Laurel Ridge trades technician Randy Derby has spent the final third of his career working with people who care about each other and about our students.
Derby’s last day is Oct. 16. He is retiring after 15½ years at the college, and nearly a half-century of working life. He applied for the trades technician position after the Great Recession of 2007-2009 negatively impacted his carpet cleaning and home remodeling business.
Derby started the business after spending 17 years working at a manufacturing plant where he operated a robotic welder. He said his factory actually brought a Workforce Solutions welding instructor on site to train him and his coworkers.
Making the transition to working at Laurel Ridge came with a surprise – the level of care employees have for those around them, something he found was in contrast to his factory position.
“I’ve just met some really, really great people here,” said Derby. “They really do care about their students. And, they care about each other. I will miss this place.”
He said he won’t miss setting rooms up for back-to-back events, though.
Derby was born in Iowa, and moved to Great Falls, Montana, while young. His father’s U.S. Air Force job took them to Ramstein Air Base for several years, allowing him to travel all over Europe. Derby said his favorite memories include skiing in Switzerland, seeing the Berlin Wall and visting Heidelberg Castle.
In the spring, Derby, who moved to Virginia in 1989, plans to travel to Montana, his “home away from home.” He also plans to continue spending a couple of days a week at Books-A-Million in Winchester. His more immediate plans involve relaxing.
“I’ve been working for 48 years – I’m doing nothing until spring time,” said Derby.
Laurel Ridge Community College was known as Lord Fairfax Community College until June 2022. For consistency purposes, the college will be referenced as Laurel Ridge going forward.