Ozarks Profile: Douglas D. McCauley

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What is your job?|ret||ret||tab|

President, Aire-Master of America Inc.|ret||ret||tab|

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Tell us about your organization.|ret||ret||tab|

Aire-Master, which was named the 2000 W. Curtis Strube Small Business of the Year in May, was started in 1958 in Columbia by McCauley's father, Jerry, and moved to the Springfield area in 1963. The company offers restroom and odor-control service to southwest Missouri, the St. Louis area, Oklahoma, Oregon and California, and distributes its products to 45 franchises in 35 states. Aire-Master manufactures its own line of odor-control and cleaning products at its 20,000-square-foot facility in Nixa. McCauley said he has expanded Aire-Master's distribution since becoming president by offering a private label distribution division internationally. Aire-Master now has distributors in Hong Kong, Canada, Spain, Cayman Islands, Japan, Italy, Puerto Rico and Ireland while continuing to add franchises in the United States. The company's franchise opportunity was ranked No. 360 out of Entrepreneur magazine's Top 500 for 2000 and No. 27 on Income Opportunities' 2000 Top 150 list. Aire-Master has 65 employees.|ret||ret||tab|

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What is your educational background?|ret||ret||tab|

McCauley graduated from Glendale High School and is a three-time graduate of Dale Carnegie courses and the Southwest Missouri State University mini-MBA program. He counts the 15 years of working closely with his father as his father's apprentice and right-hand man.|ret||ret||tab|

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What jobs led you to your current one?|ret||ret||tab|

McCauley began working after school in the Aire-Master warehouse at age 12. In 1985, he started full-time as a production and shipping supervisor. Three years later, he added franchise customer service and purchasing to his responsibilities. In 1990, he was promoted to vice president, which involved overseeing the management of the entire organization and focusing on departmentalizing the staff, and creating a long-term vision and growth strategy. In 1997, he was promoted to president when his father became the chairman of the board.|ret||ret||tab|

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What is the best part of your job?|ret||ret||tab|

McCauley said he enjoys working with people and building relationships. "I enjoy helping my employees achieve their goals and grow with the company. We currently have several employees that started at entry level and are now in management positions. In some cases, Aire-Master paid for their ongoing education so they would be qualified for their new position. Nothing makes me happier than helping people achieve their goals. It's a win-win situation for Aire-Master and the employees."|ret||ret||tab|

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Give us some personal information.|ret||ret||tab|

McCauley has been married to Phyllis, the company's executive assistant, for 12 years. They enjoy playing music together and traveling. McCauley also enjoys collecting Native American artifacts, attending concerts and sporting events, and dining and fine wine. |bold_on||bold_on||ret||ret||tab|

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What book are you reading?|ret||ret||tab|

"I have been focusing on motivational books to use as resources in my communication to employees and our franchises. I am reading Field of Hope,' by Brett Butler. I just finished You Can Be Happy No Matter What,' by Richard Carlson, PhD. I also recently read The Real Heroes of Business and Not A CEO Among Them,' by Bill Fromm and Len Schlesinger."|ret||ret||tab|

by Melissa Wilson |ret||ret||tab|

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