Tim Dupre, 36

A family friend, Bill Barnes, who was vice president of Naples-based Conditioned Air, asked Tim Dupre a question in 1997 that changed the then teenager’s life. Asked Barnes: “Do you want a job or a career?”

The answer was a career. “I wanted something I could retire from,” Dupre says.

So Barnes suggested he apply for a job at Conditioned Air. The company, founded in 1962 and run by prominent area entrepreneur Theo Etzel, has long been a leader in the region, particularly in forward-thinking programs and initiatives for employees. The company, for example, regularly shares financial reports with employees, so everyone can feel like they are part of a larger effort. Conditioned Air has 320 employees and posted $46 million in revenues in 2015, up 12.7% over $40.8 million in 2014.

Dupre started as an apprentice in the production-housing department at Conditioned Air. He worked on air conditioning systems everywhere from million-dollar homes and multifamily projects to light commercial work and national production builder projects. In 2004 he was promoted to his first leadership role, field supervisor. More promotions came in 2008 and 2014, and he was named president and COO in 2015.

Part of Dupre’s job now is to be out in the community, both networking and overseeing some of the company’s charitable and philanthropic work. He also oversees all the departments, and Dupre says he puts a particular emphasis on safety for employees. And in terms of company culture, he wants Conditioned Air to stick to its roots. “Even though we are a big company now,” says Dupre, “I think we should be run like a family business.”

— Mark Gordon

Q&A

Name: Timothy M Dupre

Age: 36

City of residence: Cape Coral, Fla.

Twitter handle: I don’t Twitter.

Employer: Conditioned Air Company of Naples, LLC

Title: President & COO

Birthplace: Naples, Fla.

Years on the Gulf Coast: 36

Marital status/children: Celebrating 18 years with the love of my life, Christine, and we have one gorgeous 6-year-old daughter; Sydney.

Alma mater: Home Schooled

Best place to network: Wake up Naples

Coolest business experience: Being able to do what you love every day.

Messy desk or clean workspace: Organized chaos

Best business lesson ever learned: Time kills all deals & Every day let’s be brilliant with the basics.

A website that makes your job easier: accesspi.piworldwide.com (We use this for new hires and succession planning)

Community group you’re most involved with: American Heart Association Heart Heroes

Favorite off-hours activity: Sporting Clays, Bowling & Golfing

Two people, dead or alive, you’d like to have dinner with: My Grandmother and Sean Connery.

What you would be doing if you could pick another career: I would be happy in many different careers as long as they allow me to make a positive impact on someone else’s life.

Top item on your bucket list: Take my family to Alaska and Italy.

Skill you’d like to learn: I always wanted to learn how to play the guitar.

Who would play you in a movie about your life: Liev Schreiber

If I had a magic wand I’d: want to get the world population to focus on the “basics” If people had more accurate knowledge of the bible and applied the basic truth’s found within its pages to keep their moral compass aligned with God’s. We would all live in a much better world …..