The sales team puts the deal together, and the engineers implement it. Making sure the pieces fit together smoothly is Claudia Sharp, one of the project coordinators at SOS.
“I coordinate all of the resources, making sure all the project logistics are set up: scheduling, generating time lines, maintaining communications with the engineers through the project,” she explains. “It helps us keep track of what we are doing and keeps quality control in place.”
She’s a natural for the job, combining a long background in sales with a keen interest in the technical side of SOS. And she’s seen SOS grow and evolve for 14 years, almost from the time that Gia and Lawrence McNutt founded the company.
“"I was actually the first employee that Gia and Lawrence hired,” says Sharp. She had worked on Gia McNutt’s team at another value added reseller (VAR) back in the days before SOS. About six months after SOS was founded, Sharp got the call to come on board -- in the basement of the McNutt household. Sharp remembers moving into the first “real” office, when having a bathroom with a paper towel dispenser was considered a big deal.
“I have had the firsthand opportunity to witness the development of an amazing organization,” she says. “I love working for Gia and Lawrence. Money is always something you can go out and make, but there are so many intangible benefits of working here for me.”
“Claudia has been a tremendous resource to SOS during her 14 year tenure,” says CEO Gia McNutt. “She’s done most jobs here -- often simultaneously! She puts her heart and soul into every project to drive it to completion and nail all the details. As a result, our clients know they can trust her and my whole team admires her.”
Claudia’s first job at SOS was in sales, something she had done since age 16 when she got behind the counter at a Radio Shack store.
“I’m well suited to sales because of my disposition. I like to talk to people,” she says. “But if I were going to pick any other job in this company, I would want to be one of the engineers.”
That fascination with technology made her a perfect candidate for a project coordinator job several years ago. There was a lot to learn, but she had always found herself talking to the engineers about their work.
“The transition in terms of the job itself wasn’t hard because I was enjoying it,” she says.
Coordinating projects means more than just seeing what the sales staff has promised and lining up the resources to deliver it.
“My job is to help avoid the turbulence. But my work life is packed with turbulence. You’ve got to run fast, run hard, and hit the mark,” she says. “We have good communication flow around here, but the most challenging thing I face is trying to make sure the clients have accurate expectations.”
"In any implementation there are sure to be some bumps in the road. If you set the expectations properly, the client understands what’s happening when those times come, and appreciates how SOS deals with them."
She also has to keep her finger on costs, letting the client know how the contracted hours are tracking and whether the schedule might need to be adjusted.
Chemistry between the client and the project manager is important too, she says. There are times when a different project manager might be a better fit for a particular client, and Sharp is glad to make that adjustment if it means a smoother implementation.
“It’s great to see Claudia flourish in her new role,” adds Gia. “She is one of SOS’s most valuable players.”
When the fast-paced workday is done, Sharp is glad for the chance to slow down and spend time at home with her mother and son.
“There are certain things I really do enjoy doing, but for the most part my needs are simple,” she says. “Personal life is pretty low key.”
Well, maybe not so low key when a Laker’s basketball game is on television. It’s a big deal at the Sharp house, and you might hear some cheering when the game is going in the right direction.
