Latest / WashCo Insider / Paul & Lisa Scarmazzi
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- speaker-0: Today on the Washco Insider, we're joined by two people who have spent much of their lives investing in the future of Canonsburg and Washington County, Paul and Lisa Scarmazzi Most people know Paul and Lisa as the husband and wife team behind Scarmazzi Homes, but their impact on this community extends well beyond the homes they've built. Lisa previously served as Director of Economic Development for the borough of Canonsburg where she played an important role in recruiting new businesses, revitalizing downtown, and helping to bring new energy back to the community. Paul has spent decades in development and construction and has served in leadership roles throughout the region, including as president of the Canon McMillan School Board. Today, they're combining that experience as leaders with the Canonsburg Educational and Cultural Institute, or Chechi, helping to bring one of Canonsburg's most ambitious projects to life. With opening day getting closer, we wanted to hear the story behind the project, what it took to get here, and what this project could mean for the future of Canonsburg and Washington County. Paul and Lisa Scarmazzi. When we come back. Paul, Lisa, thank you so much for joining us today. It's speaker-1: Yeah, a pleasure to be here. speaker-0: a big day in Canonsburg. I think if ever we've had two Canonsburg people on the show, it's you two, right? So you guys were born here, grew up here, right? Raised your family here, started a business 1999, I believe, right? For Scarmazzi Homes. And you guys have built, we just talked about it, over a thousand homes. Yes. It's incredible. Yeah. It's incredible. I think that takes commitment and a certain love for a town, right? So I'd like to talk about Chechi and I'd like to start from the beginning if we could. Can you kind of give us an idea of the origin story of of how Chechi started? speaker-1: Yeah, I think that you know we were fortunate to have a real visionary and leader with Tony Calezo. He was really when we formed this nonprofit back in May of 2021, Tony was the driving force behind that. And you know, we didn't know what we didn't know other than the school was going to be vacated and seven hundred kids a day went there. And so the concern was it would turn to blight and there was an opportunity to do something with it. And so that's what we spent five years studying, analyzing, and putting speaker-0: And over that period of time, I mean, what what was that process like in acquiring that property? I'm sure it wasn't as easy as walking into a store and buying a candy bar. I mean that had to have been a a significant challenge, right? Yeah. speaker-1: It was it it was. the school district worked with us, it took some time to negotiate with them. And and along the way, it was very challenging. But I just want to stress on how much support we've had throughout the process, from the borough to the county to the state. And and that's crucial. Everybody can have a vision, but executing on it is extremely hard. this was a challenging project. It'll continue to be challenging, but you know, nobody said it was going to be easy, but we've had great support and we've overcome obstacles as they've come. speaker-0: You know, before we focus on phase one, which is is really what we're gonna get get into today, can we step back and look at a a thirty thousand foot view and what is the general vision for that property and w what do you hope to see twenty years from now? speaker-1: I think Aspirationally, we would like to see a place that's a hub where people come in the morning and drop off their kids for daycare and go to work out and can grab a sandwich and come back to pick their kids up and go to a play. You know, that's kind of high level. What Cheche stands on is a couple of legs. It's community and it's culture and education, and there's a lot of offshoots underneath that. Health and wellness, you know, there's a there's an epidemic of loneliness and mental health issues today. and we hope that starting on this first phase, With the theatre itself, it will invigorate the campus and it'll provide other opportunities as many, many eyeballs come through there. speaker-0: So I mean I think it's a very very much needed asset for our community and it's very surreal for me. I remember having a lunch with Mike Malone, I don't know how long ago it was, it feels like seven or eight years ago, I don't know, but he was starting to put this idea in the back of my mind and hey, they're working on this. And so I've been interested in it, you know, for this whole time and now to see all the you know, this incredible mountain of work that you have done to bring it to fruition. Let's talk about phase one. And so we've got this huge property. But the focus today is on opening phase one. Tell us about that. speaker-2: Well, phase one is the Canon Theatre The Cannon Theatre is a historic auditorium that sits on the campus that we purchased. It was built in nineteen thirty-one and you know for generations it welcomed families and community and so what we have done is taken that space and renovated it and turning it into something that will serve generations in the future. So it will house everything from live comedy, live plays. speaker series, rental opportunities, but it will just be continue as a place of gathering for just not our community but the whole county also. speaker-0: Paul, I know you were very involved in the renovation and what did that look like? speaker-1: Well, you know, first I want to give a shout out to McBracie construction. they were our G C and they were absolutely amazing in finding solutions and overcoming an extremely difficult project. Being built in nineteen thirty-one, I mean you have an old H VAC system there that was a huge challenge to figure out and and lots of other things there and I won't bore you with the details, but what we tried to do in that renovation was respect the architecture, the original Art Deco. Architecture within the space and keep the bones of it, but enhance