The owner of the Biti's chain of stores joined the Party at the age of 55.

Becoming a Party member at the age of 55, Ms. Le Thi Mai (born in 1968) - the owner of the Biti's chain of stores in Ha Tinh - considers it a fortunate opportunity and a precious honor.

Becoming a Party member at the age of 55, Ms. Le Thi Mai considers it a fortunate opportunity and a precious honor.

Nearly five months have passed since she was admitted to the Communist Party of Vietnam , yet the emotion and pride in Ms. Mai have not subsided. She is one of the oldest Party members when she joined the Party in the Party cell of residential area 1, Ha Huy Tap ward (Ha Tinh city).

Ms. Mai received her Party membership decision in May 2023.

Ms. Mai confided: "Joining the Party at this age, though late, is a fortunate opportunity for me. Becoming a Party member gives me another organization to participate in, expands my network, and most importantly, makes me feel more responsible to contribute to the development of the Party branch and neighborhood in particular, and the locality in general."

Ms. Mai is from Thanh Chuong district (Nghe An province). In 1987, she got married and moved to Ha Tinh province with her husband. At that time, the economy was difficult, so the couple went to Quang Ngai province to work. However, the work wasn't going well, so her husband stayed there, while Ms. Mai returned to Ha Tinh to make a living. From raising pigs, growing vegetables, selling groceries, opening a tailor shop... she did everything she could to earn extra income to support her family.

In 1997, Ms. Mai boldly opened a shoe and sandal dealership and became the first Biti's dealer in Ha Tinh.

With her husband working far away, Ms. Mai single-handedly took care of her two young children while juggling numerous chores, yet she never complained. Despite the hardship, life didn't improve. However, having the advantage of owning a house on a main street in the town (now Ha Tinh City), Ms. Mai began to think more about investing in a business. Alone on her bicycle, Ms. Mai traveled throughout Vinh City (Nghe An province) researching the market and selecting products to invest in.

In 1997, after much discussion and planning, Ms. Mai boldly opened a shoe store and became the first Biti's distributor in Ha Tinh. Through hard work, diligence, and building a strong reputation among customers, her store became a popular choice. Gradually, she expanded her product range, serving a diverse customer base of all ages, and scaling up her business.

After more than 30 years of building a business from humble beginnings, Ms. Mai now owns a chain of Biti's stores in Ha Tinh, with three major locations right in the city center, generating an annual revenue of 6-7 billion VND. Her stores also provide stable employment for six employees.

After overcoming a long and arduous journey to build their business, in 2017, Ms. Mai and her family moved to live in residential area 1, Ha Huy Tap ward.

From there, she had the opportunity to participate more in community activities and make significant contributions to the common good of her neighborhood and ward. She is currently a representative of the Ward People's Council for the 2021-2026 term, a member of the Executive Committee of the Ward Women's Association, and a member of the Vinhomes neighborhood group's leadership team...

Ms. Mai made a significant contribution to mobilizing resources to jointly build a model residential area.

She herself has actively taken the lead in mobilizing resources, raising over 100 million VND from neighborhood groups to contribute to building a model residential area in the ward; each year she mobilizes tens of millions of VND to donate gifts to needy people in the ward; she has also called for resources to build a memorial for martyrs in the ward; and she has supported the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic... She also actively participates in cultural and sports movements; and is exemplary in raising well-behaved children.

Leading the way in business and actively and responsibly participating in social activities, in early 2022, Ms. Mai was introduced by the women's association of her residential area to participate in a Party awareness training course. In May 2023, Ms. Mai officially became a member of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Ms. Mai shared: "I want to set an example for my children and grandchildren, showing them that even at my age, I still participate in Party activities and contribute to society. I hope my children will learn from me and always live meaningful lives."

More remarkably, despite being a new party member, Ms. Mai has encouraged and motivated two more young union members to participate in the Party awareness training course.

Tran Viet Thu, Secretary of the Party Branch of Residential Area 1, shared: “Ms. Mai was formerly an outstanding citizen, and now she is an exemplary and outstanding Party member. She is always energetic, proactive, and very responsible in community affairs; she is the connecting link that creates the strength of great unity among the families in the neighborhood group with the residential area and the ward. The Party Branch of Residential Area 1 has developed strongly thanks to pioneering Party members like Ms. Mai.”

Duc Chien - Ha Linh

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/xay-dung-dang/ba-chu-chuoi-cua-hang-biti-s-vao-dang-o-tuoi-55/254611.htm