Not everyone at Southside Building Center is front and center, although every single person at Southside is centrally important. A great case in point is Cathie McCallum. You’ll probably not run into Cathie on the sales floor because her role as office manager pulls her in a different direction. She laughingly admits that the only time she’s on the floor is long enough to cover for one of the guys to load something into a customer’s car.
If you ever saw her at work, you would quickly realize just how central she is to Southside. She’s the one who’s responsible for making sure people get paid, taking in funds, answering the phone, troubleshooting computer problems and quietly making sure that many things run smoothly.
Cathie has managed Southside’s office for seven years and compares the community at Southside to the small community of China Grove, NC where she grew up. “Everybody knows everybody!” For example, if her car needs some sort of repair, she can trust one of her co-workers or boss to recommend a garage that does good work for a reasonable price.
When Cathie isn’t working, she stays very busy driving her 14-year-old son to try-outs, practices or games for various sport teams. Basketball remains his favorite, and he’s currently playing point guard for a summer basketball league. The schedule runs right up to the start of school when he’ll turn his attention to another basketball league. Cathie is his biggest fan, but not just because she’s his mom. He’s really, really good!
Cathie and her son are both active in their China Grove church. This time of year they also spend time tending a small garden where they’ve planted strawberries, tomatoes, okra and several other vegetables and melons. Wave when you go past Cathie’s office! Now you know why she’s probably wearing sneakers behind the desk.