They run Joey’s Brokerage of Syracuse Inc., located at the CNY Regional Market. They say they would miss their work and their customers were they to retire
By Mary Beth Roach
Combined, Don Cook and Mike Cackett have more than 80 years in at Joey’s Brokerage of Syracuse Inc., located at the CNY Regional Market. And even though both men are in their 70s, Cook is 73 and Cackett is 72, neither plan retirement anytime soon.
Cook is president of the company, which his father-in-law, Joe Russo, incorporated in 1968. Cackett is in his 36th year there, serving as office manager.
Both said they would miss their work and their customers were they to retire.
As Cook explained, as produce brokers, they represent produce growers and shippers from around the country, Canada and other parts of the world, arranging contracts and arranging transportation to sell the products to their retail and wholesale customers throughout the U.S.
“I like dealing with customers. I like the atmosphere of coming to work. I interact with people from all over the state, all states in the union,” Cook said. “Each day is a different challenge, a different sale. It keeps you involved; it keeps you sharp.”
He said that he doesn’t recall ever lying awake at night, dreading going to work in the morning. Instead, he said he’d try to solve a certain problem.
Cook related how he had a health issue that had him hospitalized for a period this past winter and he credited his work for giving him the impetus to recuperate.
“I think the thing that drove me to get out of the hospital and to get better was the fact that I wanted to get back to my business, my people I talk to every day, and get at my desk. I was talking to them from the hospital bed, but it’s not the same as if you’re here,” he said.
A native of Western New York and graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology in economics and banking, Cook said he changed career paths after several visits to Russo’s office.
“I’d come down to his office and I’d see this fast-paced business going on and I was mesmerized by it,” he said.
The industry has experienced changes over the past few decades. Smaller companies are being taken over by larger outfits and multi-national conglomerates. And as Cook pointed out too, some customers that they have had long-time relationships with have opted to retire.
But it’s the changes that keep it exciting for Cook.
“You have to adapt to change. Otherwise, you’re the dinosaur,” he said. “That’s what makes it exciting.”
And even though Cook has had 40-plus years of experience, he still appreciates what the younger generations can bring to the industry.
“You learn from what they know. Everyone has something to offer,” he said.
As office manager, Cackett handles the bookkeeping and the invoicing and he pays the bills for the company and can act as a broker.
He says that he might have thought about retirement from time to time, but “I don’t know what I’d do,” he said. “When I get up Monday morning and get at my desk, it’s a new challenge every day, every week. It does keep the mind alert, active and keeps you going.”
