in a statement. “Hufford is still business-minded. In addition to the firelight ceremony, Hufford planned a loan closing on his last day, and has been working diligently to leave his department in the best possible fashion.
Diamond credited Hufford with building Diamond’s small business portfolio exponentially and providing indispensable guidance and leadership to his staff. He also has no plans to slow down after his retirement. Hufford has a long history of volunteering with the Berks County Chapter of SCORE, an organization that offers guidance to small business owners, and he plans to continue working with SCORE in his retirement. He’s also an active member of both the Pottstown Toastmasters and Berks Nature (Berks County Conservancy).
“Diamond is a community-oriented organization, but in order to be truly community-oriented, you have to help local businesses. Unlike larger institutions that give lip service to the fact that they are locally represented, Diamond truly is,” said Hufford.