Vol. 174 No. 87 / Page A1
| Eddy Mora, right, and Carlos Caugana of Colonial Craftsman work yesterday at the Avon Theatre on Bedford Street in Stamford. |
| DARIEN NEWS ~ REVIEW, Thursday, March 7, 2002 Making Darien Distinctive: The Family-Owned Business |
THE COLORFUL COLONIAL CRAFTSMAN BY DICK SQUIRES |
| George Egan, founder of the 28-year-old painting
and restoration company Colonial Craftsman, is one of Rowayton's colorful
characters. With his neatly groomed mustache and beard and glistening
blue eyes, he could easily be mistaken for a handsome, renowned thespian. Born 62 years ago, he was brought up in the rough neighborhood of West 18th Street in lower Manhattan near the harbor and docks. His father, George Sr., was a longshoreman and boilermaker. Both of his parents were alcoholics who spent the majority of their moments together yelling and fight- ing. In 1957, at 17, Egan dropped out of high school and, anxious to leave the turmoil at home, enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He became a radio operator, spent four years in Japan and Taiwan, and was honorably discharged in 1961. It bothered him that he never completed the necessary requirements to earn a high school diploma; so in 1997, 40 years later, he made up the courses and obtained the coveted degree. While matriculating at the Jesuit-run, four-year Fairfield University, he was informed one day that his parents, while both drunk, became embroiled in a violent, physical altercation, and his mother had stabbed and killed his dad. George and his wife, as undergraduates, already were rais- ing two of their four children, Patrick and Maggie. The "kid" had to grow up fast. In the early 70s Kelly and Scan were born. After graduation George tried his hand at selling life insurance for Phoenix Mutual. A born salesman, he became a member of the exclusive One Million Dollar Round Table Club in his first year. Subsequently, he spent seven years as a stockbroker in New Haven, commuting from Madison, where he was twice elected selectman.  Proud grandpa, George Egan, knows the best job in the company, as he holds his beautiful twin granddaughters. Molly, left, and Grace, the now five-month-old daughters of his son and business partner. Patrick, and daughter-in-law Virginia. The bottom dropped out of the financial market in 1974, which signaled to George it was time for a career change - time for him to have his own company. He wanted more out of life than making, or worse, losing money for his clients. Consequently, in 1975 he founded Colonial Craftsman, a company specializing in exterior and interior house painting and building restoration. At the same time his marriage fell apart, and the four youngsters moved to Port Washington, Long Island, to live with their mother. George moved to Rowayton in 1981, and his crews began landing jobs in several Fairfield County towns. The yellow and black "Colonial Craftsman" signs became a familiar and frequently-seen sight all over the area. The fledgling company flourished. Two years ago his eldest, Patrick, 38, joined the firm as operations manager. While Sept. 11 had a negative impact on their business (people cancelled or deferred home improvement projects), bookings remained solid and profitable. Today the company's painting, papering and plastering crews, carpenters, power-washers and subcontractors handle between 280 to 300 big and small jobs in a typical year. They've kept busy, and here's why. 
Above, Colonial Craftsman's Patrick Egan, left, who owns the painting
and restoration business with his/other George, works on renovating
a bathroom with employee Michael Liu.
"We stand behind our work," George states proudly. 'Integrity in painting' is our motto. Most of our workers come from eastern European countries (Hungary, Romania) where being a craftsman is an integral part of a man's heritage". "We also hire many Colombians who work hard and are anxious to please," says George. "These people have a long history of suffering and being oppressed in their former homelands. They feel blessed to have the opportunities America offers them. Patrick and I treat them with respect and dignity. In return we receive their loyalty and grati- tude. Our clients benefit from the innate pride the men take in their work." When George came to Rowayton 20 years ago there were only 15 to 20 painting contractors listed in the Yellow Pages. Today there are over 270. Competition is fierce, and, unfortunately, many homeowners are tempted to award their home renova- tion projects to the company offer- ing the lowest estimate. Colonial Craftsman is rarely the low bidder, unless, of course, the Job is a pro bono benefit they've offered to do for the local Girl Scouts, Little League, Art Center, Rowayton and Darien churches, etc, And that, in the minds of both Egans, is part of being a good citizen and contribut- ing business members in the community. They are also successful because the father and son, when making a proposal or computing a job's costs, are an irresistible force when they come to your home. They are both so amiable, outgoing, extroverted, knowledgeable, and, backed with compelling credentials, they make if difficult to turn (hem down even when their quote is, perhaps, higher than others. They breed confidence. You like them as people. And as funny and glib as "the old man" is, Patrick can slay right with him when it comes 10 humor and quick repartee. They make a terrific team that prospects trust. In addition, every detail of the contract is set forth clearly in ink, with beginning and completion dates, and penalties if the amount of lime becomes extended. "We stay on the job until it is done to the customer's satisfaction," Patrick says. "Our guys are professionals who don't mind working long days to fulfill a commitment. They all wear clean company uniforms, not cut-off jeans and an undershirt- There's no boom box blaring away, no cigarette butts left on the lawn, and they clean up thoroughly when done for the day. Homeowners like being treated that way." You want references from people who have used Colonial Craftsman? The Egans furnish a list - with phone numbers - of over 100 obviously pleased accounts, plus some pretty compelling letters from satisfied customers. Up until fairly recently George kept a mini pet farm in his backyard where he bred and raised chickens, ducks, rabbits and goats. When the goats, Adam and Eve, expired, so did the "Garden