LDF Country Market’s George Carufel Shares Gratitude

LDF Country Market General Manager George Carufel is seated in this picture.

Over the last several months, I hope everyone has enjoyed reading about our teammates at the Country Market. Personally, I’ve enjoyed seeing the stories and recognition for their efforts to keep our community supplied while working to keep everyone as safe as possible. You can read their stories within this LDF Country Market Blog by scrolling down if you missed any.

Like many in our community, the Country Market Crew has had to make very difficult personal decisions.  These decisions concerned their health, their families, and their finances. We are not first responders, health care professionals, law enforcement or members of the LDF Incident Command Team. (Thank you to those who are.) But we are doing what we can to serve our community on the front lines of the pandemic. We all appreciate the community support and patience during this historic time.

We work alongside our Tribal Leaders, and our colleagues at LDF Business Development Corporation, Peter Christiansen Health Clinic, Incident Command Team, Aging and Disability Services, and many others. Our vendor partners are consistently working with us to keep all of us supplied while providing a safe place to shop. Helping us to keep clean and sanitized, according to CDC guidelines, has been Kevin Graveen and his KCIP team. They work off-hours to deep clean the store so we can operate daily.

I am proud of my teammates who are here, and I support all of my teammates who chose to be safe at home for their health and the health of their families. Over the last few months I’ve been inspired by reading my teammates’ profiles in courage. (Thank you, President Kennedy.) I am inspired by their commitment to the community they love.

For the most part, shoppers appreciate and adhere to social distancing and mask-wearing when in the store. There are times, however, when our teammates encounter confrontational personalities. Whether it be a fist wagging at them or threatening phone calls, the team has handled themselves like true professionals.

I’m grateful for the contributions each of our teammates makes during a very challenging time in our history. I’m impressed by their dedication to their families and keeping those at home safe as well. Let’s just say I’m extremely proud and honored to work with such dedicated people. I’m hopeful you are as well.