It’s day 4 of our Female Firsts theme week! Today we’re talking about the first female CEO in the U.S., Anna Sutherland Bissell! She and her husband Melville owned a crockery and china business in Michigan. Sick of constantly cleaning sawdust off the shop’s carpet, Melville invented and patented a carpet sweeper with a central brush, rubber wheels, and other improvements over previous models of sweepers. Friends and customers at the shop began asking about buying the sweeper, and a new business was born. Anna became the start salesperson, traveling around the country selling the popular carpet sweepers for $1.50. After Melville died in 1889, Anna took over as CEO. She established new guidelines on trademarks and patents and expanded the business into the international market. By 1899, she had created the largest corporation of its kind in the world. She was also innovative when it came to labor policies, introducing workman’s compensation and pension plans long before they were widespread in the industry. Anna died in 1934 at the age of 87. Bissell is still owned by the Bissell family and headquartered in Michigan. It’s the number 1 manufacturer of floor care products in North America, with 20% market share. Learn more in the audio below.