To celebrate Father’s Day, we are profiling local dads during the month of June. Our first “Meet a Dad” is Tim Nee, a father of two and Darien native who grew up playing Little League baseball here. In 2018, he started a local business called Darien Garage Door and Designs. Find out more about Tim, his family and all his favorite spots in town.
How many children do you have and what are their ages?
I have two kids and a dog. Emma is 9 and Jack is 13, and our dog Bogey (a yellow lab) is 4.
What is special about raising your children in your hometown?
Raising our two kids here is great. I played Darien Little League baseball and Babe Ruth as a kid. My son finished Darien Little League last year and was on the winning team that captured the District Title, and now he’s playing in the Babe Ruth League. My father coached my Babe Ruth team and I was able to coach my son in Little League. My daughter is starting field hockey in the fall, and my wife played on the DHS field hockey team.
Since your wife is also from Darien, did you know each other growing up?
I did not know my wife Dara while growing up in Darien. We ended up meeting through mutual friends that we both know from town.
What is your favorite activity to do as a family?
We love going to the beach and getting out on the LI Sound and spending time with Bogey.
Please tell us about your business and when you started Darien Garage Door and Designs…
I started Darien Garage Door and Designs in 2018 after working in the garage door business for 10 years.
Most unique project?
We installed an electric operator on a garage door where the homeowner was told it couldn’t be done from one of our competitors, because there wasn’t enough room. My installer was able to make it work!
Do you have a showroom in town?
I have a small showroom in Darien on the Post Road (110 Post Road).
Favorite part of the job?
My favorite part of the job is the before and after—when someone replaces their existing garage doors, it’s always a huge improvement.
Has your father given you any great advice you’d like to share, in honor of Father’s Day?
When I told my father I was thinking about starting my own garage door company he encouraged me to do it. He told me, “It will be hard in the beginning, but if you work hard it will pay off.”
We like to support local businesses. What are your favorite places in the area to:
Have dinner: Rory’s and Cherry Street East
Grab a drink with friends: The Goose and Gates
Have a date night: Scena Wine Bar
Spend time together as a family outdoors: Pear Tree Beach
Grab coffee: Dunkin’
Workout: I bike and run on the Darien roadways.