The man who has helped the Scarlets bring through four British and Irish Lions, 30 internationals and around 100 professionals has left the region after 20 years.
Development pathway manager Kevin George has been a constant in Llanelli for two decades, helping to unearth some of the best talent in Wales since joining the Scarlets at the dawn of regional rugby.
During his time in charge of the pathway, he's seen Jonathan Davies, George North, Ken Owens and Liam Williams go on to play for the Lions, with numerous others pulling on Wales and Scarlets jerseys over the years.
Two of Wales' newest call-ups, Kemsley Mathias and Joe Roberts, were two of his more recent graduates, while it seems only a matter of time before another, talented scrum-half Archie Hughes, follows in their footsteps.
"The messages I've had from everyone have been heart-warming," George told WalesOnline. "It's been a big part of me and my life, those 20 years I've given.
"It's quite emotional. I'll miss going into work every day with the Scarlets badge on."
George had initially started his coaching career with Neath under Lyn Jones, before the opportunity came up in Llanelli thanks to then coach Gareth Jenkins - the first of nine head coaches George would work with in west Wales.
"I came out of engineering to do coaching with Lyn," explains George. "After that, I had the opportunity to go and coach the Ospreys with Lyn.
"I didn't fancy that. The amalgamation of Neath and Swansea didn't excite me with a young family.
"So I decided to give Gareth Jenkins a ring as he'd always been a mentor and good friend of mine. He said they were going to start changing the academy programme from the college programme to being full-time. So I started at the Scarlets at the conception of the regions.
As for the nine coaches he's worked under, he adds: "That's been an experience in itself, dealing with nine larger-than-life personalities and their own outlooks on the academy. That's been one of the biggest thing for me, changing to their needs as all of them became my line manager."
When George started at the Scarlets, it was effectively a one-man operation. However, over the years it has grown substantially.
"I started there on my own, running the academy," adds George. "I was a skills coach but I was doing everything.
"I'd put the boots on and met someone like Jonathan Davies at his school. I'd take the laptop when he'd played for the U16s, would go back to his house and have a Welsh cake and cup of tea at the kitchen table while we looked at how the game went and what he needed to work on before we went out on the field to do that.
"It's evolved from that side of it, being a skills coach, mentor and organiser, to bringing up the staff that has come in. If you look at the staff who has come through, you've had Mark Bennett, Aled Walters, Eifion Roberts and Matt Evans as the turnover of conditioning coaches.
"Mark has gone on to the USA. Aled came in as a young nervous boy in his first job after Coleg Sir Gar. Now he's top of the tree with England after winning a World Cup with South Africa. Eifion is with Wales women and Matt is with the Scarlets.
"If you look at the skills coaches that have come through, we've had Rob Appleyard, Ioan Cunningham, Richard Kelly and Dai Flanagan. All of them have moved on to professional rugby through the pathway.
"It's not just players, but coaches and medical people who are littered through the game. They all come in, have a shelf life and then move on. Things are always evolving.
"The programme has grown and now there's 14 members of staff. It's been my vocation. I've had offers to go back into coaching, but I've enjoyed the development of these players from the age of 16. I've loved every minute of it and I've had some great experiences. I've coached Wales U16s, U18s and U20s along the way."
There have been plenty of notable players to come through, with the four who have represented the Lions the obvious ones to pick out. However, when it comes to talent shining through at an early age, there's one that stands out.
"Jordan Williams was such a fantastic talent," says George. "I signed him at 15 as he could do everything. He is perhaps the most talented boy we've had through, with the abilities he's got."
One of the strengths of the Scarlets pathway has been how comprehensively it has nurtured late developers. For every Jordan Williams spotted at 15, they've managed to unearth the likes of Morgan Stoddart, Aaron Shingler, Ben Morgan, Jake Ball or Wyn Jones at a later stage.
Even Japan-bound Lions full-back Williams was famously one such example.
"He was in the Ospreys and he started playing for Waunarlwydd," explains George. "We picked him and brought him down here.
"You wouldn't think he'd blow over a paper bag at the time. But after two games and the way he played against Pontypridd, it was alarm bells ringing and we brought him into the senior academy.
"In a couple of years, he's playing for Wales. Those are the big hits for us that provide added value to the programme and make it work."
As for what's next, unsurprisingly given his fine track record, George is still keen to bring through the stars of tomorrow.
"I'm talking to people, seeing how things are evolving," he adds. "The next thing is to take a bit of time out and reflect on what's next.
"I've still got fire in my belly and a desire to stay within the development arm. I will take a bit of time off and see how things turn out."
