Not many folks can say they’ve done something for 50 years but Dave Qualls at Mexico Heating Company can now brag.

Qualls celebrated 50 years of working for the local company this past week. Qualls’s first day on the job was Dec. 17, 1973. Qualls doesn’t remember his first day but he remembers going through the hiring process and how quickly it went.

“It was pretty simple,” Qualls said. “I just came in and interviewed, talked to Dudley (Miller) a little bit and he hired me very quickly.”

Qualls had worked some jobs in high school and got a job at MFA soybeans right out of high school before coming to work at Mexico Heating. Qualls had been part of the Vo-Tech program at Mexico High School and had taken some drafting classes. More than 50 years later Qualls is still holding the drafting pencil in hand.

“It’s something I enjoy doing,” Qualls said. “I guess I didn’t go out and look for other jobs.”

Qualls said several factors go into staying at one job for 50 years.

“I was only 18 when I started so I guess you have to start early if you’re going to work 50 years at one place,” Qualls said. “Everything has to come together.”

Qualls said the other biggest factor is having a place that’s going to stay around.

“You have to start off young and have a company that’s going to be around for 50 years,” Qualls said. “That’s unusual nowadays.”

The longtime employee thinks the biggest reason Mexico Heating has been around for so long is it’s been in the same family’s hands and they’ve hired good people to keep it going.

“That’s the biggest factor,” Qualls said. “It takes a little bit of everybody.”

The biggest change in the last 50 years is C.A.D. (Computer Aided Drafting). 

“We had big drafting boards we worked off of,” Qualls said.

Over the years his job has also changed as he became more involved in the process.

“I’ve got a variety of hats I get to wear,” Qualls said. “We do a lot of custom fabrication so I would go out and see what the customer’s needs were and the kind of design they would want us to put together for them. They would give us problems to solve.”

Two years ago Qualls switched his schedule to part-time and only works about 24 hours a week which keeps him fresh. He doesn’t know how much longer he’ll keep working but cutting down on the hours helps. He said sitting in a chair for eight hours a day can leave him pretty stiff. It also leaves him more time to fish and hunt.

“I’m getting out of here before I get to that area where it’s uncomfortable,” Qualls said.

Qualls doesn’t have any advice for someone looking to hit his milestone at their job but he knows where to start.

“Try to get you a job you enjoy, that’s a lot of it,” Qualls said. “Every job has its ups and downs you have to go through. I feel like (Mexico Heating) had treated me well and I think I’ve treated them well also.”