Debbie Ing has been the friendly gateway to Barrie city hall for nearly 28 years.
The affable Ing has manned the glass-enclosed information desk located at the city hall rotunda through five mayors and a ton of people traffic.
"I'm the first stop when people come into City Hall," explains Ing. "I set the attitude so you always have to have a friendly smile. Being a good listener is your first important skill and really try to help them so that when they leave your desk they've got the information they need and they all leave as happy taxpayers or visitors to the city of Barrie."
Customer service is Ing's "first love" but on Wednesday she's leaving her perfect job for retirement.
At 63, Ing wants to spend more time with her family, friends and her husband who retired five years ago from Mississauga Fire.
"I really had to think about this because I really do love my job and I'm going to miss it terribly," said Ing. "But I can always come in and catch up and when they're really busy and need a day here or there. I'm more than willing to come in and help."
Ing has started to pack up her desk as she prepares to say goodbye to city hall.
Janice Laking was mayor when Ing started, followed by Jim Perri, Robert Hamilton, Dave Aspden and now Jeff Lehman.
"All our Mayors have been wonderful," said Ing adding she has worked with "lovely people at city hall."
In addition to answering questions and offering direction, Ing has done school tours for nearly three decades.
"That's probably been the best part of my job. Kids come in just loving to see city hall. Of course the first thing is they always want to meet the Mayor."
Ing and her husband moved to Barrie from Toronto in 1972 and found it a perfect city for hockey and sports to raise their three boys.
She was a stay-at-home mom for 20 years but returned to work three days a week and the rest is history.
One of Ing's highlights was meeting Princess Anne who came to Barrie in 2013.
"Lovely, lovely lady," said Ing.
She's encountered some "strange people" while sitting at the information desk and has gotten to know a lot of the "who's who people in Barrie."
"We have a lot of great people that live in Barrie that come in to do business either through the Mayor's office or through our business and all of them are real stars to me because they are our pillars of our community."
The mother of three and grandmother of two has seen many changes over the years but thinks Barrie has tried to better business.
Right now she says the big focus is on customer service as the city is about to implement a one-stop shopping system when you come into city hall.
Ing thinks it's a great idea and was included in the planning.
"I think it's still important to have someone sitting in my chair," she added. "The information desk is most important at city hall."
The friendly ambassador has some advice for her successor - be a good listener, always have a smile and remember you're there for the right reasons: customer service.
"I look forward to retirement," Ing said. "I've absolutely enjoyed my time here at city hall. I've loved it. I'll miss everybody but I'm a good keep-in-touch person, so they won't be saying in a year 'Debbie who?' They'll remember."
