Meet Heather Overturf - Charm's Sr. Accountant

Meet the Charmers is a series spotlighting the talented team behind Charm Industrial working to return Earth’s atmosphere to 280 ppm CO₂. 

Today I’m very excited to introduce you all to Heather Overturf, Charm’s Sr. Accountant. Heather brings a unique blend of military discipline and financial expertise to her work. She began her career in the Navy as an Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Fueling), spending four years mastering logistics, precision, and teamwork in high-stakes environments. Following her service, she transitioned into the finance industry, working in accounts receivable while simultaneously earning her economics degree from FRCC and CSU. Heather then spent nearly four years as a staff accountant, sharpening her skills in financial operations. She’s now excited to bring that experience to Charm and help make sense of all things numbers.

So, what does it take to be the Accountant for one of the fastest growing carbon removal operations on the planet? Let’s find out. 

Heather - let’s start from the beginning. Tell us about yourself and where you grew up?

I grew up in the cornfields of Peoria, Illinois, where the biggest elevation change is a speed bump. I’m actually not from Colorado — shocking, I know! I was forced to resist the allure of mountain ranges while deployed on an aircraft carrier that spent a majority of its time ocean-bound. After serving in the Navy, I moved away from Virginia and moved to Colorado to start the next chapter! Now, I’m recording Charm's financial activity by day and keeping up with my 8-year-old son’s energy by night, which honestly feels like more cardio than a "14'er" at times. 

What makes accounting in carbon removal unique?

Accounting in carbon removal comes with some unique occurrences. For one, asset management looks different because our infrastructure and technology to produce our carbon removal products are always evolving, so we can’t always rely on traditional models.

Revenue recognition is another big difference. Most companies recognize revenue as soon as they sell a product, but at Charm, we have to wait until our carbon removals are verified before we can count that revenue. This makes financial planning more complex, but it's worth it for the added transparency and assurance to the impact we're having

What are some of the key accounting questions you at the team are answering as Charm scales up our operations?

As Charm scales, the accounting team is tackling big (and important) questions. We often get asked about onboarding new vendors, applying for terms, and managing sales tax exemptions. At the same time, the team is staying focused on building a strong financial foundation to support the exciting work happening within the company and especially, at the sites in Kansas and new sites opening up across the country.

What problem are you most excited about solving at Charm?

I’m most excited about solving the challenge of scaling our financial processes alongside Charm’s rapid growth. Growth is exciting! Finding ways to make our accounting systems both efficient and flexible to the company’s needs is a challenge I love tackling!

Any good books you’ve been reading lately?

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. I’ve always been curious about why we do what we do, and this book beautifully presents the science behind habits. It helps you identify the small changes that you can make for big shifts in behavior!

I hear you have some nicknames…

 Oh boy! I have collected quite a few “turf” related nicknames throughout life thus far. They range from fan favorites like Overgrass, Astroturf, Over-the-Turf, Turf Master, and/or the German translation: Turfmeister. The possibilities seem endless! 

Welcome to Charm, Heather!