Employee Spotlight! The Forrest Family
Abt is a family business, and while there are now fourth-generation Abts working hard within these walls, the Abts aren't the only family inside the business. Meet all three generations of the Forrest family that work or have worked at Abt. Devon, Jason and Terry Forrest collectively have over 70 years of experience here. It's impressive how this grandfather, father and son have made such an impact on the store, and you've likely seen a lot of their work just from walking in the front door or browsing the sales floor.
Terry Forrest: The Veteran
Terry Forrest technically doesn't work at Abt anymore, but with 53 years of Abt experience and a relatively recent retirement, he's still a star employee. From the moment he stepped into the building to chat with us, he was shaking hands and catching up with old friends. When we asked Terry what he did here at Abt, the list was long. "I started as a delivery guy in 1967 with Bob Abt. I delivered, answered phones, made sales, and started work in the first store on Milwaukee Avenue (in Logan Square)." We're still on Milwaukee Avenue, just a bit further north, a few decades later, and after a few moves and expansions. We asked Terry what his favorite thing to do here at Abt was, and he had a lot of fun with an early-morning task. He liked checking the drivers and their trucks starting at 6 a.m. and making sure the right stuff was on each truck. Doing so in the early years meant going through everything with pen and paper. These days, we have new tech that makes it easier, but everything still needs to be double-checked, and the task is the same: make sure all of the trucks are loaded for every stop of the day in the right order.
Abt is a big store, and lots had changed during Terry's time, so we asked him what his favorite upgrades and updates have been since his start back in 1967. While he held many positions here, he never had to leave what began as a small shop and became a nationwide business. Terry was able to witness every move and work with many people here, so he's a bit of an encyclopedia on all things Abt. "I've been through every move, and helped load all the merchandise from one store to the next." Terry spent so much time here that when a younger Jason did have fun with his father, it sometimes happened at Abt. Jason said, "My mom would bring me to the Niles store, and from there we'd go to the city and watch a basketball or football game."
Now after six years of retirement, Terry is having fun taking advantage of all his free time, from sunny days on the golf course to afternoons on the pickleball court. We can certainly say he's earned it.
Jason Forrest: A Woodshop Pro
While Jason works in the woodshop now, he hasn't always been there. Like his father, he has worked in delivery. "I started on the big trucks (delivering large appliances to customers), and then I went to custom kitchens, where we made the displays." His craftsmanship was impressive and he has since worked in Abt's own woodshop, where Devon would follow years later. One of Jason's most impressive projects (in our opinion) has to be working with Mick DeGiulio and his team to build the Abt Inspiration Studio. If you've ever been to the second floor of the Abt Atrium, then you've seen the Inspiration Studio, and you've seen Jason's handiwork. And between growing up at his father's side and his son now joining the team, Jason has a unique view. He sees both where the business came from and where it's going. "Abt has been a part of me my entire life. It’s amazing to me how the store has grown and what it has become. It is so different from when I would come in as a little kid to what it looks like now."
A large part of that is thanks to Jason and his collaborators in the woodshop. With each new project, the store grows, and so does the story. Our recent furniture expansion relied on their hard work, and that's just one example. When we asked Jason what he loved about his job here at Abt, he answered: "My favorite part is watching old sections of the store transform into cool new spaces." We think so too, and we know both customers and employees love seeing new parts of the store change and grow ... especially if there are fun new things on the horizon. Keep an eye on the Connect Store in our Atrium in the coming months, and you'll see a great example of what we mean.
Devon Forrest: The Latest & Greatest
Last but certainly not least is Devon. His history at Abt is just getting started, even if he's already spent a few years here as an employee. "When I first started at Abt I worked the first shift in the warehouse, but since fall last year I've been in the woodshop." We actually did a spotlight on our entire woodshop (including Jason Forrest) last fall, and we just missed Devon. And while Devon and his father Jason both work in the same department, they don't always work together. Devon focuses on carpentry, while Jason tackles the physical construction.
While he's spent less time here than his father and grandfather, he's still seen some amazing things. "We recently replaced a couple of our rooftop air conditioning units and had to use a helicopter to get them on the roof. It was so surreal to watch and definitely something I’ll always remember." Because of the air conditioners' size and Abt's height, cranes wouldn't work. We have to use these heavy-duty helicopters. Devon followed up with what he loved the most about his job here at Abt. "We do all kinds of different things, so every day is different and I'm always learning something new." The latest Forrest in a line of hard workers is excited to see where the store goes during his time here, and we think his grandfather and dad are, too.
Generations at Abt
We mentioned before that the Forrests aren't the only family here at Abt. And it's true, many of our Employee Spotlights have family members who work under the same roof. Semaj met his girlfriend here, Enrique has many family members here, Maria's father George has worked here for over 20 years, and there are so many more. While the Forrests are an amazing three-generation case, this truly is a family business in every sense of the word. And when Terry Forrest first put on a white shirt and black tie for Bob Abt all those years ago, who could have known that his son and grandson would be working to build the store's latest improvements decades later? Well, maybe Bob Abt, whose sons and grandchildren are currently working right alongside the Forrests.
