I am writing to tell you about an entrepreneur that I know and love dearly.

But first and foremost, if for someone reason I win this contest, please donate the prize to a charity of your choice that encourages young people to become entrepreneurs.

Fifteen years ago we moved from Maryland to Florida. I had an asthmatic child and I was prone to pneumonia during the cold weather months. We both needed a different climate for our health. We sold our home and took the risk, off we went, bought a house in Florida from a gentleman who offered owner financing at the time, as neither one of us had a job when we got here. I took a job working nights as an auditor in a hotel and my husband... Bill, went to work for a local air conditioning company....he was employed in the oil fired furnace trade in Maryland. After my husband was employed for a few months, he was becoming more stressed out and unhappy, so he went to work for another company, this company was not working out either, things were getting worse everyday, but he's a quiet man and doesn't complain much.

One day, he came home and told me he had quit his job. I was flabbergasted and shocked until he gave me the explanation. Apparently, the job required that he be dishonest with the customers about the repairs that needed to be done, which apparently is regular practice in our area, the elderly are usually the victims. The fact that he is not that type of man, it was physically and mentally making him ill and stressed beyond imagination, yet he had a new home, children to support and bills to pay. What a relief it was to me, as his wife to know that his ethics and morals were high enough, that he could not bring himself to treat customers in such a way. So, we talked about our options and decided he should go to school and get his own license.

He started a company shortly thereafter with two other partners.....only to find out that maybe they were not the type of people to do business with, as they both wanted to practice as many of the other companies do, not quite with much honesty and integrity. He left them and started all over again. Him and I started the business together....he worked during the day as a maintenance man at a local retirement home, did his A/C repairs and installs in the evenings and on the weekends. I continued to work graveyard shift at a hotel and answered calls, did the scheduling, banking and picking up equipment during the day for our company. After being in business for two years he was able to leave his full time job. In the third year I was able to quit my night job. Here we are 15 years later with a successful, thriving business, all based on honesty and integrity, with an excellent reputation in our community. We have seen many other companies come and go, as they ruin their reputations with their un-ethical business practices. If it were not for Bill's strength and his faith in God to see us through those very difficult times, we would not be where we are today. He is truly an entrenpreneur and a hero to my children and myself.