By Karen E. Butler, Director of Communications
Leonidas Newlin, 81, joined Andersen Sterilizers, a family-owned medical device manufacturer in Haw River, North Carolina, almost 40 years ago. People ask him all the time, “When are you going to retire?” He merely shrugs his shoulders and with a protracted southern drawl says, “Who knows?”
Leonidas lives with his wife, Treva, in the very farmhouse in which he was born. His great-grandfather built the house when Leonidas’ father was a child. The couple’s neighbors living in the rural Eli Whitney Community are for the most part kin. Leonidas and Treva attend the same church they attended when they were children. In fact, the pair, who have been married 58 years, first met at Chatham Friends Church. Life is simple and straightforward. For Leonidas, there’s no need to overcomplicate things over which he has no control or that in the grand scheme will never matter.
Leonidas first heard about Andersen in the 1980s after his former employer announced the company was going out of business.
“It was a harrowing time,” recounted Leonidas. “A friend shared with me that Andersen was hiring. Andersen had just begun building on its newly purchased 100-acre property.”
Having plenty of experience working in construction, Andersen hired Leonidas straightaway.
“I had been working at Andersen for a couple of months when Doc told us to pack our bags,” remembered Leonidas, who until that time had never ventured beyond state lines. “’You’re going to New York,’ he told us.”
Bellview Hospital surgeon H.W. Andersen, M.D., better known as “Doc,” was in the process of moving his sterilization business from Oyster Bay, New York, to Haw River. The small team worked 12-hour days for six weeks, renovating buildings and rounding up equipment in preparation for a final move to North Carolina.
“We worked long and hard,” said Leonidas, a wry smile crossing a face whose lines and creases hint at a multitude of years gone by. “We’d start working at 6 a.m. and wouldn’t stop until after 6 p.m. But Doc took very good care of the team.”
Since joining Andersen, Leonidas has worked in almost every area of the business. These days he spends his time in the Supply Department where, by hand, he assembles stainless-steel sterilizer and abator cabinets. He says assembling products is among the most rewarding positions he’s held. Leonidas continues to clock in eight hours days, five days a week. When he’s not at Andersen, Leonidas is tending to his 40 beef cows and 130 acres of farmland. As much as he loves raising cattle, it still isn’t enough to woo him away from his job at Andersen.
“Andersen is a wonderful place to work,” said Leonidas, thinking back on his many years at Health Science Park. “Who would have ever thought that such a successful business would be tucked away in this 100-acre wood. It feels good to know I am a part of this company’s founding and that the work I do every day is worthwhile and meaningful.”
Leonidas continues to insist he doesn’t have an exit plan. There simply is no need to retire when his work continues to be gratifying. “I love my job here at Andersen,” he said, gently polishing his newest cabinet until his own reflection beamed back at him.