At the same time, Herbig tried to calm the revolutionary fervor back in Atlanta.

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One of Herbig's first moves as division president was to institute a weekly sales call.

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Into this morass stepped Herbig, a college French major who retains the polished manners of her Louisville, Ky. upbringing.

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Joan Herbig got the promotion of a lifetime at the worst possible time.

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The founder soon quit, leaving Herbig in charge of a company that was in open revolt against its new owners.

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"Hmm, maybe a little bit, " Herbig says in a gentle Louisville drawl.

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Herbig also quietly approved the plan to upgrade RemoteWare for handheld devices, fulfilling the dreams of veterans like Joseph Owen , 40, XcelleNet's chief technology officer.

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Herbig reassured her 250 employees she would keep them informed and try hard to prevent the sale to another software company, and she wrung retention bonuses out of Sterling for all employees.

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Herbig, 44, may present a disarming exterior, but beneath it lies a will of steel: A competitive tennis player and marathon runner, she wasn't about to watch her company die without trying to save it.

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