"I just don't sit still," he says.

Conrado may not sit still, but he sits as chairman of the Saratoga Rotary Fellowship Committee; and chairman of the Heritage Preservation Commission; and treasurer of the Sacred Heart Men's Club. Since next year is the 50th anniversary of the incorporation of the city of Saratoga, he is chairman of the city's 50th anniversary celebration, as well.

On top of that, he is an avid golfer and an award-winning winemaker.

How does he do it? Not watching TV frees up a lot of time, he explains, although he does watch golf. "I'm very organized," he says. "Everything sort of falls into place."

Conrado was born in Santa Cruz and raised in Sacramento. At 20, he graduated from the University of Santa Clara with a degree in civil engineering. He spent seven years in the civil engineering field as a surveyor and a draftsman and two years as an engineer in the engineering department of the town of Los Gatos.

In 1980, he got into the building business, working for a developer who built condominiums in the East Bay.

His early building experience saw some ups and downs. That first developer decided to get out of the business at a time when interest rates were sky high and profits hard to come by. Conrado turned to painting houses and building fences. But he got back into the building game and in 1984 was in charge of his own business. He went out of business in 1988 and was forced to start over from scratch.

With experience and many lessons learned, Conrado is back on top as president of The Conrado Company, Inc.

"I learned that there are no automatics in this life and that you need to work hard and take care of people," he says. "This business is based on taking care of people. That's the bottom line."

And what of talk of a housing bubble about to burst? "I've watched a bunch of housing booms in Saratoga for the last 20 years," he says. "It will level off and then it will go up again."

Something that sets Conrado apart from other home builders is that he offers his customers a chance to share in his love for winemaking. "If they want a vineyard I plant one for them," he says. "I've planted probably at least one vineyard a year since 1992. They are a low-cost way of landscaping. They don't take much water." Conrado turns the grapes from about 16 small vineyards in the area into wine, giving half away to the growers and donating his half to charity.

Staying busy doesn't keep Conrado from having a family life. He has been married to his wife, Libby, for 27 years. Both are graduates of the University of Santa Clara and both returned to their alma mater to attend night school, earning masters of business administration degrees. They have a son, Robert, who graduated from Dartmouth this year and who is now going to Cornell to get a doctorate in bio-molecular engineering. Their daughter, Colleen, is a senior at Washington University in St. Louis where she has a double major in graphic design and art history.

It was when the family was living in San Jose and he was driving Colleen and Robert to school at the Sacred Heart School that Conrado decided to make the move to Saratoga. "I like the small town atmosphere of Saratoga," he says. "I don't like the glitz of some of our neighboring cities. Saratoga is a small place and the people are nice."

Saratoga City Councilwoman Ann Waltonsmith has worked with Conrado around town and recommended him for a seat on the Heritage Preservation Commission. "He's very responsive to the things we need," she says. "He has time to talk about issues even though he's so busy. He's turned out to be a great citizen for Saratoga."

Phylis Ballingall, who sits on the Heritage Preservation Commission, agrees. "I've been a member with him for three years," she says. "He's just a great chairperson and community member. He contributes so much of his time and expertise. Of course, he's a great winemaker, you know."

With Conrado as chairman of Saratoga's 50th anniversary of incorporation, Saratogans can expect the celebration next year to be a good one. "We've been a city for 50 years," he says. "I think that's something the city should be proud of."

So how does Conrado have the energy to run a successful business, be a husband and a father, have a full social life and stay so active in the community?

"You should feel passionate about the things you do, and I do," he says. "That keeps you very energized."