After working for Sodexo for 38 years, Joe Winegardner, manager of the Sodexo at Colorado Mesa University, is retiring.

Winegardner has spent the last six years working with the company here Grand Junction, often working more than 50 hours every week, and giving up many weekends to ensure that students all over campus have food readily available.

“If we looked at total meals, campus wide, we probably put out, depending on catering on any given day, 5,500 to 6,000 meals a day,” Winegardner said.

When asked what he was going to miss the most about working with Sodexo here on campus, Winegardner talked about the management team in the kitchens and dining areas, and the hourly workers. “[They are] the true heroes, they are the ones delivering to the students every day.”

Winegardner also spoke a lot about working closely with several students, and watching them grow academically and socially while they worked for him.

“The other thing I will miss is students who worked for us, from their first year to when they graduated. Seeing how those students grew and matured from 18 year olds to graduating as 22 or 23 year olds was very cool to see.”

With his retirement looming, we took a moment to ask him if he had any upcoming plans, which he revealed that he was going to take a little while to enjoy being around his wife and to discover who he was outside of Sodexo and Colorado Mesa University.

Winegardner did mention that he did not want to stay out of work for too long. “I don’t care to work full time, I want to do something. I don’t think I’m the kind of guy who could around and do nothing,” Winegardner said.