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Daryl Flynn is the owner of Refinish Solutions, a Stafford vehicle paint supplier

Date published: 3/21/2007

EDUCATION: Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration from Old Dominion University.

FAMILY: Married to Tiffany Flynn. The couple have one daughter, Sage, 1, and another child on the way.

CAREER HISTORY: Flynn worked in the restaurant business at the age of 15 until he finished graduate school at the age of 25. He spent two years selling insurance immediately after college and then moved on to selling car paint for the past decade.

WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? At the northern tip of Orange County in Lake of the Woods.

WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP? I'm not sure yet.

HOW DID YOU END UP OWNING REFINISH SOLUTIONS? After selling insurance for a couple a years after college, I decided that the insurance business was not for me and was looking for something else to get into. I was leaning toward the banking and finance industries when my father approached me about working with him at Aquia Auto Parts, which he had owned and operated since 1978. So in 1997 I came to work in the family business. National and regional consolidators were then acquiring independent auto parts stores at a rapid pace, so I took my father's advice to focus on selling automotive paint. Aquia Auto Parts had been selling automotive paint from their parts counter since the early '80s, but in 1998 we created a specific paint department, including a different sales counter, phone lines and, of course, the name Refinish Solutions. Five years ago, my father sold the auto parts division to a consolidator and I bought the paint operation. Boy, am I in debt!

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST DECISION YOU'RE WRESTLING WITH NOW? Andrew Carnegie once said, "Pioneering doesn't pay." I have a project that definitely falls into the "pioneering" category. I'm not sure if the time and money needed on this endeavor will be the best use of resources.

WHAT IS ONE THING YOU WOULD CHANGE ABOUT YOUR JOB? I spend a great deal of time driving, either to visit customers or calling on prospective customers. While I get a lot of phone calls made, driving still wastes a lot of time, and the traffic situation doesn't help.

Date published: 3/21/2007