Lawrence resident Deannie Salerno discovered something about herself after she retired from a long career as a college instructor — she didn’t particularly like the rocking chair.

It was about 10 years ago when Salerno moved from Miami to retire in Lawrence, her hometown.

“I wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle, but somewhere along the line I decided I just didn’t want to sit down and rock either. I had been around young people all my life and felt like that had been a great life extender.”

Salerno filled out a job application with Lawrence-based Dobski & Associates, the operator of McDonald’s stores in Lawrence, Topeka, Atchison, Leavenworth and De Soto.

“I just decided to see if they had anything I could do for them, and they did, and it has been wonderful,” Salerno said.

Salerno, 71, who is an internal auditor for Dobski’s corporate office, has extended her work schedule from a few hours a week to full-time status.

Wednesday, Dobski & Associates was one of four companies honored by the Kansas Department of Human Resources as an Outstanding Employer of the Older Worker. The other companies were Grandview Product Co. Inc., Parsons; Dillons, Junction City; and Jones Trust Fund Foundation, Emporia.

Dobski & Associates employs 30 people who are 55 years old or older. That’s about 5 percent of its work force.

At one of its Topeka locations, the company employs 90-year-old Mildred Golden, who was the oldest female employee honored by state officials Wednesday.

Deannie Salerno, left, and Marilyn Dobski review daily sales records at the McDonald's Lawrence corporate office, 1313 W. Sixth St. Lawrence-based Dobski & Associates, which operates area McDonald's stores, received an Outstanding Employer of the Older Worker award from the Kansas Department of Human Resources. Salerno, 71, has been working for McDonald's for 10 years.

“Probably from day one, we’ve always had an older employee on our staff,” Marilyn Dobski, a co-owner of the business, said. “They’ve always been very reliable, very honest, and they always show up and work hard. And they’re very good with customers. They’re usually some of our best ambassadors.”

George McAtee, director of work force development programs with KDHR, said projections called for more older employees to be a part of the work force as baby boomers age.

“Businesses are starting to realize the benefits,” McAtee said. “A lot of the older workers don’t need health insurance because they’re on Medicare or Medicaid. That can really help cut a business’ expense.”

Dobski said cutting expenses wasn’t a driving factor for her business. She said the company hired older workers because of their work and life experiences.

“It is like Mildred said to me today,” Dobski said. “She said she may not always be the fastest worker, but she was always going to get the job done thoroughly and get the job done right. They do every job with pride.”

Older workers enter the work force for various reasons.

Ann Carlin Ozegovic, a work force specialist at the Lawrence Workforce Center, 2540 Iowa, said sometimes it was financial-related.

“In some cases, they just can’t live off their Social Security,” Ozegovic said. “But other times they just want to keep working.”

McAtee said he thought more people have a desire to work longer as life expectancies increase.

“People live longer now,” McAtee said. “What are you going to do for 30 years in retirement? You’re not going to watch TV the whole time. People want to get out and be productive.”