ABOUT US

From humble beginnings to success built upon trusting relationships with contractors, supplier partners, and team members - we hope you enjoy our narrative on the past, present, and future of Tropic Supply.

1973 - 1979

Humble Beginnings

For our first twelve years, we focused exclusively on the sale of refrigeration equipment and supplies. Our initial foray into the world of air conditioning did not happen until the mid 80s.

Our story began on April 15, 1973 when Tropic Supply was incorporated by our fearless leader, Charles F. Del Vecchio. The doors of our very first resource center opened just a few months later at a modest warehouse in North Miami at the Sunshine State Industrial Park. We initially started with a team of three, but quickly grew to seven and then doubled our warehouse space thanks to the support of friends and family. Charles’ business savvy and experience in both wholesale distribution and refrigeration drove the business forward rapidly, and it wasn’t long before we opened two additional stores - one in North Fort Lauderdale in 1975 and another in South Miami in 1976.

INTERESTING FACT: All of our resource centers are associated with a “T” number. This “T” number corresponds to the order in which each location was opened. "T-1” was our first store, “T-2” our second, etc. We do not have a T-13 location for the same reason many high rises do not have a 13th floor.

1980 - 1989

Southeast Expansion

Tropic Supply continued to expand throughout southeast Florida in the 1980s. We opened four additional locations in South Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Fort Pierce and Mid-Miami. We also started an export department to serve the growing refrigeration needs of the Caribbean islands and South and Central America.

INTERESTING FACT: From 1984 through the early 90s, we leased a few of the bays in several of our buildings to the Ruud distributor at that time. We formed a great relationship with our neighbor and through this connection, we sub-distributed the brand to our refrigeration customers when they needed air conditioning equipment. We did not become the primary distributor of the Ruud brand in Florida until 2008.

1990 - 1999

Tropic Goes West

Charles’ son Chuck started learning the business at the young age of 12, when he started in the warehouse building boxes to repackage compressors. Over the years, he worked in all areas of the company, including counter sales, driving and purchasing. Chuck joined the business full-time in 1992, shortly after graduating from Tulane University. While he would not become President until 2007, he began to play an instrumental role in Tropic’s growth. Tropic expanded westward in the 90s, opening locations in Fort Myers, Naples, Cape Coral and Port Charlotte. An additional location was also opened in Delray Beach, bringing the total number of Tropic resource centers to twelve.

2000 - 2009

Air Conditioning Debut

Tropic Supply opened an additional five locations between 2000 and 2010 – Sarasota in 2001, East Tampa in 2004, West Tampa in 2006, Orlando in 2007 and Jacksonville in 2008.

The first decade in the 2000s was significant, as it marked our official entry into the air conditioning industry. In 2008, Tropic Supply took on the Ruud residential and commercial air conditioning lines in Florida. While we were a sub-distributor of the brand during the 1980s, we did not become the primary distributor until 2008. Having supported the highly technical and demanding needs of the refrigeration industry for the previous three decades, we were able to bring the HVAC industry a higher and more flexible level of counter support…which remains one of our primary competitive advantages today. The industry responded in force, and less than a decade later, Tropic Supply would be recognized as one of the top Ruud distributors nationwide.

2010 - 2019

Northern Exposure

In the 2010s, Tropic Supply not only expanded northward, but also moved its home office from its original location in North Miami to Sunrise. Four additional resource centers were added to the map: Daytona Beach (2010), Tallahassee (2015), Ocala (2017) and St. Petersburg (2018). Our team grew past the 250 mark and our total number of locations topped 22.

2020 - Present

The Next Generation

Since 2020, Tropic Supply has been focused on building the next generation of our business—both in people and in technology. We have continued to invest in modern tools that make it faster and easier for HVAC and refrigeration contractors to work with us, from improved online ordering to more efficient operational processes. These upgrades are designed to help us scale while staying responsive to the way our customers do business today.

This period has also marked an important moment for our family-owned company. The third generation has arrived! Charlie Del Vecchio joined the business in 2025, and we are looking forward to bringing his fresh ideas into our long-term vision. His younger brother Jake will join the team in 2028 when he completes his college degree.

Even as we modernize, one thing remains unchanged: our belief that strong, personal relationships are the foundation of great service. Technology will make us more efficient, but it will never take the place of knowing our customers and supporting them the way only a family business can.

In 2026, we will open a new location directly adjacent to our current home office in Sunrise. The purchase of this building enables us to expand our support team and better service the greater Fort Lauderdale contactor community.

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