On Oct. 21, George Duke, owner and chairman of the board of Zippo Manufacturing Co., received special recognition at the company’s 41st annual Service Awards Dinner.

Each year, Zippo hosts an event for employees who have reached significant anniversaries of continuous service to the company.

At this year’s dinner, 117 employees and recent retirees were recognized, some with 50 years or more of service. Duke’s 40 years with the company was a celebrated highlight of the evening.

In the summer of 1976, Duke began working for his grandfather, founder of Zippo, George G. Blaisdell. Duke started as apprentice, before moving into a role in the Scheduling Department after he graduated from Louisiana State University with a bachelor of science in business administration in 1977.

In the following years, Duke served the company in a number of roles including customer service manager, field sales manager, and export manager. He became a part owner of Zippo in 1986, and sole owner in December 2003; he was appointed chairman of the board in 1998.

Grant Duke, Zippo board director, presented his father with a one-of-a-kind lighter, created especially for the occasion. Employees from each department, Zippo subsidiary, along with Zippo associates from around the world, collaborated on a congratulatory photo collage as well.

On reaching this 40-year milestone, George Duke stated, “The years simply fly by when you’re not looking, I suppose.”

He shared his appreciation to his “Zippo family” for the honor — as well as for their “service, dedication and the expertise” they bring to the company.

“Each year, we have more and more employees reaching incredible milestones with the company,” he said.