Up Close & Personal With... 

by C. Frederick Charles

From The Construction Zone: August 2000

When The Construction Zone sat down for a chat with Mary Dille, who owns and operates Superior Air Conditioning, Inc., the outside temperature was nearing 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Needless to say, the phone was ringing steadily and her employees were busily racing back and forth anxiously trying to keep up with customer requests. 

It was 2:00 p.m., and Dille was beginning to look a tad frenetic. However, since she’s been involved in the business since childhood, her tense demeanor quickly dissipated once we began our informal conversation.

Born in St. George, Utah, Dille’s family moved to Las Vegas when she was a one-year-old. Shortly thereafter, her father, Cleo Cripps, opened Associated Air Conditioning in 1965. "I grew up as an AC brat, working every summer in the business," she smiled. "In those days, one had to earn money for school clothes and pay for lunches. Actually, though, the job afforded me an opportunity to put some earning in the bank. During this period, I attended Jim Bridger Jr. and Rancho High Schools.

According to Dille, her twin brother, Terry, worked the sheet metal end of the business each summer while she handled service. "I did some dispatching and related chores. When dad opened Superior Service in 1972, I got the operation started and set up the company books with help from another female employee. At that time, I was pregnant with my second daughter and took a year off. When the lady quit, I came back and have been on board ever since."

These days, my husband, Neil, and I work together at Superior Airconditioning. We were married in 1987. He serves the company as general manager and oversees all departments, with his nose to the grindstone along with the rest of us," Dille smiled.

When peering out the front window of Superior Airconditioning’s offices on Middlegate Road in Henderson, one can see a number of plumbing and air-conditioning signs on nearby buildings. "We’re surrounded by our competition," Dille noted. "There’s a big air conditioning supply house two doors down from us. Such proximity really doesn’t matter because customers don’t visit here, we go to their homes or businesses. Anyway, word of mouth is the best advertising of all, and we’ve been in business a long time. By the way, since the beltway now goes past Gibson Road, it cuts our service time down considerably. I believe our location is a good one, close to freeway access for Superior’s trucks."

At present, Superior employs approximately 30 individuals. "In truth, I’m more comfortable when we’re below the 25 mark," Dille noted. "Although Superior specializes in commercial installations, we service everything except water heaters (the company does handle heating contracts). Our files are packed with commercial and residential accounts. We also do a lot of new construction, but I don’t even think about working on housing tracts. At present, the company is involved in tenant improvements at the Aladdin resort. As a woman-owned business enterprise (WBE), Superior has also worked on government projects."

Industry challenges? "I guess one of the biggest headaches we have is finding qualified people. For a long time, it was hard to locate service mechanics, but we’ve made some progress with local schools . . . it’s not a big avenue, mind you, yet still an avenue none the less. We’re able to draw from some of the trade schools in town these days. A few years ago, Superior placed ads in Arizona, New Mexico and other cities which brought a lot of people to Las Vegas, including air conditioning workers that filled some of our service needs. Remember that severe cold spell the attacked the eastern seaboard? Well, we had responses from New York and elsewhere - people who wanted to get away from the frigid weather. Right now, it’s even tough to find good office help."

Indeed, Dille said the applicants come by Superior and tell the company how much they expect to get paid. "Some of these people aren’t qualified to do anything. In the last four years, we’ve experienced a lot of office turnover. It’s a good thing that I can step into just about any position here because of my background in the business. In fact, I singlehandedly opened a sheet metal department in 1983."

Over the years, Dille has taken many classes at both UNLV and Clark County Community College in subjects such as business methods and accounting practices. She’s served on innumerable industry boards including those of SMACNA and SNARSCA. "I graduated from a 3-year SMACNA management education course. I’m still a member of Executive Women International, but I’ve been trying to back off from some of these commitments lately because they’re just too time-consuming."

Hobbies and pastimes? "I’m crazy about the outdoors including golf, fishing, hunting and camping. In fact, dad was a big game hunter in his day. I guess my greatest pleasure in going up to the mountains and taking a deep breath. What’s great about all this is that I’m really good at these things. As a younger person, I played every sport imaginable. Some people don’t have this advantage, so I consider myself fortunate."

While raising her two daughters, Michelene, who will be 28 in October, and Julia, who reaches her 31st birthday this month, Dille was able to coach their soccer and other sports activities. "I had a wonderful time playing with my kids while they were growing up. Michelene recently presented me with my first granddaughter. She’s was in the U.S. Army 24th Med Squad Detachment and stationed in Texas with her husband who is still

in the service. I expect a visit from her next week . . ."