The year was 1982, and Maxine was working at Flowers, Inc. Wholesale, a floral distributor co-owned by her husband, Bob. Silver foil balloons had just been invented, and floral customers were starting to request them. Maxine soon realized that the balloon imprinting process could be used to print a message or design on a balloon, creating a floating greeting card–a concept that would soon transform the floral industry and lead her to found Flowers, Inc. Balloons. Her ingenuity has taken the company from a backroom start-up to The World's Largest Balloon and Coordinating Gift Supplier.