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Updated: 6 hours ago

Outstanding Women in Business: CEO Soo Parkhurst breaks the glass ceiling

Photo / Tim Greenway Soo Parkhurst, president and CEO of O&P Glass, outside the Hyatt Place Portland hotel, which features a “curtain wall” of glass installed by O&P.
By Tina Fischer
See all the 2025 Mainebiz Outstanding Women in Business profiles
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After getting an early start in the family business as a child, helping her father, Soo Parkhurst is now president and CEO of Augusta-based O&P Glass. In 2013, she returned full-time as part-owner and office manager. Within weeks she had to jump into the role of manager of the residential division after a salesperson fell ill. Parkhurst recalls, “I had no idea what I was doing, I just focused on one piece of paper at a time and dealt with each individual problem. I learned the value of taking action quickly rather than freezing in fear and anxiety.” Under her leadership, company revenue grew by 24% last year, to $8.3 million.

Mainebiz: The glass industry tends to be dominated by men. What has your experience been like in that environment?

Soo Parkhurst: I’ve had to fight with a mix of grit, resilience and confidence. When I first started, I wasn’t taken seriously. I had male clients who wouldn’t make eye contact with me or would ask to speak to “the man in charge.” Whenever I encountered a situation like that, I made it a personal goal to get them to trust me. This wasn’t a me problem, it was a cultural problem within our industry that I wasn’t going to let overshadow our reputation and hard work.

There’s a lack of women in construction, and that needs to change. I truly believe women can bring something different to the industry — and those strengths deserve a seat at the table. The more we show up and stand our ground, the more we pave the way for the next generation of women in this field.

MB: How has the company changed since you’ve been on the team?

SP: Before I joined, our residential division lost money every month. When I first walked into our showroom, we had a large area dedicated to shower displays — but we weren’t selling many. I saw potential, so I dove in and learned everything I could about the product, the process, and the customer experience.

Today, showers are our No. 1 selling product and a major part of our business.

Over the past few years, we’ve also made some big internal changes. We took a hard look at our company culture and realized things needed to shift. That meant making some tough decisions, including letting go of a few long-time employees whose behavior had become toxic to the team. It’s not easy to change an entire company culture and raise the bar, but it was necessary — and it’s made a difference.

One of the biggest breakthroughs was bringing someone from the field into the office for the first time. It changed the dynamic in a great way — offering a new perspective in the office and also translating to people in the field. It bridged a gap that had been there for a long time. The field knowledge and how it translates to project management has been invaluable.

MB: What would you say are your greatest strengths as a leader?

SP: I invest in people and genuinely care about their well-being. Work is a full-time job but so is caring for the people who make your business possible. I believe in validating people’s ideas and feelings — people deserve to be seen. I’ll always support someone trying a new approach — within reason. I’ve never wanted to hire a team full of people just like me. I’ve always said, ‘what good does it do having a bunch of forks when you also need a knife?’

I also try to make decisions quickly. Don’t drag your feet when someone isn’t the right fit anymore. Leadership isn’t just about supporting people; it’s also about knowing when it’s time to let go.

MB: Your greatest challenges?

SP: It’s all been a challenge — running a business is hard, especially in the construction industry. One of the hardest parts has been learning how to separate my personal life from my work life. I’ve made a lot of sacrifices over the years for the business.

Fast forward to now, I think I’ve earned my place, so something that was a challenge is less so.

Being a woman — and a minority — in an industry that hasn’t always made space for either, created the person I am today. This was never going to work if I didn’t solidify who I was or what kind of company I wanted to have early on, and I did that by showing up, staying consistent, and doing what I said I would do.

Another major challenge has been learning that I don’t need to be part of everything — or know everything — to be a good business owner. For a long time, I believed that if I wasn’t involved in every detail, I was failing somehow. That mindset got me through the early years, but it wasn’t sustainable. Learning to let go, trust others, and hire the right people has been one of the most freeing — and important — shifts I’ve made professionally.

MB: What’s ahead for O&P Glass?

SP: We’re growing — both the business and in our space. Thankfully, our location gives us the flexibility to expand even more if we choose to.

We sometimes get calls from people asking if we still take on smaller projects — they assume we’ve gotten too big for the little stuff. But we’re still a small, family-owned business at heart. That’s something I never want to lose sight of. That part of who we are will always stay the same.

O&P Glass

140 Capitol St., Augusta

Owners: Soo Parkhurst and Joe Bedard

Founded: 1978

What the company does: O&P Glass is a full-service glass shop offering commercial and residential installations; custom glass showers; insulated glass; table tops; auto glass; and windows.

Employees: 30

www.opglass.com

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