Today we’d like to introduce you to Susan Mayfield.
Hi Susan, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am the 8th of 10 children, that is always a good conversation starter! I love being from a big family, most of us are very close and some are my best friends.
I started our playing office with my two younger sisters, from that young age I loved working in a pretend office. We had a heating pad with different colored heat setting buttons and we would press those and pretend it was an intercom. We also used the dryer door, which would swing open and closed, as the door to get in our office. Our Dad would bring home outdated work pads that we would write on and take messages. I loved “working” in that office in the basement with my sisters.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road to where I am now has not always been smooth. Growing up in a big family, although I loved it, had many challenges. When I was born, my Mom had her first bi-polar episode. She had to be hospitalize for three months and my aunt took care of me. Then when I was 12 years old my parents got a divorce, they did end of getting remarried to each other 3 years later but the years they were divorced, leaving my mom alone with remaining 8 still living at home, was hard. I loved my dad so much and for him not to be there every day made me so sad and wondering, as children do, what I did to make him leave.
With my Mom being a single mother to so many and then having to get a full time job we were left on our own a lot. I had an older sister who took on the care giving roll but she resented it and was not very nice to us.
And that’s when I realized we were poor. At that time I got hand me down clothes, used goodwill toys at Christmas and free lunches at school- I still remember the orange lunch punch card for lunch, the orange represented the “free lunch” program and I was always embarrassed to use. Because my mom was so busy, she rarely attended and school concerts or parent teacher conferences, which hurt because all my friends parents would be there but not mine.
I learned 2 things from that time- I didn’t like being “poor” and I had to be my own cheerleader in life.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
A few years after I was married with a son, my husband lost his job. Previous to this time, my brother and his family had moved to Mississippi and when my husband got laid off we decided to move there, too. My husband got a good job there and a few years later we welcomed our second son.
Although I appreciated the security of a steady job, I missed my family in MN so much and wanted to move back.
I knew when we moved back I would need to get a job so I decided to go to the Community College for Business management. I took many business classes and got a certificate in Business Management, working toward my associates degree.
We moved back to MN before I could finish my degree but I planned on finishing it when we got settled.
We were staying with my sister and her family until we could find jobs and get a place of our own. I happened to see in ad in the paper for office help at Golden Valley Heating & Air. I interviewed and got the job.
One thing I appreciated about GV was that it was family owned by 2 brothers and a sister. For me, seeing a woman in one of the owners positions was inspiring for me. I also appreciated their integrity and honesty working with their customers, If something went wrong they made it right.
As the business grew, the owners were very busy with sales and other tasks so they made me manager of the day to day business. Their trust and confidence in me inspired me to work hard and always do my best. During the very busy times, when they could be out of the office for days, I would make all the day to day decision. This gave me so much confidence to make decisions in a business, to “steer the ship” as one of the owners thanked my for doing.
I had worked there about 23 years at that time and the owners were considering retiring. I knew a couple of the guys there were interested in buying the company and I never dreamed that I would be included in that, too.
One of the owners took me to lunch and said that the guys we very hesitant to buy the company without me since I knew so much about the business.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, they wanted me to be an owner with them! Being a business owner had been a dream of mine since I was young and now I was getting the chance. All the hard work and dedication had paid off, I was going to be an owner!
I realized how luck I was to be in this position, there are many people that give their all everyday and don’t get that opportunity.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
If we are talking about my business, really there is not much I don’t like, even after 27 years.
I enjoy working with customers although some can be challenging but most are great.
Our employees have great work ethic, and it feels a lot like a family.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.goldenvalleyhtg.com
