• Article Photo. Larry Druschel's only full-time job has been at McDowell's. He marks his 50th year today.
    Larry Druschel's only full-time job has been at McDowell's. He marks his 50th year today.

Recently graduated from high school, Larry Druschel saw an help wanted at for McDowell's in the summer of 1964. He applied for the job and started on Aug. 4 of that year.

Today, the staff of McDowell's surprised Larry with a special celebration of his 50th year. Refreshments are available and customers are invited to stop by to congratulate Larry on the milestone.

When he started, the business had no forklifts, so the job included much more heavy lifting, says Larry, who has been the owner since 1992. 

Larry has seen many changes in the past 50 years, including different styles of siding and roofing. He said the company's largest job order was for a complete remodel of a Cedar Rapids apartment complex, which included approximately 3,500 doors and 387 kitchen cabinet sets. The business had recently acquired the former Lincoln school building, so that site was used for storage before those items could be delivered to CR.

The celebration for Larry continues through 5 p.m. today.