GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The first woman in America to be a CEO has roots right in Grand Rapids.
Anna Bissell's husband, Melville, invented a carpet sweeper in 1876 to clean the sawdust and debris that gathered on the floor of their crockery shop in Grand Rapids.
Together, they patented the sweepers and decided to sell them. Anna was the company's very first saleswoman, key investor and the head of the supply chain.
As a saleswoman, she convinced one of America's first department stores in Philadelphia to carry the carpet sweeper.
In 1889, Melville passed away unexpectedly at 46, leaving Anna to take over as CEO of the Bissell Company.
During her time in charge, she kickstarted assembly and production for the sweeper and took the company overseas to Europe.
Anna also introduced progressive labor policies regarding her employees' pension plans and worker's compensation insurance. She grew the business to more than 250 employees.
But Anna's work didn't start and end with the company. It also extended into the City of Grand Rapids.
Anna had many causes she cared about and found a way to dedicate her time and energy to each one of them.
She was an active philanthropist in the city, sitting on numerous boards. She served on the board of what would become Blodgett Home for Children, which is now called D.A. Blodgett Services for Children and Families.
Anna was also interested in hospital work through the Union Benevolent Association, a fledgling hospital that became the current Blodgett Memorial Medical Center.
She served on the board of Clark Memorial Home and was the saleswoman for, and the only female member of, the National Hardware Men's Association for years.
She founded the Bissell House to offer recreational opportunities and training programs for Grand Rapids children and immigrant women.
Anna was also the first female trustee of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
According to Michigan Women Forward, Anna was a charter member of the Ladies Literary Club of Grand Rapids, a life member of the Women's City Club and an active member of Zonta.
In addition to being the CEO of her own company and an active member of her community, Anna was a mother to five children of her own.
According to the Greater Grand Rapids Women's History Council, by the time Anna died in 1934, she was acclaimed as “a successful businesswoman in an era where business was almost wholly a masculine field."
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