15 Gifted Women: Anne McGilvray
By Meredith Schwartz -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 11/9/2009
Anne McGilvray
Shonnie Bilin
Frances Gravely
Isadora Frost
Jenny Hammons
Maxine Burton
Susan Roghani
Joan Ulrich
Wendy Rosen
Anna Griffin
Barbara Baekgaard
Andrea Grossman
Andrea Sadek
Ande Rooney
Marian Sullivan
Founder
Anne McGilvray & Company
Anne McGilvray got her initial sales experience as a salesclerk and by selling Mary Kay cosmetics. But her career as a sales rep began when Anne went to apply for a salesclerk job and was asked instead to sell cards to local Minneapolis stores. She established her company in 1975 and quickly expanded her reach to St. Paul and then Dallas, and also began to take on other product lines. She opened her first showroom in Minneapolis, and when her husband Michael had to relocate to Dallas for business, Anne opened a showroom there, too. In 1982, Michael left his corporate job to join the business. Michael runs the business side, Anne finds the merchandise. Today the company employs about 100 sales reps across 21 states and focuses on fun novelty products. She sells about $90 million at wholesale annually. In addition, on impulse the McGilvrays opened a retail store called Froggie’s, which lets them gauge customer reaction to products.
Gifts & Decorative Accessories: What have been your greatest successes?
Anne McGilvray: Welcoming new rookies to our company and watching them blossom over the years. I’m pleased to say that we currently have 46 sales reps who have been with Anne McGilvray & Company for 5–27 years! Over the years, these reps become “family.” We have a rep who is retiring at the end of this year (in 2009, after 20 years with our company).
G&DA: How and why did you get into business?
AM: I guess you could say I stumbled into this. (My background was elementary education.) When I was offered a position as a sales rep I asked, “What is a sales rep?” That was 34 years ago. What started out as a part-time job developed into a family business. My husband left his corporate career to join me in 1982. Our oldest daughter joined the company in 1988 (she is currently a key account rep, based in Minneapolis). When my husband retired last year, our youngest daughter (who has an MBA from Notre Dame) became the company’s CEO.
G&DA: What is the best gift you ever received?
AM: The gift of a liver transplant for my husband last year!
For more interviews with the Gifted Women, please click on each woman's image at right.
Talkback
Related Content
Related Content
