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For nearly six decades, Bennie Fletcher dedicated his career to Southern States, becoming a trusted colleague, mentor, problem-solver, and friend to countless employees and customers along the way.
Bennie began his career with Southern States in the late 1950s, starting in application engineering and operations before moving into sales and customer support. Over the years, his role evolved, but one thing remained constant: his commitment to helping people and doing what was right for the customer.
Whether he was answering a customer call, traveling to a job site, troubleshooting a difficult problem, or helping a fellow employee understand a product or drawing, Bennie was always willing to lend his knowledge and experience. He became someone people could depend on — not simply because of what he knew, but because he genuinely cared about finding a solution.
Throughout his career, Bennie played an important role in the growth of Southern States. He was instrumental in developing the company's Service organization and helped establish a culture of responsiveness, technical knowledge, and customer care that continues to influence the company today. He also served as a mentor to generations of Southern States employees, freely sharing the knowledge he had gained throughout his decades with the company.
Those who worked with Bennie remember more than his technical expertise. They remember his kindness, patience, humor, and willingness to help. He had a remarkable ability to turn challenging situations into opportunities to build relationships. Customers trusted Bennie because they knew he would listen, find the answer, and see the problem through to the end.
His impact reached far beyond his job title. Bennie built lasting relationships with customers, coworkers, contractors, and engineering firms, and many continued to reach out to him simply to say hello and see how he was doing. Within Southern States, he was a source of knowledge and encouragement and a person others could turn to when they needed help.
Bennie retired in 2018 after more than five decades with Southern States. Looking back on his career, he took great pride in seeing how much the company had grown and changed during his time here.
Bennie's career represents the best of what it means to be part of Southern States: work hard, help others, treat people with kindness, do the right thing, and always take care of the customer.
His legacy lives on through the people he mentored, the customers he served, the knowledge he shared, and the many employees who continue to carry forward the values he embodied every day.
Bennie Fletcher was more than a longtime employee. He was a part of the Southern States story—and his impact will remain a part of that story for generations to come.