it. And and what I mean by that is we were able to take the existing control booth that was down on the first level, create a second level for it, and that created a sense of entry when you come into the building. Before you just walked into seats, well, now we've got an entry and a and a pre-function area where it feels good. Feels good coming into the space. And we're very thoughtful in the colors and textures and things that we use in there. Lisa, did a great job designing it and it and it was a challenge designing it because she's done numerous models and other design and has a degree in it. But when you do a ten thousand square foot space it's a bit overwhelming and it it just it all came together. We we think really well. speaker-0: Well Lisa, as a home builder, I mean, what was that experience like for you having the opportunity to reimagine something originally built in nineteen thirty one and you know, bringing it into the modern era while also still respecting the history? What was that like from from your perspective? speaker-2: Well, it it was a fun project. I can say it's easier to build new than renovate because you run into all kind of issues. But as Paul said, it was very important to us to keep as much history in that building as we can. It does have the Art Deco architecture to it, so Just building on that, pulling things out of the space that we could reuse. One of the one of our favorite pieces in the theatre is the new entry railing. a good friend of ours, Tom Lyon, who is a mill rate. Yeah. Could do anything. speaker-1: He can he can do anything. speaker-2: But there were grates that were located in the stage that we had to remove and he repurposed all of those to create a new railing when you come in. So that stayed. lighting stayed. Our Again, we tried to keep as much as we could in that space. We reused the lighting. I'm gonna say it. Took all down, cleaned every single one and spray painted gold for me. but but we did. And but while doing that, we had to think about how this space is gonna be used in a modern day setting. It's not the same as when the kids were going to school there. So so many things had to be renovated and From the bare bones, you know, new ADA restrooms, ADA access, and just new seating, everything to make it more modern and accommodating. We have all new lighting, state of the art sound system in there. We'll have a bar and concession area, we have a liquor license now, so green room. the green room, we have dressing rooms downstairs that we have upgraded for our performers. The stage is all redone, new drapery and and all that sort of stuff. But we've had a lot of good partners through this whole wholesome process and and we couldn't have done it without all the partners that we had. speaker-1: I think one of things we tried to focus on was the guest experience too. I think it's very important how people feel when they come in there. That's why as you look at the restrooms, they're they feel warm and inviting. speaker-0: Bring those back up. Let's take a look at those. speaker-1: But speaker-2: Love restaurant. speaker-1: it was interesting when you go to the Palace Theater and some of these other larger venues actually, you know, we had an opportunity to kind of start with a clean slate there, even though it was an old building. And so that's where the focus was, on some of those areas, those high touch areas, but even coming into the building itself. And like I said, that pre function area when you walk into it, it it feels good. Feels good. speaker-0: I can you know, I got to see it right before you guys were finished and certainly I can vouch for that sense of arrival when you walk through the main doors and it feels so open. The color palette's beautiful. I'm excited to see the first show in there. Now you've completed all the work inside and now you're moving to the outside. Ryan, can you bring that up? Let's take a look at the renderings of the outside and Paul tell us about what you're working on outside. speaker-1: Yeah, so right now, I mean, there you are in the process of demoing the existing concrete. and they'll be pouring the concrete next week. and then we will take over the asphalt and redo the asphalt around the building itself. the sign itself, the marquee sign out in front, it's changed a little bit, but it is on order and should be in by the end of September. And so that what you just showed is we we'll take the base of that, which is get good access, good entry, eighty eight. accessibility, etc. And the courtyards are aspirational down the road as we find additional funds to build those. But it's gonna look good. It's gonna have beautiful up lighting on it and nice landscaping around it. We're we're excited to finish the rest of it on the outside over the coming sixty days. speaker-0: Well with the two of you being so intimately involved in the redesign and the renovation, are there certain features or details that really stand out to you or that that you would tell a visitor, check this out when you go in there. speaker-1: I don't know. For me it's more holistic actually. There's not one particular thing. I mean, where the you know, where the water fountains are, for example, a typical contractor architect would just say, hey, here's an ADA water fountain, high, low. But we chose one that we put actually in our office because it looked better and we did tile behind it. So it was an accent rather than just, hey, we met compliance and we put in a water fountain. And so I think it's really all of those details that come together, we replaced door, we had new doors, for example. We ordered those doors. It was a fourteen week lead time because they were custom milled to match up to the existing doors. The front doors, we refinished instead of just painting over them. So I think it's it's the whole, not just a part or two. I don't know, do you agree with speaker-2: No, I do agree. I do agree. There's so many little pieces and it is it all comes together when you I mean, we could walk through there and look at every little thing and say, that was a decision. That was a decision. speaker-1: Yeah. speaker-0: