John Pugliese

“Who would have thunk?”---that John Pugliese, who’s only ambition in High School was to get out, would end up a  nationally recognized expert in the restoration of landmark government buildings with copper and metal roofs, would get a college degree, and would live long periods of time in such places as Italy, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Slovakia, Seattle, California and mainland China.   Today John splits his time between his town house in  Beijing China and his house in Seattle Washington. 

Part of this beautiful success story was made possible because John’s family had insisted that Italian be spoken in their home.  It was John’s bilingual abilities that started him on the road  to the incredible success he has had in the international business world. 

In 1956 John began high school with the realization that he would never be able to go to college as his family just could not afford it.  He hated high school.  “What was facing me was to work at US Steel like my father,” he says.

After graduation John took a job with for Youngstown Screen & Door as an installer.  He began there to learn the skills necessary to manage installation projects.

The Pugliese family had planned a life in California following John’s father’s retirement from US Steel in 1963.   To facilitate this move his mother and sister Fanny moved to Long Beach, CA in order to get things ready for his father’s move there after retirement. 

John’s mother kept sending him newspaper ads about sales positions paying $75 to $100 per week (the year was 1962) including a company car and expense account.  “This sounded a lot better than US Steel or Youngstown Screen & Door,” he declares.

“So late one June night I said goodbye to my friends and family in Girard and drove to Long Beach with my father.  What happened there was unbelievable,” he adds.

His mother and younger sister Fanny had been living in Long Beach for more than a year.  They had met a lot of people.  Being Italian, they met Italians. When John arrived his sister Franny’s boyfriend helped him get a job with his company, the Los Angeles Chemical and Steel Company.  John was beginning to learn about the importance of networking.

John rose fast in that company becoming District sales manager first and then being promoted to Senior Purchasing Agent.  His skills at finding materials to fill sales orders were being developed.

At that time photo grade chemicals and copper were big selling items.  Los Angeles Chemical decided to take a chance on John by sending him to Italy to find specialty chemicals.  This opportunity came because of his parents insistence that the family speak Italian.  His language ability made him a natural for the job.

That first trip to Europe started John off on his world experience that would continue until this day.  He ended up living in Italy for 3 years while working for LA Chemical and Steel.  “Living in Italy gave me the opportunity to visit all of Europe,” he says.  “My English and Italian got me through country after country.”

LA Chemical and Steel was very impressed by John’s performance in Italy.  When they brought him back to California three years later,  they offered him a position of Regional Sales Manager.  This promotion was on the condition that he would take business classes at Long Beach State University. 

“For me this was the kiss of death,” John explains. “I had hated to study in high school and had not even thought of college.  But I did it and I got the promotion.”    After 6 years of night school John Pugliese graduated with a BA Degree in Business Administration from Long Beach State University.  During that time he was also promoted to International Sales Director for LA Chemical and Steel.

In February of 1972 John was sent to Seattle on a sales trip.   There he met  Debra who was to become his first wife and mother of his three children.  The two commuted back and forth between Debra’s home in Seattle and John’s home in California.  John found he liked Seattle more than California so in October of ’72 he and Debra were married and John resigned from LA Chemical.  The couple moved to Seattle where John quickly found work with the Seattle company,  Metal Consultants International.

John would combine his ability to find materials with his abilities as a salesman to create a very lucrative position supplying exotic metals for Boeing and the United States Navy yards in Washington State.

The problem in the metals business was that if a company like Boeing needed a limited amount of an exotic metal for their manufacturing, they would be forced to buy in large lots. “ The requirement to buy larger than needed lots was a considerable cost factor,” John explains.  “By this time my specialty was in finding the same supplies in the quantities needed and selling them to Boeing.  It was a very good business.”  

John then got involved in supplying copper for a large radiator manufacturers.  To do this properly he had to learn a great deal about copper which has special properties.   John became an expert on copper and in 1984 was selected to become the project management consultant for the remodel of the Tacoma Union Train station and its copper dome.  This project was so detailed and complex that it was written up  in several Architectural Magazines.   John had suddenly been elevated to an expert on the restoration of historical buildings that had copper roofs and building trims.  The requirement was to make them exactly like they were when originally built.    John became on demand on the Architectural speaker circuit.  His reputation as an expert in the restoration of historical buildings was growing faster than anyone would ever imagine.

During this time in Seattle this GHS student who detested high school, was elected to and served 4 years on the local Board of Education.

In 1992 John went out on his own as a consultant in historic building restoration.  He worked closely with the Government Services Administration, the agency which provides money for historic building restoration.  GSA had exact standards for exact reproductions of the original structure.  John’s business flourished.

