Shivie Dhillon is from Simi Valley, CA, where he is the owner of SunDial Powder Coatings, Bottle Coatings, Powder|Soft, and Kings Row Gastropub.
An entrepreneur extraordinaire, he has been active in the powder coating community for many years and serves on local and national boards. Dhillon began working at his family’s powder coating shop when he was just 8 years old and worked his way from filing paperwork to handling parts to running the masking department. After graduating from college with a computer science and accounting degree, he had already been around powder coating for over 16 years. “There was nothing else I would rather do,” he says.
How did you get your start in the finishing industry?
I was forced to get into the family business at the age of 8; when I was 18, I took over.
What do you enjoy best about the industry?
The direct impact we have on the people using the product.
If money were no object, what would you do all day?
Build things.
If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to?
2000.
How would your friends describe you?
I don’t listen to my friends.
What are your hobbies?
Building things, RC cars, and architecture.
What is the best gift you have been given?
My daughters.
Aside from necessities, what one thing could you not go a day without?
Cellphone.
Two pet peeves.
Being late and lying.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Hopefully, five years closer to retirement of my dreams.
If you were a super-hero, what powers would you have?
Go back in time.
What would you do if you won the lottery?
Depends on how much.
What's your favorite zoo animal?
I like them all, and I hate that they are in a zoo. If I had to pick, a giraffe.
If you could go back in time to change one thing, what would it be?
My last answer.
Would you rather trade intelligence for looks or looks for intelligence?
Looks for intelligence.
What's your favorite holiday?
Thanksgiving.
What was the last thing you watched on TV?
Homeland.
What was the last book you read?
No Drama Discipline.
What's your favorite type of foreign food?
Indian.
Are you a clean or messy person?
Clean.
Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life?
Aziz Ansari.
What's your favorite fast food chain?
I don’t like fast food.
What's your favorite family recipe?
Karahi chicken.
What's your favorite family tradition?
Drinking wine while cooking.
What is your favorite childhood memory?
Camping.
What's your favorite movie?
Back to the Future.
