Duke Vo is Sales Manager at Temecula Quality Plating in Temecula, California, and previously served in the U.S. Army.
His shop specializes in electroplating, anodizing, passivation, and coating for various industries, including telecommunications, electronics, aerospace, defense, medical, scientific instruments, and commercial.
How did you get your start in the finishing industry?
Swim or drown is the word. I had the opportunity to take on a new adventure with zero experience in plating, so I left the U.S. Army full-time and began to learn.
What do you enjoy best about the industry?
I am able to become something bigger and serve the manufacturing industries with a niche.
If money was no object, what would you do all day?
Taking my wife to a winery and fishing
If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to?
The past is my history; I live in the present and plan for the future.
How would your friends describe you?
Driving and focus.
What are your hobbies?
Learning ways for self-improvement, and toning my philosophy to live by.
What is the best gift you have been given?
My three amazing sons from my lovely wife.
Aside from necessities, what one thing could you not go a day without?
My phone. Maybe one day I can go without it.
Two pet peeves.
- Don’t be late. If you’re five mins early, you’re on time; If you’re on time you’re late. That’s what the Army taught me.
- Don’t blame others for your mistake. Take ownership and learn from it.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Still working at Temecula Quality Plating, but ask that question again in 15 years.
If you were a super-hero, what powers would you have?
The ability to read minds to avoid wasting my time and fewer confrontations.
What would you do if you won the lottery?
Invest that money, and go back to work the next day
What's your favorite zoo animal?
None. All creatures are unique in their own way
If you could go back in time to change one thing, what would it be?
I would not wait five years of engagement to ask my wife to marry me. I would pop the question in two years.
Would you rather trade intelligence for looks or looks for intelligence?
Intelligence, any day. Looks will fade, intelligence is what I own.
What's your favorite holiday?
Christmas. That is the only time we shut down for two weeks.
What's the most daring thing you've ever done?
Let my 5-year-old son go tubing on the river. My wife wasn’t happy.
What was the last thing you watched on TV?
I don’t really watch TV.
What was the last book you read?
Outwitting the Devil by Napoleon Hill.
What's your favorite type of foreign food?
I love all food.
Are you a clean or messy person?
Well-organized messy person.
Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life?
Myself, of course. Why not go with the best?
What's your favorite fast food chain?
None; I preferred a hole in the wall or mom-and-pop shop where the food is made with passion.
What's your favorite family recipe?
Spicy BBQ shrimp.
What's your favorite family tradition?
Giving hugs and kisses to my kids every night before bed.
What is your favorite childhood memory?
Going to Las Vegas every year during Christmas time. When we were poor, Vegas was the only place that can house a family of 9.
What's your favorite movie?
None; I’m not the type to watch a movie twice. That is a waste of time and money.