In 1994 John was recruited by Lords Metal in England.  His life was now to be sent into another direction.  He was to be project manager and consultant on the remodel of a copper roof state library building in St. Petersburg, Russia.   The USSR had just disbanded and Russia had emerged. 

John was to be one of the first Americans to work in the new Russia. “It was a real eye opener as to just how much our USA government had pulled the wool over our eyes during the cold war,” John says. “When I stepped off the plane in Russia I found a run down, third world country.  There were old airplanes and tanks littered all over the airport. The soldiers at the airport wore dirty tennis shoes with their uniforms,” he goes on to explain.

“American were not really liked very much in Russia in those days.  English was not spoken very much,” John says. “But strangely, I found many who spoke Italian so I went around speaking Italian in Russia.”

John’s work in Russia would occupy the next 5 years.  He was traveling 70 percent of the time working on projects in 9 of the old Soviet States and visited 20 other countries in Eastern Europe.  His final project was the Opera House in Odessa, Ukraine.

Even though he returned to Seattle as much as possible, all this travel had its effect on his marriage.  He and Debra ended a 24 year marriage in divorce in 1996.

In the late 90’s John Pugliese returned full time to the USA and reopened his own consulting firm.  In 2001 he was asked to address an architectural conference in Beijing China.  This visit would take John’s life in an entirely new direction.

The Chinese translator assigned to John in China had asked him to deliver a gift to her sister who was living in Los Angeles.  John could deliver it while visiting his family in LA.  When he delivered the gift he met a Chinese Surgeon named Sunny who was studying advanced surgical techniques which had been developed in the USA.   Her assignment was to learn these new techniques and then go back to China and teach the techniques to other Chinese doctors. 

 A year later Sunny and John were married.  They  started a comute  between China and the USA that continues today. Sunny became a US Citizen in 2008 and has dual citizenship. 

In China college classmates and professionals stick together with a very strong networking system.  “Their classmate network is very strong and very loyal,” John explains.  “Through Sunny, I met many owners of companies and government ministers in Beijing.” 

In 2004 John and Sunny bought a condo in Shenzhen China near Hong Kong.  In 2007 they went on to buy a townhouse in Beijing where John started an import/Export company.  He specializes in solar energy products and carbon fiber road racing bicycle frames.   “Thank goodness for the classmate network.  Without connections in China, business is a maze that can take years to get anything done,” John says.

This year his Chinese company will install solar powered street lamps in Leone, Mexico.  John will be project manager to make sure his equipment is properly installed on the electrical grid. 

The Pugliese family split their time between  China and Seattle Washington.

As for his three children, his oldest son died five years ago from diabetes.  Son Paul is 32 and owns a music recording studio in Bellevue, Washington.  He has a popular band who tours the US and will be going to Japan in March. Paul is married and has given John his first grand daughter Marlo who is 11 months old. 

John’s  daughter Danielle is married and a paralegal who specializes in Spanish litigation.

“She and her husband will be moving to Mexico City to work with a American firm there, while she is fluent in Spanish, she can't speak a word of Italian,” he jokes.

John says he has the same high energy he has had since he was in his 20’s. “My mind still thinks my body is 18 years old but of course my body lets me know I am no longer 18 years old.  But for me retirement is not an option. I have always loved a challenge so taking on China is making my life challenging but in a very good way,” he explains.

This winter finds John at home in Seattle recuperating from knee replacement.  Being residents of China he gets excellent health benefits because of Sunny.  But the Chinese are behind the USA in knee replacement surgery so John came home for the operation. 

When the knee is better he and Sunny will return to Beijing where John finds life exciting.  “The city is very international,:” he says.  “I practice Tai Chi daily and have a Kung Fu instructor who is helping me keep my body in shape.  This instructor is 88 years old and can tie himself in a knot.  I have trouble just tying my shoes.”

John and Sunny hope to be at the reunion in August but are working on several solar projects in Mexico and Colombia which may require John’s presence.  “Installing solar powered street lights is complicated and I need to be there as a projected manager,” he says.  Hopefully he will be able to be in Girard.

To date John has traveled to 48 of the more than 120 counties of the world.  This May he plans to add a 49^th, Nepal.  His work in classic restoration has stimulated his interest in ancient cities and cultures.

“As for the ‘I wish’ question.  I wish I could have gone on to college after graduation in 1960.   I wish I had used my time in high school to learn more.  Now a day never passes that I do not learn something new,” John exclaims.

WE AGREE JOHN.  HAD YOU STUDIED MORE IN HIGH SCHOOL YOU MIGHT HAVE AMOUNTED TO SOMETHING!!!!!!

Thank you John, for the privilege of writing this bio.  Ed  ----Get there in August.