A Master Renovator

There is the metaphorical building, when a business owner develops an enterprise through sweat and hard work.

Then, there is the literal building, when structures are erected, also through sweat and hard work, but using hands, nails and wood.

Massimo Procaccini works hard at both.

For several years, news accounts have been reporting dismal declines in the construction sector of the economy, mainly due to the crash of the subprime market.  But, last week, while sitting in his Main Street office in the midst of piles of architectural drawings and construction proposals for customers, phones chiming and employees sketching on pads, Procaccini shook his head when asked if he’s felt a downturn in business.

“I’ve been working six days a week and I could work more, but I try not to,” says Procaccini, who only last year began to advertise.

His business credo: “When I meet a customer, I will listen to the customer, I offer suggestions about what I think will be best. I try to take the stress away from the customer. And, in the end, I want my customer to be happy.”

Perhaps, the diligent values and strong work ethic he learned back in his native Italy fostered his desire to please his clients.  

Growing up in Isernia in the central Italian region of Molise, Procaccini learned the construction business from his father, a builder of homes and corporate buildings.

“My whole family worked in the building industry. My mom did the office work,” says Procaccini, “and we were a very busy company.”

In 1986, Procaccini left his father’s company and went to school for another kind of creativity–how to  mold casts for broken limbs.

“I always liked to build,” says Procaccini, now 42, “I thought I might like working with casts.”

During an extended holiday on the East Coast in 1992, Procaccini paid a visit to a relative living in Lumberton. Being young and without serious obligations, the stay in New Jersey was a realization that he liked the States.

“I got a job managing a kitchen,” says Procaccini, noting that in addition to being skilled carpenters, his family could cook well, too.

He managed the kitchen at Pirone’s Restaurant in Westhampton. And, within months, he started dating a hair stylist, Caryn, 41, who worked in the salon next door. A couple of years later, they married and moved to Moorestown.

By this time, Procaccini was conceptualizing a career plan. With his knowledge of construction, he decided to return to building and searched out a customer base for potential housing renovation work mainly in Moorestown.

These days, word of mouth by satisfied customers keeps his business strengthened. In the beginning, Procaccini said a great deal of his business came from cold calling, by “dropping his business card in a home’s mailbox,” or knocking on the door – an endeavor that is aggressive, but is probably why he’s been able to rise above a turbulent economy.

Which is how he and his wife found their Moorestown home that they live in with their two small kids.

“It [his house] needed a lot of work, and I left my card on the porch one day,” says Procaccini. “The next door neighbor saw me and said the house was vacant.” The historic home dating back to the 1740s had been part of an estate sale. So, instead of just renovating the home, in 2001, he bought it and two bordering buildings, one which functions as Procaccini's office.    

Shortly thereafter, Procaccini and his wife, opened Salon Caryn Max, in the adjacent building, which is one of two full-service salons the couple owns. The other, Caryn Max West, opened eight months ago and is across from Wegmans in the former Acme shopping center. 

Early on, Procaccini did mainly house renovations. But now, his extensive portfolio contains stone walkways, interior cabinetry, construction landscape, as well as building homes.

“I have built some homes that are 5 to 6,000 square feet,” says Procaccini. “But, I see homes getting smaller, returning to about 2 or 3,000 square feet.” But, he adds, “There will always be people who like and can afford larger spaces.”

Nowadays, in a financial climate that far too often has seen job reductions because of the weakened economy, Procaccini has been able to keep his nearly 70 employees, between both salons and the construction company, on the payroll.

“If you run your business right and are fair to your customers,” he remarks, “people will remember. They will come back to you.”