Celia Sherbeck admits she’s caught herself using the word “hangar” to refer to the garages at C-Tran headquarters in Vancouver.
That’s understandable. Aviation vernacular doesn’t easily fade away after more than 25 years in the industry. But Sherbeck has traded planes for buses — she was hired as C-Tran’s director of maintenance last month.
The transition from aviation to public transit hasn’t been as stark as some might expect, Sherbeck said.
“The parallels are remarkable,” she said. “They are more similar than dissimilar in many ways.”
Both fields carry an emphasis on reliability and cost, Sherbeck said. Both involve passionate, highly skilled people, she said. And both bring their share of surprises and challenges in day-to-day work, she added.
Sherbeck takes over for former maintenance director John Hoefs, who retired earlier this year after 25 years with C-Tran. The position pays $105,000 per year.
Until this year, Sherbeck had spent her entire career in aviation. That included a wide range of positions in both the airline industry and aerospace manufacturing, and stints in multiple countries. Sherbeck and her family moved to the Portland area 10 years ago, and Sherbeck’s most recent post had her commuting to Halifax, Nova Scotia. When it became apparent her family wouldn’t be able to relocate there, Sherbeck looked for a job closer to home. (Home is now Vancouver.)
She landed at C-Tran after a selection committee picked her as Hoefs’ permanent replacement. Sherbeck was formally introduced to the board earlier this month.
“Celia was the unanimous choice of the committee from a really star-studded list of candidates,” C-Tran Executive Director Jeff Hamm told board members.
The meeting also gave Sherbeck a glimpse of what she said is one of the biggest differences in her new gig — working in the public sector instead of the private sector. Both are very cost-focused, she said, but for different reasons. Public employees are mindful of the fact that they’re spending taxpayer money, while business decisions in the airline industry are largely driven by competition, Sherbeck said.
Public, political
As for the board meetings, C-Tran’s are decidedly more public. And more political — Sherbeck’s first meeting happened to be the first since the controversial Columbia River Crossing project began shutting down. Bus rapid transit, becoming something of a lightning rod in its own right, was also discussed at length.In just over a month on the job, Sherbeck has impressed the C-Tran maintenance and operations staff. Maintenance supervisor Tim Smith described Sherbeck as approachable, extremely knowledgeable and extremely driven.
“She didn’t even set up her desk when she got here,” Smith said. “She put a few pens on her desk and got involved.”
Indeed, Sherbeck’s office is sparsely decorated. Among the few items set up now are a lamp and a bus-shaped paperweight — both left by her predecessor.
Sherbeck won’t be telling C-Tran employees how to fix a bus. Her focus lies more in process, efficiency and overall operation.
And Sherbeck dispelled at least one rumor floating around the shop: She’s not planning on putting wings on a C-Tran bus.
“She just tells us buses are planes without wings,” Hamm told the board.
Eric Florip: 360-735-4541; http://twitter.com/col_enviro; eric.florip@columbian.com
