.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;} After a 10-year career in sales and marketing in Meredith Corp.’s custom publishing division, Sharon Vickery switched to the technology industry. She remained in sales and consulting, but her focus changed to promoting the talent at technology companies ranging from large corporations to start-ups over the past 10 years. Last November she joined Alliance Technologies Inc. as director of its consulting solutions group. Now she plans to double the size of the department and continue to provide services to more than 20 clients. After receiving a degree from Iowa State University in journalism and mass communications, you went into marketing and technology. Why?

I would like to say I had a grand plan, but I didn’t. I actually started in broadcast journalism and knew that really wasn’t the direction I wanted to go after experiencing that for a handful of years. So I went into business in the advertising side for five years and then was hired by Meredith Corp. I fell in love with technology via my husband. That’s the business he’s in. I have always enjoyed technology, specifically in the area my focus has been: talent consulting.

What area is your husband in?

My husband, Steve, is in sales as well, but he’s the more technically inclined one. I lovingly refer to him as my digit head. But I love and appreciate the talent that’s behind the technology, so it’s been very easy for me to figure out how to market and sell it.

What’s your role with Alliance?

I’m out there working with large, medium and small companies, learning about their businesses, what’s the role technology is playing in achieving their business goals and what are some of their challenges from technology or talent perspectives. As clients have needs, we find the perfect talent fit to help them over a short-term duration, three to six months, or it might be a couple of years.

What direction would you like to take the department?

Alliance Technologies’ theme is to [provide] comprehensive technology solutions. It’s good that we have the capabilities that we can draw from that comprehensive technology team, but it’s also really good to have focus, because clients like to know what you’re best at. I think from the external consultant practice, what we’re seeing is clients needing more of that upper-level business technology professional – that bilingual person, who can talk business and technology.

Is it a challenge to find consultants in Des Moines?

As Des Moines has grown, and larger and large companies have more and more technology needs, the demand has really increased, which has continued to ratchet up the competitive environment for organizations like ours to attract the best in their specific area.

Was there a huge learning curve going from publishing to technology?

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized how important that [experience] was to me. At an early age it developed in me a natural curiosity for people and businesses. I’m a curious person and I ask a lot of questions.

Have you always lived in Des Moines?

I was born and raised in Des Moines and my folks moved to Kansas City when I was in high school. After college I came back to Des Moines thinking I was going to start here, because it was very comfortable. The rest is history. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to work for companies that are either based here or have allowed me to be based here, but I’ve worked coast to coast my whole life. This is the first time my focus has been primarily the metro area. I have two kids at home and can actually get to their ballgames. It’s nice to be at least a part-time mom. My son, Sam, is a freshman at Dowling [Catholic High School] and daughter, Ksusha, who we adopted five years ago from Russia, is a fourth-grader at St. Augustin’s.

What do you do in your free time?

I enjoy hanging out and doing unplanned nothingness with my kids. That’s the time I find eating dinner on the deck, laughing at silly movies.