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V O L . X X I I N O. X I V J U N E 2 7 , 2 0 1 6 16 A ssociates of Deanna Sherman, president and soon-to-be CEO of oil and propane supplier Dead River Co., say she brings to mind the vintage E.F. Hutton TV ad in which a noisy room goes silent to hear advice from the stock brokerage. at tagline, "When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen," applies to Sherman, says Liz Cotter Schlax, president and CEO of the United Way of South Portland. "Deanna was part of the search committee that hired me 18 months ago," Cotter Schlax says. "She isn't the loudest person in the room or the one to speak fi rst. But she raised some pretty penetrating and very thoughtful questions." Sherman became president of the South Portland- based energy supplier on Jan. 1, taking over for Robert Moore, who is making the transition to retirement. She stepped into his president role in January and, in mid-July, will take over as CEO. Moore has led the company since 2008. Grew up in the company Sherman is an anomaly in today's world of frequent job switches in that she has spent most of her career at Dead River. After graduating from Colby College with a BA in government/public policy and French, and then earning an MBA at the University of Southern Maine, she had a year-long internship as a research assistant at the Administrative Offi ce of the Courts in Portland. e rest of her career has been at Dead River. "I grew up in Dead River," says Sherman, who has cropped brown hair and a relaxed demeanor. " e company likes to take in young people who like to learn and demonstrate what they can do. If you [had] good success, you got to the next step." Sherman started as assistant manager for procure- ment in 1986 and worked her way up to district manager for Biddeford and then Scarborough, then region man- ager supervising district managers in seven retail fuel offi ces and then vice president of the company's energy division. Moore sees Sherman's 30 years of experience at and knowledge of the company as strengths. "She's a rock star," Moore says. "Her knowledge of our business is unsurpassed. She's unbelievably disciplined." Moore adds that when Sherman became vice president of the energy division, she helped Dead River meet its goal to transition to a more cus- tomer-focused company. He says Sherman has had all the important jobs at the company. "I never felt I had to manage her. I just had to give her a goal, task or end result," Moore says. "And we've been getting out of commercial real estate and becom- ing more exclusively an energy company, which made her the obvious choice." "What makes Deanna special is that she has been with the company since her early 20s and did every- thing in the business," adds Susanna Swihart, chair of MaineHealth and a board member at Dead River. "She says Dead River blood runs deep in her veins. She's transparent, straightforward and energetic. She knows the business through and through, and it's apparent." All in the family Sherman credits her family for her focus on customers and her drive. Her parents started their own insur- ance and real estate business in Bar Harbor, so she was raised with a business mindset. Her sister still runs the real estate side of the family company, though her brother sold the insurance business. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Dead River makes leadership transition New CEO is a steady force in a turbulent energy market B y L o r i V a l i g r a F O C U S Dead River Co. 82 Running Hill Road, South Portland President: Deanna Sherman (will become CEO in July) Founded: 1909 Employees: 1,100 Revenue: Not disclosed Primary Business: Designs, installs and services heating and cooling systems fueled by oil, propane and kerosene Contact: www.deadriver.com / 883-9515 Deanna Sherman, incoming CEO at Dead River Co., talks to mechanic Randy Meserve at a Dead River site in Scarborough.

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