SteelMaster’s “Stories of Service” series continues to highlight members of our team who have either served in the U.S. military or are a part of a military family. Part 9 of SteelMaster’s 11-part series of American stories features Diane Sharry, sales coordinator…

 

There is a certain feeling that is often associated with the holidays. For many families it is as likely to obtain as catching a glimpse of Santa Claus wielding his bag stuffed full of toys. Thankfully, instead of willing themselves into a Norman Rockwell painting, people can harness warmth and friendliness all year long through a simple phone call with Diane Sharry, a sales coordinator for SteelMaster Buildings who has been with the company for 14 years.

 

Perhaps it’s because she comes from a tight-knit Midwestern family with an acumen that is a fusion of military values, hard work, clean living, and lots of love. With this Diane’s nurturing spirit rings through loud and clear. Raised on an Iowa dairy farm, 58-year-old Diane says that the values instilled in her and her four siblings since childhood have provided a compass by which she has always kept her on the straight and narrow. “My dad was a Marine during World War II, so he and my mother raised us with military discipline and ethics,” says Diane. “We each had a responsibility on the farm that we took very seriously, and we worked together to get the crops done or the hay in—kind of like how we work at SteelMaster.”

 

Coming from such a large family, Diane’s parents could only afford to send her older sister to college, so she joined the Navy to get an education and a taste of life outside of Iowa. “It was a great experience,” says Diane. “I served as an Admiral’s Writer and lived in DC for awhile and then was stationed in Norfolk, VA. After my time was up with the Navy, I got a degree as a Legal Assistant from Old Dominion University in Norfolk.”

 

After she finished college in 1974, she worked at a law firm for a brief period of time before settling in as a stay-at-home mother to her two sons and daughter. Her oldest son, Mark, joined the Army and was stationed in Bosnia before completing his service. Her other son, Robbie, gave up a full soccer scholarship to a university in order to join the Marine Corps. He continues with them now, 16 years later—a period of time during which he has served three tours of duty in Iraq. “He always looked up to my father, and I think when you come from a military family you are often pulled in the direction to want to serve yourself,” says Diane, who believes her strict upbringing and time in the Navy has also served her very well.

 

“My background has carried me through a lot and served me well, especially at SteelMaster. With a total belief in SteelMaster’s product, I have set my commitment for a consistent and tenacious drive to succeed. Honesty is the first and foremost policy when dealing with clients or fellow employees, and I hope I have succeeded in instilling that with my children like my father did with me. The drive to excel can take you wherever you want to go.  Our military is fighting for our freedom of choice, so there are no limits for what we can do and where we can go.”

 

 

 

Part 8: Rich Merrill, construction specialist

 

Part 10: Robert D’Agostino, project specialist

For more information about SteelMaster Buildings, click below.

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