Title: President

Company: Climatic Conditioning Co. Inc.

What was the best business advice you ever received?

My father, who had been my partner in the business for the first 19 years, had always instilled in me to treat people fairly and honestly. I believe this has been prevalent for our 40 years in business.

If you could choose another profession, what would it be?

Architecture and interior planning and design.

What is the biggest risk you've ever taken in your career?

The 2008 downturn in the economy created a challenge for us which in retrospect now was a risk. Up through 2008 we had relied heavily on our new construction revenue. With the rather abrupt halt to that portion of our business we had to find another source of income and relatively quickly. We were fortunate in that we had always had a lucrative service department but we had never relied upon it as a major source of revenue. Since service tends to be somewhat recession proof we redirected our time and resources into growing that sector of our business which has proven to be a wise move.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you start?

My wife and I have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to do a bit of traveling over the years. I still think the USA is the premier destination. One spot in particular that would be my start is the California Pacific Coast Highway -- the Monterey area.

-- Angie Monroe