I think it'll be fun for you guys to stand back and watch on opening night as, you know, not one generation, but generations of families who have come through the middle school get to see this new place and i they still have the memory of what it was and now to walk in and see what it's become I think's gonna be pretty special. speaker-2: Yeah, we're excited. I think that's the most exciting when we have folks visit that have gone to school. They're I love seeing their expression and how they're just floored whenever they see what the transformation has been. Yeah. It's a lot of speaker-0: Now Lisa, just a few weeks back, Chechi announced the appointment of Blair Trunzo, who's going to be the inaugural managing director of the Canon Theatre Yes. Can you talk a little bit about his role and what he'll bring to the team moving forward? Sure. speaker-2: Blair, we we did a nationwide search and we were we were very fortunate to find Blair. He comes from Shady Side Academy. He was with a boys and girls club in Brooklyn. Brooklyn ran that for a while, for years actually. But what Blair will be doing is heading up the whole operations of the theatre. So he'll be doing everything from making sure all of our sound systems, everything work, but he will be scheduling the programming coming forward. He's working with a volunteer group right now. he's going to basically run the theatre for us and we needed that because we knew from the beginning we don't know anything about theatre. We'll be the first to say that. We could could do the construction, but we didn't know how to run a theatre. So we think we really put the right person in place for this. And he's very excited. speaker-1: I think with Blair, I you know my I look at it, he is I always say at least his nuclear power plant. He has such energy, such positive energy and enthusiasm. He's got the chops and experience. He loves this. He loves Keandsburg and good things are gonna happen with that. He's got a lot of work to do, but he's working his butt off and I think we made a a great choice. speaker-0: Yeah, and let's put good things into perspective. We're talking about new visitors to the area, we're talking about the impact that it's going to have on the local businesses in the Canonsburg area. and and looking backwards, kind of on the front end of this project, tourism helped to finance a an economic impact study. And From that, we found that we're gonna expect to see $13.8 million in economic impact in the first year of of operations, $250 million over the next two decades, and $4 million in annual tourism-related economic impact is gonna create 20 new jobs. Now, how impactful is that? That's incredible. We we need this theatre for so many different reasons. One, for for to bring arts and theatre into the community, but also two, this is helping on so many other levels. What do you think about you know that kind of multi-touch impact? speaker-2: Well, personally I'm I mean we're s we're thrilled for what it's going to do for Washington County. personally for Canonsburg what I'm excited about is what this will do for our business district, help bring visitors and traffic into town. we've actually had the merchants association up there before the renovation and we just had a meeting with them after and we're we've already started all working together to help create a little ecosystem, you know, within Canonsburg. So I'm excited about that. I really am. I'm excited for people to come and see Canonsburg. It's such a great little town and folks that have never visited us are going to come and see it. And and that's what I'm excited about. speaker-1: Yeah, I'd I'd I'd second that motion for sure. I think that the project is very large and you know, phase one, the theatre will be that flywheel that just continues the inertia that makes this thing extremely successful. One of the things we didn't want to do is duplicate anything that was here. we wanted to have an opportunity to enhance or elevate existing programs, services, et cetera, and expose people to things that they hadn't previously had the opportunity to do. And I think that bringing a theatre salary. of the city. It will the economic impact study said we're going to reach 45 minute drive time. That's all six counties in Pittsburgh. And it's Ohio and West Virginia. So you know Talesa's point about bringing eyeballs into Kannistburg that have never seen that wonderful cool business district that has sidewalks and walkable and fun will be will be super rewarding. speaker-0: Well, Paul, I think to your earlier point, this this project was, is, and will continue to be a gargantuan lift. And I think what you've done in putting a team together with your with the board of directors was an incredible start. but it it it's taken planning, vision, leadership to get to this point. but it's also taking significant investment. And let me be the first to say thank you because just this morning Chechi announced that Skarmaze Holmes has made a significant naming rights investment in the Canon Theatre. And really I think that's what's gonna put it over the top and and I think we're so excited that you guys have made such a impactful commitment to this theatre, to the town of Canonsburg. thank you. It's it's it's really truly remarkable what you two have done for this area and for Canonsburg specifically. Thank you. What what does the Canon Theatre and and this personal investment mean to you guys? speaker-1: Well, We're blessed and w we're so fortunate to be able to do this. It is it is a joy. It is something we are so glad to do. When we started our business twenty five or twenty-six years ago, we you know, we didn't start out for riches or anything else. We just wanted to do a good job. We wanna do a good job by our customers and by our vendors and trade partners and our employees. And I think that that just that resonates with us, the opportunity to give back to have a lasting impact. It's not necessarily about our name being on that, but I think that you need leaders that are willing to commit, to commit to their time, treasure, and talents. And our hope is is that that will inspire other peoples to follow, to support the overall mission. But you know, back to your original question, it's humbling and it's a real it's a real pleasure. Mm-hmm. Yeah. speaker-2: very fortunate. speaker-0: Well, i if you'll allow me, I I I was on your website today and I thought that it was uncanny the tie between Scarmazzi Home's mission statement and this project. So our our mission is simple to provide an exceptional home building experience. Listen to this next part, while creating communities that enrich the lives of our homeowners. And I think you're doing that. speaker-1: Trying. speaker-0: So Lisa, I know you've got some upcoming events, some big events. Tell us what you have on the docket for the balance of twenty twenty six as we're looking to a a fall grand opening. speaker-2: Right. Well, it is most most people do know now we have the Clarks is our opening act on October twenty-fourth, and that sold out in forty-eight hours, which floored us. Floored us. And I think the promoter was very excited about that too. You know, being a new venue, you don't know. But so that sold out in forty-eight hours. We have in November, we have a really cool event coming up. We haven't announced it yet, but we can let you in in on it today. It's called the Christmas Cocktail Experience. And folks will get to enjoy four small Charles Dickens plays. And in between each of those, craft cocktails that are Christmas themed are served to all of the patrons in the theatre. What a cool idea. That's gonna be fun. And then in the month of Nov or I'm sorry, December from the third to the twentieth, we have a little lake theatre performing White Christmas. So we're really excited about that. We're also working on some other things within these next few months that we're not ready to announce yet. We're finalizing them. But That's just until the end of the year and now Blair is taking the seat and he is starting the programming f for next year to follow through. speaker-0: So we did have Patrick Cannon on the show earlier this year and he mentioned that maybe you guys are working on a theatre academy. Does that look like a twenty twenty seven thing or how speaker-1: It does look like a 2027 thing. And that's, you know, that's the exciting thing when I go back to saying we didn't want to duplicate anything here. We wanted to elevate and provide opportunities for that. It will absolutely be something that we're focused on and try to deliver on. And you know, I don't think we said early on about what that partnership with Little Lake Theatre means. It provided us the opportunity, kind of that anchor, if you will, for us to move forward. And they've got exciting plans for 2027. I'll let Patrick man manage that, but it's it's good stuff, yeah. speaker-0: I hope that, you know, listeners today, you know, if you're involved with a community group, a nonprofit, think about this, right? You've got this new venue here that could be a remarkable asset to you and your event programming. I think there's gonna be a lot of partnership opportunities that come up. what other types of just to get people's, you know, minds going, what are some of the other things that could be possible in that theatre? speaker-1: I think you know, we look around corporate events. we you know, we we just happen to talk to one large organization, I won't mention, but we talked to them on their on their nonprofit side, but then they also said, well, hey, our business over here, we have these large conferences that we have for divisions and for people. And so I think that it's a great venue for those type of corporate team building events or things like that. And so I'd ask business leaders to think about that. Come see us. we'd we'd love it. it community events are gonna be there, movies are going to be there. speaker-2: Very large screen. So we'll do movie nights and things like that there too. Yeah. Yeah. And then also rental for up for other things. that that i it's open to anybody, you know, for rentals. speaker-0: Well Lisa, with with all of your work in economic development in Canonsburg and now on the board of directors for Chechi, you've seen a lot of hard work come to fruition. Are there are there other ingredients that you think could help complement all of these new assets that we have in Canonsburg, all the great restaurants and and shopping? Is is there anything else that you think could help complement what we have today? speaker-2: Well, I and I think we're achieving that. One of the things that we did feel was missing in our town is a few really good sit down restaurants and we have two coming into town and that all is part of bringing everything together. When people go to a theatre, they want an experience, they want a night out. So this allows them to come into town, do some shopping, go out to dinner, come and see a show, go back down into town and have a drink. So it all it keeps people into town. But I think that was our big thing missing and we're very fortunate to have the two new restaurants coming in this fall. Yep. Which we'll be working with. speaker-0: So for those people who are watching this who maybe didn't hear about the Clarks concert, missed out on their ticket sales, where is the best place for them to find information about what you guys are doing, upcoming events, social website, like what is speaker-2: There's there's a few different places. first and foremost would be our website, go C E C I dot org, or our Facebook page, which is Kinnisburg's Educational and Cultural Institute. It's mouthful. We know. and then also we're on LinkedIn and also on Instagram. So we do push out everything that we are bringing to the community. But it you know, if you follow our social, you'll get to see behind the scenes what's going on in the theatre and day to day workings there. So it's it's a lot of fun to watch it. speaker-0: Well I can tell you I'm excited about it. I can't thank the two of you enough for coming out today. I know you're very, very busy. You've got a theatre to open. So thank you again. Thanks. that's all for this week. We'll see you next week on the Washco Insider.