Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/1351540
ASSOCIATIONINSIGHT Portable Sanitation Association International News BIWEEKLY EDITION MARCH 17, 2021 Page 7 Continued on page 8 Lindy Boehme: Outstanding Person, Outstanding Career By Jeff Wigley, Past PSAI President L indy. If you have been in the PSAI for any length of time, you know exactly who she is. Lindy Boehme—professional, personable, knowledgeable, and an ardent PSAI volunteer. After 31 years of experience in the deodorizer industry with both Chempace and CPACEX, she is finally retiring at the end of this month. Lindy was kind enough to share her thoughts and experiences in looking back on a career that has seen both the deodorizer industry as well as the portable restroom industry grow and evolve. As is the case with so many of us, Lindy had another career path before becoming associated with our industry. Born in Pennsylvania and eventually living in Florida, Lindy held several challenging positions as she began her career. She was a student at Ole Miss and began her career with Sterling Drugs as laboratory technician with the Lysol brand toilet cleaner. "Who knew that this foreshadowed my future lifelong career?" Lindy jokes. She also did advertising and publishing sales in Batesville, Mississippi—a suburb of Memphis, Tennessee. With her husband, Rick, and her young children, the family eventually moved to Michigan to be near Rick's family. Lindy's goal was to finish her bachelor's degree at Ole Miss and "become a stay-at- home Mommy." Fortunately for our industry and our association, she decided after six months or so to find a new position. As luck would have it, Lindy's real estate agent, Rita Shaw, had a job lead for her. Rita's husband, Bob Shaw, worked for a chemical and deodorizer company in Toledo, Ohio, called Chempace. Bob and Ralph Wooddell ran the company after founder Jack Ford had stepped aside. Bob and Ralph had attended a PSAI Event in 1990 and were convinced that the portable restroom industry was an area in which Chempace could grow and expand. Lindy says, "Ralph gave me five minutes' worth of training and then presented me with a list of attendees at the PSAI event and said to call them." Chempace had one product and one fragrance. Lindy began making calls and to her knowledge, "I was the only non-traveling deodorizer rep in our industry." She made calls, offered free samples, and made friends. In fact, Lindy says, "I still have that original list of names on a pink sheet of paper and I will never let that go." "At my first Pumper Show, Bob and Rita Shaw, Ralph and Diane Wooddell, and I were all jammed into our 10 ft X 10 ft booth," Lindy recounts. "I was overwhelmed by the Nashville Opryland Hotel and I learned a lot at this event." Lindy's first PSAI event was also memorable. She says, "As I was walking around the exhibit floor, a gentleman in his company's booth greeted me with "Good afternoon young lady! You look like this is your first PSAI Show." Lindy said that she told him that it was, and this gentleman then said, "Let me show you around." That kind person was none other than Clyde Sansom. Lindy says that they were friends from then on.