CARRYING ON A LEGACY

When we say we have a family culture, we mean it. This year, the RC Andersen family stepped in to help one of their own in a small way that has made a big impact.

In December 2021, superintendent Ed Condon alerted Terri Paliana, human resources manager at RC Andersen, that he wasn’t feeling well and may need a hospital stay. To make matters worse, his wife tested positive for COVID-19 during this period and was prohibited from seeing her husband. Throughout Condon’s time in the hospital, Paliana remained in touch with him.

“I became very close to him and the family,” says Paliana. “I just knew when he was alone, keeping in touch and being positive was the right thing to do.”

Unfortunately, Condon didn’t make it through. A grandfather of four, the Marlborough, Massachusetts native had been building a treehouse for the kids before his health complications put the project on hold. When the RC Andersen team saw pictures of Condon and his grandchildren working on the project, they knew how they could help.

“After reaching out to Ed’s wife for the OK, we tapped into our New England-based team to see who would be willing to pitch in to finish the job,” says Steve Sroka, RC Andersen vice president. “Everyone said, ‘Definitely. Yes.’”

Assistant superintendents Jennings Soccorso-McCoy and Ciaran O’Connor took the lead, working with partners to determine pricing and options, create conceptual designs, and handle safety upgrades. Driving out to Marlborough on the weekends, they added a ladder, a deck with super soakers on the railings, a slide, interior finishes like bean bag chairs, and more— getting a little help and lots of input from the grandchildren along the way.

“It was so great to see how quickly RC Andersen jumped on this opportunity to help,” says Soccorso-McCoy. “Ed used to tell us every day how far they were getting with it. I knew exactly how exciting this is because I got a treehouse when I was a kid, too. The joy this will bring to those kids will be astronomical.”

When RCA took over, the treehouse was roughly halfway done. Working together, the team built, painted, and fulfilled Ed Condon’s vision while demonstrating what family truly means.

“We wanted to make a memory for Ed’s legacy,” says Sroka. “It just feels so great to be part of this.”