Laurie began working in the fastener industry at The Fastener Centre in London, Ontario, Canada in 1983 as a warehouse worker. Within the next two years, she moved into the front office as the Inventory Control person. Within the next year, she was moved into the Customer Service department. While taking time to learn all she could about the fasteners and applications for their use, she began to excel in all aspects of the business and in 1990, became the London Branch Manager. London soon became The Fastener Centre's most productive branch.