Employee Spotlight: Sharon Mills, National Sales Manager
Sharon Mills is a national sales manager at Shepard. Based in Las Vegas, she’s been working with the company since December 2022.
How she got her start: A graduate of Stanford University with a B.A. in English, her first jobs after college were in radio and TV news reporting, before switching gears into Sales. She had her own business doing community events and public relations for 10 years, then wound up getting into corporate event, business development and custom exhibits sales. “My husband is a union carpenter lead in the industry, and when the 2008 recession hit—and my big clients started making cuts for their corporate event dollars—he suggested I take a look at the trade show industry,” she explains.
Why she loves events: “I love the pace of events, and I love meeting a lot of new people—especially people from different industries,” Sharon says. “It’s all about that face-to-face interaction for me.”
Why she loves working at Shepard: When Sharon was looking for the perfect spot to embark on the next phase of her career journey, she was drawn to Shepard’s family-like feel—which extends to both employees and customers, she notes. “We actually live all the things we say in our mission statement. It’s not just words,” she says, adding that she had a few different job prospects but ultimately felt that Shepard was the right cultural fit. “I’ve felt nothing but a warm embrace since coming into Shepard.”
Sharon also appreciates Shepard’s emphasis on financial transparency, describing it as “about as close as you can get to marriage within business, to let someone see your profit-and-loss statement and other finances. I think it’s very cool.”
Memorable moment: Shortly after starting at the company, Sharon was able to attend the 7-Eleven Experience, the retail brand’s massive annual convention and trade show for which Shepard served as general services contractor. “Going to that event and seeing what a great job Shepard did, and how well we play in the sandbox with so many other companies, was inspiring,” she remembers. “It was a beautiful event, and it made me proud to be a part of the Shepard family.”
Where she finds inspiration: Sharon finds motivation in the people she’s able to interact with every day. “I just really love that each day is new. It’s a new start, and a new opportunity to impact someone positively—to be an encouragement to them and have them be an encouragement to me.”
How she spends her free time: Sharon loves working out, calling herself an “Orange Theory fanatic.” She and her husband love to go on hikes, travelling the world through cruising, and are also very active in their church.
Another hobby this event enthusiast is a fan of? “I love doing teas! I love the ambiance, I love the scones, I just love the whole experience,” she says with a laugh. “If you have a really good tea you want to invite someone to, I’m your girl!”
The advice she’d give her younger self: Sharon started her career in radio sales, then shifted into TV news reporting before starting her own event and PR business. Her diverse background taught her to always be open to learning new things and growing. “When I graduated from Stanford, one of my college professors told me to know how to do a lot of things well,” she remembers. “Being open to that, and not feeling like I have to be in one lane, has really opened up opportunities in my career. Learn as much as you can.”
