Mary Ed Cain was supposed to be born a boy. That was the first time she surprised everyone. The second time came on a daily basis during her 43-year career at Star Building Systems. With her short stature and classic smile, she may not have looked like the woman who could do it all. But she can. And did.
Since May 1971, Mary Ed has worked in nearly every department under the Star roof. She initially came to Oklahoma by way of Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Connecticut, Mississippi, Hawaii and Illinois. Then she came to Star.
“I thought, ‘I’ll go to work for a little while and make a little extra money,’” says Cain. “I never left the building.”
Mary Ed started in the engineering department. Soon, she moved to the drafting department. Then the customer service department. Finally, she spent 1987 until her retirement in July 2014 in the technical services department.
All of that time, no matter where she was, she served as an eyewitness to a changing industry. She watched as the business world welcomed women…as long as they wore pantsuits. She was there for the technological shift that revolutionized drafting, from paper to PC. And she saw a few trends, from big hair to skinny phones, from mail carriers to You’ve Got mail, come, go or change ever so slightly.
Through all of it, Mary Ed learned a few classic truths in business that never age and never go out of style.
Click here to read Mary Ed Cain's business lessons.
