I have been involved in the residential construction industry in one form or another my entire life. As a teen, I worked as a gopher for my father John’s and my uncle Patrick’s construction company, Lacko Construction, a new-home builder. My father and uncle taught me valuable carpentry and mechanical skills. As a Journeyman, I expanded my tool chest from the basic hand tools to a full library of hand, mechanical, cordless and power tools. During this time, I also attended Harrisburg Community College (PA) and Penn State University studying Mathematics and Engineering Technology.
In my twenties, I started working for River City Construction Company. River City was awarded construction contracts with the City of Harrisburg. Some of the projects were Riverside Village Park, the John Harris Trading Post, Harbor Town, Harrisburg Trolley/Stops, the Pride of the Susquehanna and similar projects for the Senators Baseball Stadium on the State Capital’s City Island. And in my late twenties, I worked for a Philadelphia based company DeSousa Brown.
Approaching thirty and looking to the future for new opportunities, I was hired as lead Superintendent for a Harrisburg based remodeling contractor, Four Seasons. As Superintendent, I was responsible for leading several crews, scheduling and managing new home additions start to finish, including demolition, construction, electrical and mechanical assignments, and finally closing out the jobs with homeowners.
While I enjoyed remodeling work, I wanted to get back into new home construction, and opportunity came knocking. I was contacted by Vanguard Homes, another Philadelphia based construction company regarding a Superintendent position. They were building in Harrisburg, Mechanicsburg and Carlisle, PA. The position started in Harrisburg, but then my job moved to developments in Carlisle, specifically Mayapple and Dickinson Green. This was another good time in my life. I was working for a prominent new-home builder, running all aspects of new home construction start to finish, bringing in the streets and sidewalks, building the new model homes and working with new home buyers building their dream homes. Construction trailers were set up in both developments where I established offices, prepared building/construction schedules, and worked with General Contractors, Vendors and Material Supply companies to ensure these schedules were met, all in preparation of the final walkthroughs, settlements and closings.
In my late thirties, another opportunity arose. I was hired as a Technical Advisor for Residential Warranty Company, LLC (RWC)/HOME of Texas. I have been working for RWC/HOME the past 21 years and currently serve as Supervisor in the Warranty Resolution Department. As Supervisor, some of my day to day tasks are overseeing the Technical Staff and several other warranty resolution staff, working with Builders, Engineers, Contractors and Homeowners bringing covered Warranty issues to resolution.
My construction experience began early in life going back as far as I can remember. Even before I was 8 years old, I would tag along with my father and brother to all the remodeling projects they performed as a side business. They mainly designed and built exterior covered patios and sheds, as well as basement remodels and other small home repair projects. I was commonly given the detail of general clean-up which mainly involved picking up nails.
I was also a volunteer on many building projects through our Church in my teen and High School years including the cupola designed and built by my father that still sits atop St. Timothy Lutheran Church, in Camp Hill, PA. At age 14 and 15, I spent two consecutive summers working for my brother in Virginia building Custom Homes. The summers I spent with my brother provided me with excellent skills. I became very efficient as a cut man running the circular saw on an everyday basis and did plenty of hammer swinging. At age 18, after High School, I moved to Colorado to again work with my brother and his Custom Home Building Company, Blue Marlin Construction based out of Boulder, Colorado. Approximately two years later I returned to the East Coast and stayed close to the construction trade helping a friend with a remodeling business.
After 4 years in the Army, and a few years of truck driving, I was approached by an old friend about an opportunity. From 1996 through 2001, I worked for Greg Wilson Building and Remodeling. Our work consisted of all phases of construction, from foundations to finish, including framing, drywall, floors, windows, decks and roofs.
In 2002 I took a job with Safeway Steel in Harrisburg, designing steel scaffolding layouts that were installed by union carpenters. Due to my interest in construction, I took Construction Code and Safety Science courses and in 2003 I was hired by RWC/HOME where I have worked as a Technical Advisor for the past 17 years.
My certifications include being an ICC Certified Residential Building Inspector and my Harrisburg Community College Diploma, Construction Codes and Safety Science.