Congratulations to MATT CALIGIURE, Production Manager for our remodel division, for his 10 year anniversary with Allen! We caught up with Matt to ask him some questions about his time with Allen and what he sees in the future.
What was your first job with Allen?
A wonderful project out in Hollister Ranch for the Turpin family. It was a complete gut remodel of an existing ranch house and a new barn structure with living space. It was a fantastic property, with an interesting design, working with a lovely owner family. I was way out there and out of cell service, and totally over my head! The project came out great and it was a fantastic first project for me. It’s really special that we’ve been able to perform two additional projects with this family since then.
Matt’s first project with Allen.
Do you have a favorite project that you have worked on?
Hard to choose this, but probably the trio of Rodney Walker homes out in Ojai about 4-5 years back. It certainly wasn’t an easy assignment, but memorable because of the unique challenges with the original, historical structures and design intent. There were hoops to jump through around every turn, which really hardened me up and helped me evolve as a project leader. Was able to form strong and trusting relationships with owners as well, which was a treat.
What’s the best thing about working at Allen?
It’s a solid group of people that are talented and really care.
Pics of Matt with his wife, Beth, and son, Pete.
What are you looking forward to in the next 10 years?
Doing my best to help my young sons grow up into good men
Matt with new baby, Nico.
Matt’s dog, Poppy, is also celebrating 10 years with Allen! The photo above was taken on Poppy’s first day on the job.
What advice would you give yourself 10 years ago when you started?
Get a really good pillow.
Get good at differentiating between what I can and can’t control….and let that help me shape my responses to situations and people each day.
How has the company changed since you have been here?
I was hired coming out of an economic recession, I think something like the 50th employee. We were still operating as Allen Associates then and things were a bit more free wheelin’ than they are now. Over time we’ve developed a clearer identity, with an organized structure that lends itself to longer-term stability and success. The quality of the core team members has remained intact though, which has helped us navigate organizational change in an admirable way.