Married to the job

Chuck Robinson likens himself to a hedgehog that never gives up. plastic figurine of the spiny animal is kept on a shelf in his office as a symbol of strength.

“When the wolves come out and attack, the hedgehog curls up into a ball and its spiny back protects him,”

Robinson said.Robinson will mark 40 years of working in the Laguna lumber business March 15.

Spending 40 years with the same company seems to be a rarity in today’s world, but Robinson claims to be content with his life.

“This job is still just temporary in my mind,” Robinson, 64, joked. “You think what would you have liked to have done, everyone wished they did something else. I thought about those things, but I’m a happy camper. The companies have been very good to me and my family.”

Forty years ago Robinson also met a woman he wanted to marry.

“She said I would [marry you] if I had a job,” Robinson said.

After two weeks with Laguna Lumber Company, which is now Ganahl Lumber Company, Robinson married Mary Lee.

A fire in 1993 that burned one of the company’s mills and destroyed 400 homes in the area remains a vivid memory to Robinson.

“My hat goes off to the fire department for saving the yard,” Robinson said. “We came close to losing everything.”

Laguna’s physical beauty has always been a strong attraction for Robinson, and he credits the community for preserving it through the years.

The people who reside here are the most honest and loyal you will ever meet,” Robinson said.

The store’s office was originally located where the Lumberyard Mall now stands at 384 Forest Ave., with the lumber yard extending to where the present post office is located.

The yard moved to its current location on Laguna Canyon Road in the early 1970s.

“When we first moved the owner was afraid that the space was too big, but now we don’t have enough room,” Robinson said.

General manager to Robinson at Ganahl Lumber, Chad Kidder feels Robinson has been around for so long because he loves to give great service.

“You can’t walk ten feet in downtown without someone wanting to talk to him,” Kidder said.

In his spare time Robinson enjoys traveling, though he is not specific about any plans to retire.

“Six or seven years ago I thought I would reach a certain age and retire, but I feel great. I still enjoy this,” Robinson said. “My work is my hobby.” cpt.10-lumberman-CPhotoInfoJ91OP8Q820060310ivuat2knDON LEACH / COASTLINE PILOT(LA)Lumberyard Manager Chuck Robinson at Ganahl Lumber in Laguna Beach, where he will celebrate 40 years of employment March 15.