Podesta Construction INC

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Jerry Podesta, Vice President
Jerry Podesta started Podesta Construction in 1986 as a sole proprietor. Working alone initially, Jerry provided the personal service that is eminent in the company’s culture today. His goal was to have a company that is well known and respected not only in its client circle but also in the remodeling industry. The service he provided the client was tantamount to the quality of the product he applied to each project. Jerry is a San Francisco native having grown up in the Excelsior District.

He attended Corpus Christi Elementary School, Sacred Heart High School, and the University of San Francisco where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management. Rather than pursue a career in the business world he took a different path. He attended Fresno State University where he received a Master Degree in City and Regional Planning. Upon graduation, he worked for the City of Fresno for over a year. Longing to return to the Bay Area, he started working for the City of San Mateo Planning Department. After working there for over eight years, he became the first full time Planning Director for the City of Belmont.

However, construction was his first love. To whet his appetite he remodeled his house in San Mateo and built a vacation cabin in the Russian River area. This was not enough so when a once in a lifetime opportunity arose to get into full time construction he left Planning to pursue his dream. He drew on his knowledge of business from his USF degree and experience as a Planner to understand rules and regulations for construction.

With full family support for the drastic career change Jerry first worked for Hayman Homes, a century old housing development company, and then received his General Contractor License and founded Podesta Construction. When he needed help on the job Roxanne, his daughter helped him build a fence. From humble beginnings to a family run business has been Jerry’s reward for his determination and tenacity to make the company a success. He employed his sons during summer and other school breaks to give them the experience of the satisfaction of seeing something built from scratch. Likely, this experience resulted in all three of his children making career changes to enter the construction field. Karol, his wife retired from teaching to become more active in the company as well.

Over the past several years, collectively the Podesta family has contributed to the company in diverse ways. From accounting to design and from marketing to office management Podesta Construction Inc. has received several awards for projects well done. In fact, Podesta Construction Inc. was recognized in 2007 as one of the top 50 companies nationwide in the Fine Design category. Jerry feels very proud of what the company has become and looks forward to his exit in the near future. The helm will turn over to Matt who together with Brandan and Roxanne and the rest of the company’s talented team will take the company to new highs. What a Legacy.