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According to Conrad Ricketts, executive producer of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Maleno Development is a family-run business that takes pride in building not only communities, but neighborhoods. Their devotion to giving back is what first caught our eye, and their long-standing tradition of charity and community involvement assured us that they were perfect for this project.”
Building from Experience
Maleno Development was co-founded by Maleno and his wife, Lynn, in 1976. John, who had several years of experience working on smaller construction projects in the Erie area, earned his broker’s license and began selling real estate, as well as building and remodeling area apartments. Units that weren’t sold were rented, allowing the couple to build their business by building equity. Then, with a crew of three, the Malenos embarked on building an average of six houses a year. Their work eventually evolved into subdivisions, creating the 230 singlefamily Calico Fields. The neighborhood is just one of many single-family developments built by Maleno, as well as Ridgewood, Love Farm, South Pointe Condominiums, The Meadows at Summit and Sterling Ridge. Maleno Development also owns several apartment complexes including Lake View Apartments, Scenery Hills, The Village and Shadow Pines. To date, the company has built more than 1,000 homes and apartments in the Erie area. And today five of John Maleno’s seven children work within the company – Dominic, the construction manager; Anne, the company’s property manager; real estate agents Natalie and Jarrod; and Julie, who works as a leasing agent for the firm – and have helped their mother and father turn Maleno Development into a full-service real-estate team, specializing in construction, land development, property management and real-estate sales.
businesses donated games and services to the Ward family; others made contributions to see to it that future projects are carried on. “I visited the site and was very impressed with the number of volunteers who are giving their time, talents and other resources to help others,” noted Michael Edwards, CEO of Marquette Savings Bank. “I’m not sure I fully understand the coordination efforts that go into demolishing and building a home in 106 hours, but my hat’s off to John Maleno and his family for their efforts on this project.” In fact, Edwards was so impressed with the work being done that he presented a check for $5,000 to the Maleno fund on behalf of Marquette toward future improvement projects in the area. “The project was bigger than helping one deserving family in need,” said Edwards. “Marquette saw this as the beginning of a neighborhood revitalization effort in an inner-city neighborhood that needed help. We also like the fact that the Family-toFamily Fund will continue to fund similar projects in the future. “It’s always refreshing,” he continued, “when the people of our community come together to help those in need.” Edwards’ sentiments were shared by several other employers, who also made significant contributions during the “Makeover” project. > Though not as extreme as the “Makeover” project, the Maleno Family-toFamily Fund will help revitalize area neighborhoods on a smaller scale.
Not surprisingly, said Maleno, the “Extreme Makeover” project was a labor of love for their entire family. “It brought us all together,” he said. “And, from a company standpoint, it was a really good team-building project. At the end of the day, you know who you can count on.” Over the course of one week, 3,200 volunteers with the support of 200 businesses helped transform the Ward home into a dream house that could meet Ward’s needs for her Youth Development & Family Center as well as her degenerative muscle disease that requires her to use a wheelchair. Together, they worked to build a two-bedroom, two-bath home as well as an attached community center that includes two bathrooms, a full kitchen, a wheelchair lift, a geothermal heating and cooling system, and basketball court for the children. One of the most astonishing things, in addition to the size and scope of the project, which included more than $1.3 million dollars in contributions of labor and/or materials, was that the project brought together different trades, and even some competitors, to meet a very tight deadline. “The amazing part of it,” noted Maleno, “was that because you have to be done so quickly, no one electrical company can do it at one time. No one framing company can do it at one time. So all the different trades were working together with people they never worked with before.” Michael Anthony of A. Anthony & Sons, Inc. in Erie, which served as a concrete contractor for the project and has been a longtime partner with Maleno on building projects, described the teamwork as simply “awesome.” “I turned around at 2 in the morning and every one of my guys had shown up to give a hand,” he said of his team of 18, all of whom had to be at work the following day. “I think the Erie community has a lot to give. When push comes to shove, we live in a community where everybody is willing to go the extra mile for each other.” And it’s one of the reasons he encourages others to support the Maleno Family-to-Family Fund. “I just believe it’s a cause that every one should see through to help the community…,” stated Anthony. “You’ve got to pay it forward; there’s no way around it.”
A Community of Support
The “Makeover” project has inspired many individuals and businesses, many of whom are eager to donate time and money to worthy causes. Several
Photo by Michael Gallagher
Donate to the Maleno Family-to-Family Fund
The Maleno Family-to-Family Fund was established as a way to allow families in the Erie area help other families less fortunate than themselves. By contributing to this fund, you will help them help others. In order to be considered for an upcoming project, area residents are encouraged to call the St. Martin Center at 814/452-6113 as well as apply online at www.malenoextremehome.com. Individuals and organizations also can contribute to the fund by donating on the www.malenoextremehome.com Web site or by sending checks to: Erie Bank C/O Maleno Family-to-Family Fund attn: Allison Roberts 2035 Edinboro Road Erie, PA 16509