By Ben Cox
Micah Rawe is the senior lead in accounting for Bound to Stay Bound Books. He started with the company in July 2023, after previously working in Springfield for 17 years. Despite being a relatively new employee, Rawe’s personal connection to the company runs deep. Rawe’s grandfather, Chester Gacek, worked at BTSB from 1968 until his passing in 1993.
Rawe visited the company as a child with his grandfather, and all those visits gave him a special familiarity with the company’s history and culture. Our story with Micah Rawe picks up there:
Ben Cox: What led you to Bound to Stay Bound?
Micah Rawe: It’s kind of an interesting story. So actually, I knew Andy and Lori [Smith] from years ago … so my grandfather, Chester Gacek, worked here from 1968 to 1993 until he passed away from cancer. I used to come in here as a little boy with him all the time. When I was growing up, we’d come into back doors on the weekends and evenings and we’d come and do some work.
So, I got to see the plant back in the old days actually. So back when I would come in with him, I mean this place was really full and they had like 300 employees back in those days and the office area up here was full of desks and everything. I’d just come in with him. I’d help make copies in the evenings. He’d go through the mail room and we’d pull stamps off the envelopes. We saved, kind of collected, them a little bit when we were younger.
Then, I just happened to leave my job in Springfield. I was tired of the commute and just needed a change. I was there for 17 years. I switched to Express [Employment Professionals] actually, and Andy and I guess they kind of said there’s an opening here and I told [Express] that I knew Andy and Lori here. I came out for an interview that Friday and they hired me on the spot basically. And I started the following Monday because their accountant that they had before left actually. I kind of came and picked up the pieces. It was kind of a little challenge, but it was kind of interesting. I got to learn everything that way. [It was] really good being just thrown into the mix basically.
BC: So, the family atmosphere of the company was already appealing to you from your grandfather?
MR: Yeah, him being here as I got in here, and there’s quite a few people that he actually hired still work here currently. There’s a lot of people here 30, 40 years. Some people worked their full careers. I mean he had somebody that he, I guess, worked with back then say 50 years ago and she finally retired. It was like a mini homecoming to me. Actually, I came back in and I was like, well, I had goosebumps actually when they hired me. Actually, the office I’m in now was his office back when he was here years ago until they did the [recent] addition. He got moved, but he was there most of the time. I remember he was always in that one office.
BC: As far as the company itself, did you realize back then, I’m sure you do now as the senior accountant, but did you realize back then how much of reach that Bound To Stay Bound had as far as where their books went?
MR: I was pretty young at the time, but I do remember him talking about the traveling salesman that lived in multiple states, and he talked about they had company vehicles all over. I knew one actually came to town. I actually mowed grass for him when I was in high school and he I think became team leader or something in the salesforce.
He came in and he was one that was, he was from Georgia maybe. So, I knew they had [a presence] throughout the whole United States, at least I knew that much. I thought that was kind of cool how they had people everywhere like that just especially when you think about this small town Jacksonville for outreaching the whole area like that. I think they actually had some [salesmen] overseas for a while, I believe. I don’t think we do as much. I haven’t seen much since I’ve been here, but I think they did for a while. They shipped to Florida and then it went from Florida to wherever. So, we did have a few overseas customers for a while, too.
BC: How has this real family atmosphere been? Do you have those similar connections with the owners of the company, the Siberts as well as others?
MR: Actually, with the Siberts — going back to my grandfather again — he and my grandmother lived on Mound Avenue and Bob’s parents lived behind them. Back in high school I think it was, I actually did yard work and stuff for them. Bob Sr. would have been working here at the time. I kind of got to go in their house a bit and visit with them. With my grandfather and the Siberts, it’s a bit of a family reunion. I knew Bob from back then and got to know Karen along the way. I came to work here because I knew them and some other people that were still at the facility, too.
BC: How are the relationships with the people working in the offices and the people working on the production and inventory floor of the facility? Is it a bit like family?
MR: I mean I think the office and the floor kind of, they’re a little separate, but like I said, the two other girls that work in accounting with me, they actually go out and they’ve been doing some stuff and processing because they’re kind of short handed out there. So, they’ve been helping out and I’ll walk through the plant and I’ll say hi to people and I’m cutting through because I park out back usually. I’ll cut through and say hi to a few people, wave at them, whatever, trying not to distract them when they’ve got the heavy machinery going. I’ll talk with them a little bit. The whole company, especially at the Christmas party, we all get together, but everybody has their groups, but we all intermingle a little bit, too. We’re not too good to talk to them out there or whatever. Everybody seems to get along pretty well actually.
BC: Do you think that’s why the company is so successful?
MR: I think so, yeah. And they treat their employees very well, too. I mean they do activities for us. We have an activity fund, so they come in, do lunch on certain days throughout the summer months, and then they have outings. They have a Christmas party. They have some stuff for us and some drawings we’ll do like, oh we call it during, not the Super Bowl. We do a little thing actually for that too. We kind of have a little board back to fill in who we think is going to win and stuff, and then they draw names out and they give away pretty decent prizes, like gift cards. They gave away Cardinals tickets. They do something for the [company] birthday every year. Every January 20th we have a little birthday cake in the break room. They gave away prizes this year because it was the 105th anniversary.
Rawe says he believes he’s in his retirement job now and looks forward to coming to work every day.
