The sales and marketing director at Mrs. Gerry’s Kitchen in Albert Lea knows what it’s like to grow up somewhere, to go away for a while and then to return to her roots.

Brenda Donahe, who graduated from Albert Lea High School in 1986, started working at Mrs. Gerry’s Kitchen when she was 15. She worked as a receptionist and an order taker through a work program with the school and would come in after school to work until closing.

After graduating from high school, Donahe went to Eau Claire, Wis., for college and did some telemarketing. She came back to Albert Lea and worked at Mrs. Gerry’s in the summers.

After graduating from college in 1990, she went to work for Wallace Computer Services, out of Minneapolis, where she worked for 1 1/2 years.

In 1992, she was hired back on as the district manager for Mrs. Gerry’s in Iowa. She lived in Fort Dodge and called on grocery stores for the company throughout the state.

Then in 1994, she was relocated up to Minnesota as a regional manager after the company had discontinued working with the broker in the state and decided to go to direct sales, she said. Minnesota was the last state for the company to take to direct sales.

She worked in this position through 1997, while living in Owatonna.

Following this, Donahe went to work for a competitor based out of Chicago for six years.

“It was time to expand my knowledge of the industry and work on developing my own marketing and sales techniques that helped to expand me as an individual or sales person,” she said.

In 2003, she returned to Mrs. Gerry’s — this time as the sales and marketing director — which she has worked at since.

“Third time’s the charm,” she joked.

When asked why she enjoys working at Mrs. Gerry’s Kitchen, Donahe said the No. 1 reason is the respect and appreciation the company gives to its employees.

“They really care about their employees,” she said. “They treat you as a person. You’re not a number here. You’re a person, and it feels like a family.”

The company stands by its philosophy of quality, customer service and commitment, she said.

“That’s what makes the product easier to sell because you’re going in with a product that tastes good and that you know people are going to buy again,” Donahe said.

Another reason she enjoys her job, she said, is that its filled with much excitement, including in the last five years the introduction of new packaging, the introduction of new products and increased sales at a double-digit growth for three or four years in a row.

The mashed potatoes that launched three years ago have brought huge growth for the company, she said. Mrs. Gerry’s celebrated its 35th anniversary in December.

In daily responsibilities, the marketing director is responsible for a direct sales force of 10 people who cover a 15-state area, along with four brokers. She’s also in charge of sales for the company, along with marketing packaging design and anything else that would entail the sale of the company’s product.

“It’s different every single day, and I like that,” Donahe said.

Though she graduated from Albert Lea High School, she lives in Owatonna and has two children, a 14-year-old son named Dillon and a 10-year-old daughter named Abby. Her parents, Dean and Sandy Johnson still reside in Albert Lea, along with her grandmother Rosella Bruhn.