IN PROFILE: Sharlee Harbatch

BUSINESS: Owner of the Sugar Shack Restaurant

AGE: 30

BACKGROUND: “I was raised in Las Vegas and grew up in the food and beverage industry. I was the catering manager for the Mirage Hotel for seven years and I have been working in the industry since I was 16 years old.”

FIRST JOB: “My first job was working for my father, who worked at the New Orleans Hotel and Casino. I worked in the snack shops there and became a supervisor when I was 17.”

YEARS IN BUSINESS: “I have been in the business my whole life. It’s what the family does, but actually getting paid for it I would say I have been working in the business for 14 years.”

PERSONAL: “I work and I have kids. I do nothing else. I am lucky to see my kids, but when I do I like making forts with them and just spending time with them. It’s hard for me to talk about my personal life. When I am not working, I am doing whatever my kids are doing and that is usually some kind of sport. The ‘mom time’ I do get, I spend it reading books. Sometimes four books a week.”

BUSINESS CLIMATE: “The restaurant business is always changing. It’s always growing and it’s a tough business to be in now. You have to grow with it. I have no reservations getting into this business. I knew from the start that it was the right thing to do.”