Jupiter, Florida - Many dont expect their first full-time job at a company to turn into a prosperous 30-year career and counting. After all, its not a narrative one hears often. But thats exactly what happened with City Electric Supply (CES) Regional Manager Mike Bertone. He was making $8 an hour as a part-time electrician straight out of high school, digging ditches and climbing into attics. One day, while picking up a few supplies from the CES branch in Jupiter, Florida, Bertone discovered the branch was looking for a driver.

I filled out an application on September 26, and I put my start date as September 27, he said. When I joined, I was making $6 an hour as a driver. Before, I was making more than $8 as an electrician. I had to take a step backward in pay, but I believed the opportunity was there. I took a risk, and Ill always be glad I did.

Today, Bertone serves as a regional manager overseeing five districts and more than 40 branches across Florida.

Though Bertones first position at CES was driver, he was determined to climb up the ladder to a leadership role. And not just any position. Bertone a newcomer at the time told his regional manager, Russ Swanson, that he wanted his job one day.

I was only 20 years old, he laughed. Whether I was going to make it or not, I didnt know. When I told Russ, he actually encouraged me. He said, If thats your goal, I want you to have my job.

And Bertone did exactly that!

It all comes back to believing in the opportunity, he added. Weve always wanted employees who are motivated enough to aim for the jobs of the people who hired them. I realized early on that this was a career, and I was going to make it happen.

Thats the kind of mindset Bertone encourages everyone he works with to have. Its what has helped make his ultimate goal within the company tangible. According to Bertone, theres one particular phrase that he makes sure everyone in his region knows.

You cant wait for things to happen; you have to go out and make it happen, he said. With my background as an electrician, I was fortunate enough to know most of the products. A few months into my career, I got promoted to the warehouse and counter sales. It wasnt long after that when I found out that I had a son on the way, so I really had to move up as fast as possible.

Determined to succeed, Bertone experienced three advancements within four years. He was promoted to operations manager at CES Jupiter in 1993. In 1996, he was promoted to outside sales rep and brought in 60 percent of CES Jupiters business. He was then promoted to branch manager in 1997 and District Manager in 2000. But it was in 2013 that Mike was offered his dream role at CES, Regional Manager. Through that role, he helped introduce CES to communities around Florida. From Titusville out to Sebring, all the way down to KeyWest, he helped branches achieve a great amount of success.

CES has always focused on personal service. Running events back then, those were key. It helped us to start building relationships with customers. Not a lot of distributors did that, he said. Some people leave their work at work. Im not like that. I interact with the friends I make at work, and a lot of our teams are like that, too. When youre friends with your customers, it makes it easier to work together because you know each other.

And what better way to celebrate being a part of a family-owned business than to have a family member join? Bertone brought his son Thomas Bertone into the business. The younger Bertone started the same way his father did, working his way up from the bottom. When he got his first opportunity at the CES branch in Lake Worth, Florida, which faced some challenges for a few years, he managed to turn it around completely in just one year.

I felt so good about CES being a family-owned company that I brought my own family into the business. Now, Thomas will be celebrating his seventh year with CES in April, and hes a very successful branch manager at CES Jupiter, my very first branch, Bertone said. Hes taking that branch to record highs, too.

Thomas isnt the only family member to join the CES family. Mikes father, Lou Bertone, worked as a sales rep for five years prior to retiring. Mike also got his father-in-law on board, Robert DAmico, who also worked his way up through the ranks, just celebrated his 21st year with City Electric Supply.

The list of accomplishments has yet to be concluded as Bertone hopes to continue helping others at CES turn their dreams into reality.

My goal is to get every one of our team members to advance, he said. My favorite part of being regional manager is being able to create opportunities for employees. When I open a new branch or a new district, thats an opportunity for everyone to move up and take on new roles.

For Bertone, his go-getter mindset is what helped him build his career from the ground up. He believes that with hard work and determination, people can make anything happen.

Try to never say no. No matter what task you have to do or what your customer needs, take it and do everything you can to make it happen, Bertone said. There are people who came up as district managers and regional managers in my branch network, but Ive only ever given them opportunities. Theyre the ones who helped themselves, theyre the ones who earned it. Thats all I can do. I can give you the education and the chance, but its all up to you to see what you can do with it.