In an industry in which many of its members become as close as family, there is often a significant feeling of loss — and the proverbial empty chair — when one of its vital veteran members retires. That was notably the case in late 2019 when news of Stew Chaffee’s retirement began to spread.
Chaffee spent nearly 40 years with Rich-Tomkins, a plumbing and heating manufacturers rep agency based in Philadelphia, and had been a partner since the early 1990s. Instrumental to his success was the work ethic he learned from his parents on the family farm, as well as the competitive drive he developed as an athlete.