New Port Richey, Florida, Air Conditioning Company the Dan Wright Corp.
FROM OUR FOUNDER
I started The Dan Wright Corp in 1973 with no money and a borrowed truck. The first shop was in my garage, but with God's blessing, guidance, and hard work, we grew very fast. Our priority was the customer, and I stressed the importance of the following guidelines:
- Clean Technicians.
- Listen to Your Customer.
- Be Organized from the Moment You Start Until You Complete Your Final Exit.
- Speak in Simple Terms and Be Honest.
- Make Eye Contact.
- Work neatly and quietly.
- Leave the work area as clean as or cleaner than you found it.
- Do the whole job on the first visit.
- Do neat paperwork.
- Spell out the work you did.
Meet Our Team
KENNY AND DEE PARR
Kenny Parr moved here to Florida from Indiana in 1981. He stepped off the plane, was picked up by Mary Lou Wright, and went to work that day. Dee is the daughter of Dan Wright, and so she grew up in the HVAC business. They married in 1982, and Dee left the "Corporate World" in 1987 and began working for the family business then. Kenny and Dee have raised two girls here in New Port Richey, and Paris and Courtnee both went to Gulf High School, Dee's alma mater. Their grandson Conner now attends Gulf High as well. Kenny and Dee purchased The Dan Wright Corp from Dan Wright in 1998 and enjoyed working alongside him until he retired in 2002. The company has seen many changes throughout the years, and we are so very thankful for the 50 years of serving the area.
We look forward to future opportunities to take care of existing and new customers and our community.
GREGORY NAUMANN (GREG)
Greg Naumann started at The Dan Wright Corp in 1986, fresh out of high school. He learned the trade from Dan Wright and now runs our Installation crews and oversees much of the service department. Dan Wright taught Greg the layout of sheet metal and ductwork, so there is only one in the area that can match his expertise. You will see Greg on any residential or commercial job site, and he also wears the hat of our risk manager, keeping everyone safe.
SUSAN SMITH
Susan Smith is our receptionist and started here at The Dan Wright Corp in 2002. Susan will be your first point of contact when you phone in, and those who have spoken with her know she has a gift of remembering even the smallest detail of the prior conversation and making you feel like you are family.
She sets all the calendar appointments for our Dan Wright Club members and keeps everyone in the know around the office.
JULIE MISIURA (JULES)
Julie Misiura began working here in 2017 and quickly became an essential assistant in the office.
Julie maintains the billing and day-to-day posting in our customer's accounts, taking calls and answering any questions clients may have.
Some Mighty ‘Big’ Shoes to Fill
By Carl Orth | Suncoast News
Published: August 25, 2015
NEW PORT RICHEY — Dan Wright was a burly guy, so his oldest grandchild nicknamed him Big Daddy. Many people simply started calling the founder of Dan Wright Corp. “Big.”
Even though he died last year, Wright's influence endures at the air conditioning and heating contractor business that he began in 1973. His daughter and son-in-law, DeAnna “Dee” and Kenny Parr, have followed his legacy as co-owners of the business.
In honor of their colorful mentor, employees will dedicate a community event Aug. 26 to Wright's memory. Starting at 11 a.m., the company plans a barbecue to give away food and prizes to people who stop by the firm's headquarters at 5319 Locust Place in New Port Richey. Visitors staff can chat with staff and maybe even share a few memories of Wright.
The company started 42 years ago in the garage of Wright's home on River Road. The firm moved to the Locust Place base 30 years ago in order to become an authorized Carrier dealer.
More than 10 employees hired and trained under Big's guidance are following suit with the current staff of 33 men and women, Dee Parr said.
Residential air conditioning service now covers Pasco and three surrounding counties. The commercial department now includes surgery centers, many national banks, and prisons across the United States. The firm sponsors many local sports teams and stays active in community events.
Times were simpler in 1981 when Kenny Parr came on board. The refrigerant R-22 sold for about $1.30 a pound in those days. Now, because of concerns about its impact on the environment, R-22 costs up to $60, if it is available at all. Billings of about $150,000 a year then now totals just under $5 million. A fleet of two vehicles now numbers 22.
“We started doing the big jobs and I loved it,” Parr said. Helicopters and big cranes were used on some projects. Ductwork was so big on one job that it had double doors. “You could almost drive a truck in there.”
Wright held strong Christian beliefs. “He would preach to you while he was ragging on you,” Parr said with a chuckle.
“He was like my father,” Chris Lincoln, who has been with the company 30 years, said about Wright “You could write novels on what went on here,” he said.
When Wright would get bored, he might come out to the shop, Lincoln said with a laugh. “He was a good pot stirrer. He could get you riled up in about 30 seconds.”
One of Wright's grandsons worked one summer at the shop and swore he would never work there again because of the tough work, Lincoln remembered. He became a doctor instead and started his own practice in Colorado.
Daughter Dee and others thought Wright could have had his own reality TV show. Her dad would speak in a direct manner reminiscent of Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
“That was Big,” office receptionist Susan Smith affirmed.
Greg Naumann came on board in late 1986 at age 18 and never left. “I walked in and the very first thing he told me to do was cut my hair. Didn't tell me I had a job, no nothin', just cut your hair. I had to prove to him that I could outwork everybody. He laid off me after he saw what I could do.”
Have questions about us? Call us at 727-849-5326 to learn more!