TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

At 72, She's On Her 15th Pink Cadillac

ADVERTISEMENT

By CHRISTIAN M. WADE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 23, 2008

HOLIDAY - In her three decades with Mary Kay Cosmetics, June Longman has received 14 pink Cadillacs, traveled across the world and even dined with the company's founder.

At 72, Longman's still at the top of her game.

"I'm my own boss; I work when I want to work and earn a six-figure salary," she said.
Longman joined May Kay as an independent consultant in 1976. At the time, she owned a dress shop chain in Illinois and had been searching for a mid-life career change.

"I was tired of the economy going up and down," she said. "It really affected business."

Being shy, she was nervous about being a Mary Kay representative, but found her voice.

Now she's a sales director overseeing about 150 beauty consultants across the country who hold classes and demonstrations where the products are unveiled.

This week, she'll be picking up her 15th pink Cadillac at a local car dealership.

"It's the big prize," she said. "They only give it to the top 2 percent of the company."

Mary Kay has about 1,800 pink Cadillacs on the road for its top-performing supervisors, and more than 800 cars are awarded each year.

The Texas-based company was founded in 1963. The idea was for beauty consultants to sell skin care products through demonstrations in homes, offices and other venues.
Mary Kay Ash died in 2001, but her company - and her vision - live on.

Today, Mary Kay Inc. rakes in more than $2 billion in annual sales and has 1.8 million employees from Europe to Asia. But the United States, where more than 700,000 independent beauty consultants are based, is still the company's biggest market - and one of only a few nations where a pink Cadillac is still the top prize.

Mary Kay is one of the nation's leading direct-sales organizations, with a catalog of 200 products sold in more than 35 countries, according to www.marykay.com.

There is still a lot of interest in joining the company, especially from young women.

"We have all these younger people coming into the company," Longman said. "It's great."

Despite her age, Longman doesn't plan to call it quits anytime soon.

And she still lives by Mary Kay's philosophy: "God first, family second, career third."

Reporter Christian M. Wade can be reached at (727) 815-1082 or cwade@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT