What does a project coordinator do?

Most of my work includes initial inspections of emergency situations and writing estimates for repair work. 

How long have you been with Franjo Restoration?

It will be 6 years on January 5th!

How did you get into this type of work? 

I grew up around my uncle, who owns and operates Lesko Contracting. He builds in-ground swimming pools – both commercial & residential. At some point, I started working with him. Then in 2010, I started in the restoration industry and began with Franjo Restoration in 2015. I still help my uncle sometimes.

What is your favorite thing about Franjo?

Hands down, it’s the people. Even meeting new people, you feel like you’ve known them for a while.

What kinds of resources, software, processes, tools, etc do you use on a daily basis and how do they support Restoration’s goal of “Restoring Peace of Mind?”

The most important one is Xactimate. It’s an estimating software and is essentially the bible of restoration pricing. I’d say it’s where any project comes to life. It’s where you locate what you need and what it’s going to cost to repair or give someone back what they had before. It’s the base – a guide to writing a repair.

What has surprised you the most about the industry?

Having moved from the field to an office atmosphere, I’m the most surprised by how much needs to happen behind the scenes. There are a lot of things that I never understood or realized that must happen before a project can be an actual project.

Do you have any favorite things?

Food: pizza – Aiello’s

Drink: coke

Movie: Dumb & Dumber

Sports team: Pitt basketball

Hobbies? Pickleball – any outdoor team sport, anything with a ball is fun.

Pet peeve: When people drive with high beams on during the day

Do you have a nickname? How did you get it?

Everyone except for my co-workers calls me Pete. In my group of friends, there is a guy who is known for giving out nicknames, and they would always stick. He called me Pete, and it stuck. It’s been a good 11 years now that I’m called Pete.

Are there any specific traits or interests you’ve always had that ended up showing up in some way at work?

I always loved seeing construction going on. I grew around it and liked to dig holes and play with building blocks as a kid. Then growing up in the pool industry, I was always around that kind of work. I guess you could say there was a natural progression into this field.

Anything else?

I love music. I often share my playlist on Instagram. It’s usually modern rock. I’ve always been into music and concerts. Before COVID, I would try to go to one concert a month. I’m also really big into comedy podcasts. I really like the Joe Rogan Experience.