Mercury’s Tax Manager Dennis Chan joined Mercury Air Group’s corporate team in 1981, and shortly thereafter, married his wife. “My marriage has lasted as long as my job,” he says with a chuckle, “I’m a pretty steady person.”  2024 marks the 43-year anniversary for both.

Dennis can list a variety of reasons for staying with one company for so long.

“I like working with a good team. I want to stay productive and proud of what I contribute to the company. The end result for me is that I’ve helped improve society by steadily working.”

Chan started with Mercury as a temporary employee. Today he and one assistant ensure that the company aligns with tax laws and auditors, and he oversees the compliance of all the fuel sales and tax returns, and federal excise tax returns. He also manages the property taxes for the warehouse facilities and other Mercury-owned properties.

One situation pops up regularly that “amazes” Chan, and he notes it’s a good thing that his team is strong at keeping records.

“Some states will come to us 10 or 15 years after a tax return was due, saying we did not file. When of course we did. We are only required to keep records for three or four years, so they are coming to us many years after we may not have the records. I can find the records to successfully appeal.”

Travel and reading travel guides is especially interesting to Chan as it “broadens the mind”. In 2018 he and his wife traveled to Cancun and followed up in 2019 on a cruise to the Baltic Sea. With that cruise they had the opportunity to visit Russia and many other surrounding countries. Chan appreciated seeing so many beautiful palaces.

He loved going skiing this Christmas with his son and granddaughter. He also has a grandson he enjoys spending time with. His other favorite pastime is recreational swimming in his neighborhood pool.