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WATERLOO — Bertch Cabinet manufacturing workers are heading south.

The company’s not moving out of town. The employees are.

They’re going on vacation.

All 800-plus of them. On the boss’ dime.

Company president Gary Bertch, who co-founded the company with his wife, Becky, told workers last week the company had met its goals for the year and they would go on a week-long Caribbean cruise, including a stop at the island of Cozumel off the coast of Mexico.

“We leave Jan. 8,” a Sunday, Gary Bertch said. “We’ve got four charter aircraft that will be flying directly to Miami Sunday and staying at a nice five-star hotel. Then on Monday, we’ll bus over from the hotel to the port and load up on the ship.” They’ll be gone about a week and back on the job the following Monday.

It’s something Bertch has rewarded its employees with periodically over the years but not since 2005. “We finally got into the black again last year after we made it though the recession” that began in 2008.