North Carolina’s
Woman-Miller
It’s ratlier an unusual business
for a young girl, but Miss Guyer.
of Elkin, not only runs it success¬
fully but also sells coal and fer¬
tilizer as a sideline.
By LULA N. WEIR
ORTH CAROLINA women
have ventured into so many dif¬
ferent kinds of business that few
fields are left for them to enter. They
have proved to the world that the old
theory about woman's place being only
in the home is entirely out of date.
Particularly is this true of Elkin,
one of the busiest towns of its size in
the state. Some of the town’s most
successful business enterprises are
operated by women.
Among these is Miss Willie Guyer
who, so far as we know, is the only
woman operator of a roller mill in
North Carolina. Ordinarily you
wouldn’t think that a woman could
run a business of this kind success¬
fully. but Miss Guyer is doing it. She
spends ten hours a day, six days every
week in the 47-year-old Elkin Roller
Mill and is making a fine job out of
her work.
Started Out as Bookkeeper
After leaving school her first posi¬
tion was bookkeeper in the Elkin mill
and it was during this period that she
became acquainted with the various
details of the work. Some time after
that her father leased the plant and
tossed the management of it into his
daughter’s lap.
“Here it is," lie said in effect. “Now
you go ahead and run it."
She has been running it ever since.
Not only that, but she also has at¬
tended to the management of attend¬
ant sidelines, such as u coal agency
and a fertilizer agency.
Her responsibilities are innumer¬
able. In case of emergency she is
capable of lending a hand in every
department around the mill. Besides
her work in the business office she fre¬
quently assists in sacking the corn
meal and flour and in mixing the feed-
stuffs that are milled in her plant.
Occasionally, too, she mounts a truck
and delivers orders in the town and
surrounding territory.
During the spring of the year, when
orders for fertilizer come in, she de¬
votes a goodly portion of her time in
soliciting orders. “She is one of the
best salespersons we’ve got on our
list," remarked a fertilizer distributor
recently, “and she knows every angle
of the business. I wish we had some
more like her."
And then, during the fall and win¬
ter months, she takes in orders for
many tons of coal. So you see Miss
Willie hasn't many idle moments on
her hands.
Her parents usually move out to
their country place five miles from
town for the summer season and this
makes it necessary for her to rise with
the song of the birds in order to reach
her office by the time the day’s work
starts -seven o’clock.
Miss Guyer has always attended to
all of the purchasing, the pricing of
products turned out at her plant, the
bookkeeping, the correspondence, em¬
ployment of help and many other
things. On occasions when her father
finds a little time to spend around the
mill, he leaves the entire management
to her, and any irregularity he hap¬
pens to observe is promptly reported
to Miss Willie’s attention.
Has an Experienced Helper
Capable as she has proved herself to
be and familiar with the business of
milling as she is. Miss Willie might
have found her task much more ardu¬
ous for a girl of her age but for her
experienced helper and adviser, 65-
year-old John Spann, who is a fixture
at the mill. He has been chief miller
for thirty-three years. John is yet
Miss Willie Guyer, of Elkin, who, so
far as wc know, is the only young
woman in North Carolina who oper¬
ates a roller mill.
as spry as a cricket and is a big help
when things go wrong, as they some¬
times do with the machinery.
Incidentally, the old Elkin Roller
Mill is somewhat of a landmark in
town. It was established by the Chat¬
ham Manufacturing Company 47
years ago. The site of the time-worn
building has recently attracted the at¬
tention of outside interests, and if a
change in ownership should take
place, the old mill ere long may be¬
come merely a memory. In the mean¬
time, however, Miss Willie continues
business at the same old stand.
It is always amusing to watch the
reaction of a new salesman when he
enters the mill for the first time and
asks to see the manager.
“I’m the manager,” Miss Willie will
calmly inform him.
And it usually is quite an effort for
him to erase the expression of aston¬
ishment which sweeps over his face.
However, as he discusses details with
the young lady he soon discovers that
she knows all angles of the business
and that she is a close buyer. The
( Continued cm pay l/iirly-fivc)
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