Martha Kern (left) and Betsy Whitaker (right) listen as Terry tells about starting PRO iNK in 1979 with a dream and a bank loan for $40,000.

Our friends at GRU invited me to participate in a panel discussion this week to celebrate Women’s History month. One of my first clients, Betsy Whitaker, former owner and founder of Trend Realty, was on the panel, as well as Martha Kern, a young financial planner I have long admired.

It was fun to reminisce about the “good old days” when we were paid less than the men we supervised and when Betsy couldn’t get into a private club in Tampa to give a presentation to her clients because they didn’t allow women.

As Gainesville’s first woman public relations entrepreneur, I’ve seen a lot of changes in my 40+ years in the business — not only in the way women were treated, but also in the way we do business. When I was a college student, the Gainesville Sun was set in hot type. My first job was at the UF College of Engineering where we set type on an IBM selectric typewriter. I started PRO iNK (then called Production Ink) with a $40,000 loan from a local bank to buy photocomposition typesetting equipment.

Today, it all sounds so old-school. But the crazy thing is trying to imagine the changes that will be coming in the next few years. It’s moving so fast, I sure can’t figure it out. Thanks to GRU and their diversity committee for the invitation to chat about how the work place has changed for women. Nowadays, if my husband was required to be at my job interview, someone would think that was crazy. Back then, we did it and just accepted it!