An interest in construction and a love of drawing gave William Sharp, 39, a solid foundation on which to build a career in architecture. When he was about 8, Sharp’s father, a plumber, took him on the job during the weekends. Later, in high school, he went to work for a friend of his father’s. By age 15, he had earned enough to buy his first car. “My dad wanted me to be a plumber,” Sharp says. “But I saw my dad aging and thought there had to be an easier way.”

Sharp went to the Phoenix Institute of Technology, earned a certificate in architecture and returned to San Diego. Seeking diversity in job duties, he went to work for C.E. Wylie, where he met Doug Barnhart. In 1983, he left with Barnhart to begin Douglas E. Barnhart Inc.

Working his way from quality control to project manager to estimator, Sharp learned to do a little bit of everything at every level. Now, he is president of the company.

His endeavors have made him aware of how hard one must work to achieve success and how important it is to get help along the way. In recognition of this philosophy, he has developed outreach programs for underused businesses. When the construction company looks to contract out with other businesses, Sharp encourages his staff to hire small, minority-owned businesses.

Competing for projects is one of his duties as company president. This entails making marketing presentations in front of an audience. Sharp’s biggest fear is public speaking; his biggest accomplishment was coming to terms with this fear by joining Toastmasters. “You never get over the fear,” he says. “But with practice and preparation you get through it.”

One of the neatest things of his professional life, he says, was sitting in the bidding room for the Terminal F project at Lindbergh Field, seeing the construction through, and then flying out of the terminal built by his crew.

With his wife, Sherri, Sharp spends time away from the company remodeling homes. Doing much of the work themselves, Sharp admits the activity is not much of a vacation. To truly get away, the Poway couple goes to Palm Springs to relax. They don’t have any children, but do pamper their chihuahua.

Active in community service, Sharp worked with the city and the YWCA to construct Becky’s House and also volunteers annually for the Hugh O’Brien Youth Foundation.

Sharp has received awards from the San Diego Chapter of the American Society of Professional Estimators as its 1997-’98 Technical Estimator of the Year and the Jess Sisk Best Committee Chair award in 1996.

— Maria L. Kirkpatrick