of Egan." Why a farm in Rowayton? "The neighborhood kids enjoyed visiting the animals and birds. When 1 was a youngster growing up on the lower West Side of New York City, I kept animals behind our tenement building. I was rescuing them from the nearby slaughter house." A year or so ago George Egan handed over the company reins to Patrick and went out to Center City, Minn., to take an accelerated 40-credit training course at the famous Hazelden Rehabilitation Center. This arduous effort was to prepare him for the next career - drug and alcoholic addiction counseling. A former alcoholic himself (he hasn't had a drink in over 27 years), this is what he really wants to do when he "retires." He lived alone for a year in a cabin located in an isolated, densely wooded area in Osceola, Wis., about an eight-mile commute to the center. He studied, attended classes, learned, wrote a master's thesis, participated in 1,300 hours of an intense internship and came home with a hard-earned master's degree. "I fully intended to hang out my shingle somewhere in South Carolina and be of help to people who needed it, but when Sept. 11 occurred, I figured Patrick could use some help with the business," says George. And that's OK with his son. "I've watched my dad operate for many years, seen how he mixes with customers and supervises the crews, and I've been around paint most of my life. I like working with him. We're friends. His experience is invaluable. As far as I am concerned, he can hang around as long as he wants, but I suspect, knowing him. he'll be leaving shortly to practice his new calling. He's excited about getting started" George agrees. "Patrick and I work well together. He represents a calming influence, and also offers new ways of doing things, of marketing and bringing in incremental business. We usually see eye-to-eye and rarely argue. As a matter of fact, we have a lot of fun." For a guy who wants everyone to "Stay Happy," (those words are printed on his calling cards), the forthcoming, final career move of helping individuals with the serious mental and physical problems of addiction has his imprimatur on it. If he can restore valuable, old homes and churches, why not try to do the same with human beings? He also knows firsthand how alcohol and drugs can destroy families and people. The definition of a saint is: "a charitable, unselfish, or patient person." George Egan has all those qualities. It might be said he is leaving paint to become, in lime, a saint, particularly to those troubled individuals whose paths cross with this unique and charismatic character. And, it just so happens, he is directly related to Cardinal Egan, of New York City. That familial tic certainly enhances his new resume. |
ROMANIANS ENJOY FREEDOM AFTER FLEEING HOMELAND
by Wendy Yang
 Vasile Corjuk, facing the camera, stands on the roof of St. John's Church in Darien with his Romanian co-workers. His friends here are his family, he said. Ion Irimescu is tightening the gold cross. Ghoiyhl Duto, left, and Aurel Tudorof stand ready to help. DARIEN — For six days, Vasile Corjuk escaped patrol guards and shots fired behind him to escape from communist Romania and cross to safety in Yugoslavia. In a separate escape, Ion Irimescu swam the frigid cold Danube River for three hours in winter to cross into Yugoslavia. Speaking in halting English, Corjuk and Irimescu told about their stunning escape from Ro- mania, a Soviet bloc country which shares its northern bor- der with the Soviet Union. "Six days and six nights I had no food. There were guards with machine guns. I escaped across the frontier to Yugoslavia. Then' to Italy," Corjuk said. Animatedly, he said the frontier guards were shooting at him and his companion. But they managed to escape. Irimescu and a friend chose a different escape route. In the dead of winter with ice on the Danube River, there were no soldiers guarding the river banks, Irimescu said. The military thought no one would be so foolish or daring to cross the Danube to Yugoslavia I in winter. The soldiers previously had warned Irimescu that he would be shot if he tried to escape by the Danube. But Irimescu and his friend dared and they both made it. Their different paths out of Romania three years ago converged in the Romanian community in Astoria, N.Y. They now call America home. Together with five other immigrant Romanians, they work for George Egan, owner of Colonial Craftsman, a restoration contracting business in Rowayton. The others had an easier time coming to America. They were allowed to leave Romania with valid visas. One of the Romanian workers, Hota Pavl, has been an American citizen for 13 years. He was able to obtain his American citizenship in Romania because Pavl's mother had been born in the U.S. However, all of them left their homeland for the same reason: for freedom and economic opportunity in America. Aurel Tusdorof, who lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., and came to this country with his family six years ago, said he could not live under communism in Romania. "In Romania, you don't have right to speak. You can't pray. Can't go to church. To buy bread in Bucharest, you need ticket," Tusdorof said. Most of these Romanians belong to the Orthodox Eastern Church. They said all religions were suppressed in Romania. Lines to buy food apparently are common in Romania. Corjuk also complained that all Romanians were forced to work for the government for a year or two. Corjuk said he was an army truck driver for two years. Smiling mischieviously, Corjuk declared the best of living in America: "The best is to be free. Second is money. Third is women!" Corjuk, who learned English in America by watching television and "from the girls," is single and has a Romanian girl friend in Astoria. Does he miss his family? Corjuk said he writes and calls. In five years, the Romanian government will allow him to visit, he said. Egan, who coincidentally was born in Astoria, praised his Romanian workers as the best crew he has ever worked with. "They are very hard workers. They are honest people and skilled craftsmen," Egan, an Irish American, said. The workers presently are restoring St. John's Roman Catholic Church on the Post Road. On Thanksgiving morning at the church, the Romanians, Egan and other workers who were part of the church restoration project will participate in a special Thanksgiving service for the freedom of this country, Egan said. |