page 1 - Mature Living in the Southeast

decide on pharmacy. She hada family and a career, and shetook off time to raise her children.Then, when they weregrown, she went back. That’sreally what I’ve done.”Like Edie, Lamar began hiscollege experience at MGCand finished at Georgia. Hethen went to work in sales forRotary Corporation, whichsent him to Texas. When Ediegraduated from pharmacyschool, he returned and theywere married. The couple setup housekeeping in Atlanta,and the new bride worked asmanager/pharmacist in a newstore in the metro area.“We were open from eightin the morning to ten at night,”she recalled, “then I did thebooks and made a deposit. Itwas very hectic, and I wasn’treally happy.”A friend told Edie about anopportunity with a companythat was developing computersystems for hospital pharmacies.When she met the managerfor an interview, he discoveredthat Edie had providedspecial music for the weddingof his cousin, which he had justattended. She was offered thejob on the spot, despite her lackof computer or hospital experience.She remained with thefirm for fifteen years, helpingto develop technology that iswidely accepted in the fieldtoday.Edie was moonlighting at alocal hospital, and Lamar wasjust as busy, operating two differentmail order businesses.One distributed Vidalia Onons,as well as other foods andifts. The other was a supplierf horticultural supplies forandscapers. When the boys arived,twenty months apart,hey were welcomed to a beeiveof activity.“For a while, we were botheaving at 6:30 in the morning,dropping them off at daycare,and coming back,” Edie remembered.“It was just notgood. We didn’t have any familyup there, but of course anyof them would come if weneeded them, like if the boysgot sick. We decided that weprobably needed to make aTHE SMITH FAMILY - (L TO R) STEVEN, LAMAR, EDIE,AND TAYLOR SMITH POSE IN FRONT OF THECHICAGO SKYLINE.lifestyle change.”Because it was closer toLamar’s supply chain, thecouple decided to move thefamily to the Reidsville area,where his parents still lived.When Edie informed herbosses, they asked her to experimentwith telecommuting,which she did.“Lamar set me up a littleoffice in the back of his warehouse;I had a phone line and acomputer,” Edie recalls. “I dialedin every day, and went toAtlanta once a month.”When computer transmissionswere interrupted, herbusiness associates would jokethat “a cow had stepped on theline again,” but these co-workerswere also frequent visitorsto the couple’s new SouthGeorgia home. Edie servedcustomers all over the UnitedStates, in England, and inSaudi Arabia, and her companyenjoyed tremendous growth.After a merger, however, auditorsnoticed accounting problems,and profits suffered. Theentire experience left a badtaste in her mouth, and whenthe boys entered kindergarten,she said goodbye to the businessworld.By that time, Lamar’s businesseshad done very well, andhe had also gotten into real estate.Today he owns LamarSmith Signature DevelopmentGroup, a company which developscommercial and residentialreal estate, mostly in thegreater Savannah area.But Edie couldn’t stay athome for long. Desiring tokeep her license, she filled inat The Drug Store inReidsville. She also workedpart-time at the hospitals inMetter and Claxton. Lamarwas serving as president of theParents’ League at PinewoodChristian Academy, where theboys were enrolled, and Edievolunteered at the school. Shealso found time to help withRotary International and theAmerican Heart Association.When the boys were in highschool, Trent Akins of Allcareasked her to fill in for a day,then offered her an interim position.When he decided to proceedwith the idea for Buy$mart, Edie was in the centerof his plans for the new business.Having just sent Taylorand Steven to Athens, she wasready for the challenge.Buy $mart offers pharmacyservices and home medicalequipment, providing full serviceand low-cost options onhigh quality products. Edieserves as pharmacist, but alsodoes some bookkeeping, marketing,and retailing. She isworking hard to get to knowmembers of the community.“This is not my base, but Ireally love the people here,”she commented. “I’ve joinedthe Chamber of Commerce andhave been at every function.Trent has also lent me a pharmacistfor a couple of hourseach week, and I’ve been ableto go around town and meetpeople.”Like their mother, theSmith boys wanted to go“straight to UGA.” Unlike her,they actually did, having establishednetworks of friends andacquaintances which put themahead of her in terms of socialdevelopment by the time theygraduated from Pinewood.Taylor is now twenty; Stevenis eighteen.“Like many people’s children,they’re completely opposite,”Edie explained.“Taylor’s very creative; wetease him that he’s ADHD, butMature Living Winter Edition 27