100-year-old man sets world record working for same company for 84 years

A 100-year-old Brazilian man has set a new Guinness World Record for working at the same company for the last 84 years – and nine days.

In a statement on Wednesday, the popular reference book company shared that ReneauxView employee Walter Orthmann was awarded the honor on Jan. 6. 

Orthmann started working at ReneauxView, previously called Industrias Renaux S.A., in January 1938 as a shipping assistant. 

Orthmann told Guinness that he started working for the company to provide for his family, which was struggling financially at the time, noting that he was hired due to his proficiency in German.

“Back in 1938, kids were expected to work to help support the family. As the oldest son of five, my mother took me to find a job at the age of 14,” Orthmann said. 

Throughout the years, Orthmann was promoted by the company from a shipping assistant to a sales associate before lending a managerial position in the sales department, according to Guinness. 

Orthmann, a Santa Catarina native, also had the opportunity to travel across the country through his company.

The milestone comes as Orthmann, who celebrated his centennial birthday last month, has been referred to by his colleagues as a charismatic, empathic, and a “strong and meaningful” person. 

“I don’t do much planning, nor care much about tomorrow. All I care about is that tomorrow will be another day in which I will wake up, get up, exercise and go to work; you need to get busy with the present, not the past or the future,” Orthmann said. “Here and now is what counts. So, let’s go to work!”