Ann-Marie Campbell was just 18 years old when she started ringing up customers behind a cash register at a Home Depot store in 1985.
She did not ask for a quick promotion or jump from one position to another through lucky breaks. She went from cashier to sales associate, then to supervisor, and from there climbed the ladder one position at a time: store manager, regional vice president, president of the Southern Division, until she became executive vice president of U.S. and international operations. Four decades built brick by brick, almost like the home improvement retailer that watched her grow.
Today, after 41 years with the same company, Ann-Marie serves as Senior Executive Vice President in Atlanta, Georgia. Her story circulates on LinkedIn as proof that patience and perseverance still count for something in a world that rewards immediacy.