.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} Having worked on the Charlotte Area Transit System’s $100 million operating budget, Sharon Scheip is well prepared to tackle the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority’s $18 million operation. However, DART’s new finance director, who most recently worked for the Polymer Group Inc. in Charlotte, is looking forward to new challenges, including getting to know a new city.

What’s your career background?

I started in Pennsylvania with Gans Multimedia (Partnership) as director of finance and accounting. Then PNC Bank hired me as a vice president to take a failing portfolio and market it for them. There I had a customer called Polar Plastics (Inc.) that was moving to North Carolina. I handed him (the owner) my resume and I said, “You’re up in Canada and you need a CFO down in North Carolina,” so I created a position for myself. That lasted for about four years until I was laid off when the company was bought out, so I applied to CATS. It was a brand-new position of a financial planning manager, and I worked with them for probably four and a half years and really enjoyed the position, because it was a start-up, which I love. Then I left that position due to a reorganization that I really didn’t want to go forward with, so I went to Polymer Group. They’re a publicly traded $1 billion company, and I was the treasury manager. I really enjoyed it, but really missed transit. I worked with Brad [Miller, general manager of DART] at CATS and Brad sent me an e-mail and said, “My CFO just quit and the position is open.” So I applied and here I am. I started Oct. 30.

Is there a project you’re particularly excited about with DART?

I think the ability to bring a start-up organization that’s been reworked to a full-fledged business that’s key in the community.

It goes back to your love of start-ups?

Quite frankly, when someone says, “I’ve been at the job for 18 years doing the same thing,” I could just choke. I couldn’t do that. There’s a point when you’re doing the same thing every day for two to three years, it’s time to move on.

What’s your initial impression of the city?

I was looking to get away from a big-city atmosphere and get the city feel with that close-to-home feeling. This is a beautiful city. It’s got a skyline. It’s got water. It’s progressive. There’s plenty of things to do.

Is there one goal you’re focused on now?

Oh, the budget. That’s all I’m working on. We have our challenges with fuel and the volatile environment that we’re living in right now, so we’re working real hard to try to balance the budget and come up with some solutions for the short term and also for the long term.

What do you miss most about Charlotte?

I miss my friends terribly. But this came to me at a point in my life when I was ready. I have three sons, and my oldest son is married and lives in New York City, my middle son is in Charlotte right now. However, he’s moving in six months to the West Coast. My youngest son is in college in Florida.

What attracts you to transit?

I think it gives me the ability to use one of my strongest strengths, which is planning and forecasting. And I like that we’re doing something to help people.

What do you like to do for fun?

I enjoy walking around Gray’s Lake with my dog. I love fine restaurants, which I’m excited to discover, because one of the things I love to do is cook. I will find anyone and everybody to cook for. I enjoy reading a good book and I enjoy being social.

Is there one accomplishment in your career that stands out?

From the financial standpoint, I’m really pleased about the $200 million debt issuance for CATS. From a personal standpoint, I had an employee that I knew wanted to move on to something else. We worked together to get her skilled to move to the next level. She got the offer and in her going-away speech, she thanked me for getting her to where she was. For me, that was probably more rewarding than anything that was financial.