YPC 2016 President
Cory W. Sharp
Young Professionals Connection (YPC) Board Position: President
Hometown: Des Moines, Iowa
Alma Mater: Iowa State University
What do you do? Intern Architect, FEH Design
What’s a day in your job like? No two days are the same, and no two projects are, either. Some days I will be sketching the beginnings of a new building, meeting with prospective clients, and others I will be detailing wall-to-roof transitions and fielding calls from contractors in the field. My best days are when I have the feeling of creating something that has in turn helped a person achieve a dream.
What are your passions outside of work? When you’re not at work, what will we find you doing? Outside of work I have many passions. From playing drums in my cover band, Plastic Apartment, to drawing signature greeting cards for my mother’s small business, Heart of Iowa Marketplace, renovating my home on Des Moines' South Side, and playing with my dog, Emma Bear, at many local dog parks I stay pretty busy. Along with that I sit on many other community Boards that include the DART 2035 Advisory Committee, the Future Transit Work Group, the Emerging Leaders Collaborative, Greater Des Moines Partnership Board, and the Great Outdoors Foundation Board.
Where’s your favorite (something) in Greater Des Moines (DSM)? Our trails. From running, biking, lounging, and dog-plays — our trail system has it all. I use them to train for RAGBRAI, get to local breweries, and find my way to our numerous parks. Our trail system is one of the best in the country and I do my best not to take it for granted.
What role has mentorship played in your career? Whether formal or informal, mentorship has played an incredible role in my professional and personal life. I seek out individuals that I can wholeheartedly trust and use them to my advantage when learning new skills and traits, come across tough decisions, and reach out to them just to see what I could be doing better. I also have found that through a lot of the things that I do that often the mentors I find end up being a two-way street, that the passions I bring to the table often help them become more passionate in their own work as well.
What are your words to live by? My mom said it best, “There’s always a weed to be pulled.” This simple quote has been the motivation behind all the hard work I do. While there’s time you need to set aside for mental health and stability, there is always more you can be doing. If you find yourself sitting around with nothing to do, there’s always something out there that can be improved, so go do it. Search out those opportunities and continue to pursue improvement. There’s always a weed to be pulled.
What projects have you been involved with in YPC? Since starting on the Board in an At-Large position back in 2013, YPC has evolved quite a bit. I’ve had the opportunity to bring about improvement to a long-standing community event, The Golden Circle Games, create one of our most unique annual YPC events, Sips, Samples, Sights, institute a purposefully-formal annual event, our Annual Gala, be a part of a great Board-Restructuring Process, and help improve a lot of internal processes to then allow our membership to be more valuable and allow YPC to do greater things. What I may be most proud of in my time, however, is the increased resonance of our YPC voice. Seeing our membership and Board have opportunities for our community to hear what we have to say in more ways, in a brighter light, and have a community that props-up those opinions, is one I am very proud of.