Looking to the future
Austin Business Journal - by Lance Williams ABJ Staff
If Shelly Orr Priebe knew one thing two years ago, it was this -- "I was out of the baby-making business," she says.
Indeed, the 45-year-old president of McElroy Translation Co. was facing plenty of challenges in an ever-evolving industry beset by rapid consolidation and technology advances.
And with three children, four dogs, seven turtles, two Leopard geckos, one alligator lizard and one chameleon at home, who had time for much else?
And then last September, Priebe gave birth to Seth, the first boy of her four children.
She says she and her husband had always hoped for a fourth child, but had given up years before she found out she was pregnant. Now, she has worked morning feedings and nap times into her pre-workday routine.
"Balance is my biggest challenge. I recognize that there is always more work that I can do, but I have to find a way to prioritize," Priebe says. "I think it's very important to have flexibility, but you also need to have some structure to start with."
On most mornings, Priebe rises at 5:30 to walk her dogs and start preparing breakfasts. By 7 a.m., she's helping get her three daughters off to school. By 8 a.m., she's getting ready for work -- but not before feeding six-month-old Seth and preparing him for a mid-morning nap.
"I'm really trying to model balance, and that can be challenging," Priebe says.
She says the leaders at her company have been instrumental in giving her the flexibility to care for her young son. She says her top managers are deft at managing their own departments and have been able to take on other leadership duties, such as out-of-town visits to clients and industry conferences and events.
"All of them have been out and about, and helping us lead the industry," McElroy says.
But all this almost didn't happen for Priebe, who has been at McElroy more than two decades.
In the late 90s, she contemplated leaving her job as a top manager at the company to become a stay-at-home mom. Even though she was in a position to eventually lead the entire company, she felt a desire to stay at home with her children.
Instead, the company's top leadership worked to give her more flexibility in her job.
"In the end, I didn't have to make a change," Priebe says, "because I work for a company that respects life balances and gives flexibility that made it work for me."
She says being a mom is very important to her, but she's proud of the success she's been able to achieve in her career, too.
"That's an important part of my self-definition," Priebe says.
A short time after making the decision to stay, she was named the company's president, but she didn't forget the opportunity she was given.
"It definitely taught me how to be flexible with my employees," Priebe says.
Q: What's the biggest challenge you're facing with the company right now?
A: Technology is dramatically changing the translation industry, perhaps more than at any other time in McElroy's 40-year history. The company built its reputation over time by developing a strong group of freelance translators for its clients.
But the latest industry trend is drawing more on technology software that is coming closer to duplicating the work of human translators, which could dramatically reshape the market for smaller to midsize translation companies, like McElroy.
"We have to continue looking to the future. It's important to understand how we need to invest in technology," Priebe says. "We can't get too comfortable with the way we're doing business."
She says the company even brought in a futurist to help determine the company's path and develop a vision.
"We're going to be a force in the mid-size group of translation companies over the next five years," Priebe says.
Overall, the industry is expected to see strong growth in the coming years.The worldwide total market for language services is expected to reach $10.9 billion this year, and could rise to $13.5 million by 2011.
Q: What is your role in this changing environment?
A: "Instead of looking at new technology like the enemy, we're looking at how we can use the new technology to develop better relationships," Priebe says.
"It's very important to note that we're not using technology to replace people."
Q: What do you like about Austin?
A: Priebe was working for a corporate employer in Dallas, but she says she desperately wanted to get to Austin. She jumped at the chance to head for a stable employer like McElroy.
"I've lived in the same house, been married to the same husband and worked for the same company for more than 20 years," Priebe says.
The couple bought their first home on Lake Austin two decades ago when it was a two-bedroom house. As the family grew, so did their home.
"I could never give up the lake lifestyle," Priebe says.
Just recently, the couple finished their ninth renovation project on the home to create more room for baby Seth.
Q: Who were the major influences on your life and career?
A: "Both of my parents were teachers," Priebe says. "My mom was an English teacher and my dad was a P.E. teacher. I was definitely taught the benefits of mental and physical fitness."
She also says they instilled a strong drive to succeed in her, as well.
"It never occurred to me that there was something I couldn't do," Priebe says.
She says her company's founder, Ralph McElroy, and former company president Bruce Farmer also provided invaluable leadership training and support.
Priebe says Ralph McElroy, who died last year, and the McElroy family were particularly supportive of management.
In Detail
EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree in French from the University of South Alabama; master's degree from from Ecole Supérieure de Commerce in Pau, France, and the University of South Alabama
WORK HISTORY: Opened U.S. Office for French specialty printing company in New York; corporate account representative for Airborne Express; McElroy Translation Co.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: COPES 5th grade instructor in Leander School District; volunteer youth volleyball coach; Meals on Wheels route driver; drama team, youth volunteer at Austin Christian Fellowship; classroom volunteer at Laura Welch Bush Elementary; National Charity League
FAMILY: Husband, Chuck. Three daughters, one son
