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Opportunities – Damasae Pendelton, owner of Pendelton Construction, said Thrive in Steubenville, a city-funded business incubator for low-income and minority entrepreneurs, is a great way to start your own business and reach new communities. It gave him the tools he needed to invest, he said. — Linda Harris
STEUBENVILLE — When Damasae Pendelton said it was love at first sight.
“During COVID we traveled all over the world” Pendleton, owner of Pendleton Construction, said: “It was the exact opposite of what other people did. I ran into Steubenville.”
Something about that first impression struck a chord with him.
“It reminded me of my hometown and I fell in love instantly. I could see the fog coming out of the river and the light coming in.” He said. “At some point, I could feel this town coming to life. I was convinced that this was the place I wanted to raise my family. I wanted to step in here not only because I knew I had the skills to bring it to life, but because… some of the top schools in the country were here. wanted to join the community.”
An eighth-generation carpenter, Pendleton grew up in Haverhill, Massachusetts, a small town on the Merrimack River. He said it was an old shoe factory town. “Like Steubenville, all industry is gone.”
“This town has been abandoned in terms of income and infrastructure, and it really brought people there.” He said. “As I grew up, I witnessed the changes that we see today, from an abandoned and forgotten town 40 miles north of Boston, by transforming vacant shoe factories into housing and shopping centers and tearing down the rundown. We were able to rebuild our homes, our infrastructure.I have seen the market change from being industrialized to being like warm suburbs outside the city, perfect for raising kids. I got
“That’s what drew me to Steubenville. It’s like going back in time and really being part of the change. That was very important to me. A lot of new businesses are coming to Steubenville.” are pouring into the parks and are doing a lot to revitalize their parks and infrastructure, and it’s really cool to be a part of that now that I’m an adult.”
They found a place to live, settled into life in Steubenville, worked odd jobs, and saved every penny he could. “One morning, I saw a story about a business incubator, Thrive from Steubenville, coming to town.” he remembers
Thrive in Steubenville is the brainchild of Paramount Pursuits, a Pennsylvania consulting firm hired by the city to help locals launch and grow their businesses. His 12-month program is designed to help entrepreneurs build an entrepreneurial foundation, teaching them how to create business and marketing plans, providing digital marketing assistance, and understanding finance. , to identify and acquire funds and networks.
To be eligible, participants must be residents of Steubenville and have a business they operate or wish to operate within city limits. You must also meet income guidelines.
Once approved, participants will be assigned a mentor and will meet twice a month. If you have questions, just ask. If Paramount staff can’t answer, find an expert who can.
“I remember telling myself that this would be great. My goal was to come here, settle my family down, and start a business. I said, ‘Look at this.’ They are looking for entrepreneurs, so this is God’s call.”
After months of struggling, he thought he had saved enough money to start as a limited liability company.
“Obviously it wasn’t enough, but at the time I thought it was enough.” He said. “I remembered that story and reached out to Paramount Pursuit. is a group of
The following year he learned how to be successful in business. Business He learned everything from how to write plans to how to network with other business owners.
“I wasn’t sitting, I wasn’t breathing.” He said. “I didn’t realize… what was coming. By the end of the year, we had three accountants who had actually moved from LLCs to S Corporations.”
Pendelton Construction specializes in building extensions and renovations. All the carpentry work is done in-house, but Pendleton says he has connections with some of the most skilled tradespeople in the area. “People who are already here” Have the same commitment to quality and bring them to work when necessary.
He said they try to provide their customers with the most innovative technology possible, including drones and lasers.
“We use drones that fly overhead to tell us about roofs and gutters. Normally we would do this on a ladder, but now we can use drone technology to bring the roof down to our customers. “
His company is equally innovative on the management side, offering things like in-house loans, he said. “That way people can get the new bathrooms they actually need.”
“We build on an individual level” He said. “That’s one of the main reasons people contact us. They understand that we offer loans based on circumstances, not credit scores. Some people don’t have to withdraw money from their 401K to get in. In some cases, giving five months to pay can make a big difference.”
Business was booming, and in that first year, when he wasn’t remodeling or adding to private homes, he actually started investing in other investors looking to build a stronger community. We were supporting about 15 flip houses.
This year, he plans to do a few things with the money he’s saved and investments from his grandfather, a veteran and government retiree, and other family members who share his passion for rebuilding his neighborhood. He has already purchased several run-down homes in areas in dire need of TLC, including one on Rothwell Avenue.
“We’re working on our first rental properties and we’re targeting areas that have been forgotten, areas where people invested to collect rent but didn’t care.” He said. “Our goal is to provide quality housing to people who normally don’t have the opportunity to own a nice home, and not only make it affordable, but make it a nice home. This year’s mission is to transform it.”
They’re already working on a property on Roswell Avenue that they hope will be ready to rent this summer. Pendleton said it was an illegal two-unit apartment when he bought it. When completed, it will have 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths and a laundry on the main floor.
“These are the most expensive properties to invest in because they have been neglected so far.” he pointed out. “Before, people bought them, made as much money as they could, and put as little money in as they could. will try to stay here.”
The youngest of five children, Mr. Pendleton worked hard for his mother to move the family out of low-income housing and took every job he could find, from CNA to LPN to eventually becoming a registered nurse. came.
“When we were kids, we lived in a house where cockroaches climbed walls.” He said. “Watching my mother go from owning a house out of there is what drives me as an individual to be able to see that kind of growth. There are people out there who work as hard as my mother and just want to go home.” And when his family first settled in Steubenville, Pendleton claimed he inadvertently borrowed from a shantytown lord who was willing to do nothing against the infestation of vermin, including bed bugs, on his property. Said, while wrestling with the landlord so that I could live, “Many times I found the terms on which he rented out the house unbelievable.”
“I want to be able to offer more than that.” He said. “I know people can’t pay thousands of dollars a month, but it’s still clean and they feel comfortable living there. Revitalizing those types of neighborhoods is my mission this year.”
He set high goals. His plan is to revitalize five facilities each year for the next ten years.
“We will continue to work on other people’s properties, but this year we took our own. We are repairing them. It’s about providing… quality countertops, flooring choices, ceiling fans — things that people normally don’t put in because they’re supposed to tear.. We have a lifetime warranty. We strive to select , and we take great care in purchasing and choosing our ingredients, our goal is to try to add value to the area.
“It’s a pretty big bet, a very big bet, but we’re not in it for the money. To be able to open it up and say, “Wow, that’s beautiful – I can’t believe it’s my home.” make a big difference in the lives of ”
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