SHERRY NOWAK
Please meet Sherry Nowak, our current HP Controller. She joined HP in March, 2022 as an Assistant Controller, an opening that had been posted on Indeed.com. Indeed.com is the #1 job site in the world, and a global job matching and hiring platform.
When Sherry posted for the job at HP, she was living outside of Chicago at the time. “The plan was always to move to FL. I’ve been coming to Fort Myers for twenty years on vacation. I have a multitude of friends from my home town who’ve relocated here.” What kept her from making the move sooner? Her grandbabies.
While in Chicago, Sherry worked in public accounting for about fifteen years. She decided it wasn’t actually for her anymore. “It was a lot of crazy, crazy hours, and tax season things. I just didn’t want to do it anymore at that time in my life. I wanted to try going with a smaller business, and ended up working for a company in the aviation business. It grew from four employees to over a $50 million business in the ten years I worked there.” She then decided to watch her first grandchild for two years. She started looking for a position here before her next grandchild came along.
The HP position was the first and only one she applied for. She initially worked for Ann Marie Pantos, HP’s Controller in 2022. Sherry was promoted to her current position in March, 2024.
What are her responsibilities? “I initially did various things pertaining to close, as well as cleaned up multiple accounts from when HP was outsourced. I now handle the day-to-day operations, and the overall monthly and annual financials, and I do a lot of reporting. I do the monthly entries, and all of the close, which inevitably tells an overview picture to everyone involved where we stand financially.”
“The job isn’t stressful, however certainly time consuming. Finding a balance between work and home is sometimes challenging. I absolutely love my co-workers… all of them. We all work well together as a team. Who you work with makes it very easy to want to come to work!”
Reporting to Sherry is Nicole Ferrone, Accounts Receivables, who was hired in June, 2024. “Nicole has a strong accounting background, as well as a real estate experience. She is very versatile in a lot of the areas here.” Recently coming on board is Joe Carlin, who is now Accounting Assistant. He had previously been in HP’s Food & Beverage department. Sherry feels his F & B background, coupled with his familiarity with the Jonas system, has really made him a valuable asset to the department.
Sherry grew up in Antioch, a Chicago suburb. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Parkside University in Chicago. She has a daughter, Megan, who is married and is a 1st grade teacher and a high school cheerleading coach. “My granddaughters, Everly (3), and Ireland (5), are the joy of my life. I travel home, often on weekends, and almost all holidays. My fiancé, Adam Darling, and I have been together for almost ten years. We’re getting married this June.” Adam works for Midwest Food Bank in Fort Myers.
EVERLY AND IRELAND
Sherry and Adam have a white Persian cat named Maverick, who has a lot of personality. Sherry also really enjoys cooking. “Cooking for large groups is a passion. I’ve often been told I should open a restaurant!”
What does Sherry like to do in her spare time? “I’m very active in many functions at my church, Cape Christian in Cape Coral, and volunteer for various events. I try to remember to be thankful and always give back. I also love to travel and have been all over the world, however, the Caribbean is, by far, my favorite. The British Virgin Islands are especially nice. Adam and I love to cruise, and have been on many. We’ll be traveling to South Africa this year.”
Has she met anyone famous? “Yes! I used to play a lot of volleyball in my younger days, and every year there were tournaments in Las Vegas at the Hard Rock that I would play in. On a trip to Vegas, Mohammed Ali was on our flight. I got his autograph and have a photo with him. So, when I got to Vegas and am playing craps, Shaquille (Shaq) O’Neal walks up to the table with about 17 bodyguards and sits down right next to me. He was huge; however, he was the nicest, sweetest guy. We played for four or five hours.”
What are some things most people don’t know about her? “Psychology classes always fascinated me, so I originally majored in Child Phycology as I wanted to help children. I’m also the world’s worst speller! Give me a spreadsheet and I can do wonders, but give me a paragraph and I need spell-check. Lastly, I’m addicted to the ID channel!” So, next time you’re in the Activity Center, venture up to the 2nd floor, and stop by and introduce yourself to one of our newer HP managers!
A WORD ABOUT FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY…
From Sherry Nowak: Please know that the Board of Directors, our General Manager, Traci Irons Izzo, and I, all want to be as financially transparent as possible. Monthly Financials are posted on our website every month, and our Annual Audits are also available to you on our website. Should you need help locating these items, or there is anything specific you would like to see that we don’t already post on our website, please reach out to our GM or myself and we’d be happy to share that with you! My email is [email protected], and Traci’s email is [email protected].
