Gipfert Calls It A Day

There was a party Saturday afternoon at Hillside Golf Club, and it was to celebrate the retirement of Dean Gipfert after 48 years of dedicated service to Wheat Belt customers in Sidney and throughout the area. Gipfert joined Wheat Belt back in 1975 when he was 18 years old, as an assistant warehouseman.

Born and raised in Sidney as one of thirteen children, Gipfert said he never thought he would stay at the same company for 48 years. But he did, and after the first four years, a position opened up as a Maintenance Equipment Operator, and he jumped at the opportunity. He then earned his journeyman lineman certification, and then became the Sidney Area Maintenance Lineman in 1995. In 2018 he became the foreman for the Sidney area. In 2022 he moved to a PCB analyst position, and stayed there until his retirement.

When asked what his favorite part of the job was, he said, "Turning people's lights back on after a big storm. There's nothing better than that. It shows how important and valuable what you do is, and you get the chance to help people, which is great."

He also added another part of the job he loved, saying "Going to the schools and doing educational events with them, showing them how power is generated then sent to homes is fun. The kids are always excited to learn and it's a lot of fun watching them understand how the lights go on in their homes."

Gipfert has no set plans after retirement. He will spend time with his wife of 46 years, Nancy, and help take care of, and have fun with, their five grandchildren. "It's going to be a lot of "honey-do's" and spending time with the grandkids right here in Sidney", he said.

There was a good crowd at the retirement party, enjoying food and refreshments with Dean, reminiscing on his time at Wheat Belt, and talking about what he's going to do now that he's retired. Gipfert and his family are staples in the Sidney community, and will surely be active in the events in town and around the area. Congratulations to Dean and his family, and we all wish the best for him in the next chapter of his life.