“We moved to Walsenburg almost three years ago, from Arkansas. Our son took a job teaching in Denver, and we wanted to be closer. I made five trips here after I retired, and decided this is where we wanted to be.
“I retired from being the vice president of operations with the Arkansas Paper Group. We made paper products that were shipped all over the world- Canada, Mexico, Europe, Russia, Israel. We went from being a small converting company when I was hired, to being a major producer, within a year.
“I’ve been a mechanic my whole life. Through my work, I became a master machinist, master millwright and a master welder, and a journeyman in four other skills. I’ve worked on press machines worth over $5 million.
“Before that, I worked for the federal government for years, with the F.D.A. Through that work, I got an F.B.I. security clearance.
“I love the weather here in Colorado, and I love that there’s no bugs. In Arkansas, every house has a contract to deal with termites. When I asked about that here, before we bought a house, the realtors didn’t know what I was talking about.
“The people here are also different; very friendly and so diverse- It’s so much better here.”
-Tom Kolafa
