In 1950, she opened the Hennessee Family Center beauty salon in Lawton.
In 1982, she founded Dream Valley Farm as a subsidiary of Cosmetic Specialty Labs to grow aloe vera plants.
[1] By the time of her death, her business sold to clients in every state and over 30 countries.
Governor David Walters appointed her to the Oklahoma Commission for the Advancement of Science and Technology and Frank Keating named her to the Board of Vocational and Technical Education in 1995.
[6] As of 2019, Cosmetic Specialty Labs was owned by her granddaughter, Jennifer Ellis.