"I've never had a 9-to-5 job but I have had four jobs at once," Sherry says. She also experienced the thrill of selling a ski lodge where she had worked for food, lodging and $25 per week. "I backed into real estate (at another agency), as a gofer, a tour guide who knew the area, and a secretary who couldn't type. This was all good training." Sherry joined Pall Spera Company in 1993. Her longtime residency provides clients with historical perspective. When a house comes on the market Sherry knows its chronology, renovations and urban legends. Her hospitality skills provide the desire to serve clients -- patiently, if necessary: "I've had one client since the early 1980s. He still hasn't bought anything but I'm sticking to it."

Sherry appears relaxed and confident in her profession and extremely knowledgeable about her surroundings. "Here in Stowe there's still a core of people with the ski-bum mentality, who came and stayed," she says. Those just arriving will benefit from her experience.