Unites States Marine Corps veteran and owner of PRESA Construction , Pedro Guzman .
Born and raised in Harlem , New York in the early 1980 ’ s by parents who had immigrated from the Dominican Republic , Pedro Guzman grew up in the middle of that decade ’ s violent crack cocaine epidemic . “ I ’ m the second born and oldest boy of my parents ’ five kids ,” he reflects , “ and we all grew up under the watchful eyes of my mother , aunts and our extended family .” Pedro , his siblings and their many cousins were kept safe and out of trouble by their large family network .
While his father was deployed in the Navy , his mother initially had to rely on welfare and food stamps to support her children . However , after his service , Pedro ’ s father was accepted into medical school , working at the Harlem Hospital Center for 20 years before opening his own practice . When Pedro was in middle school , his family was finally able to move out of Harlem and across the Hudson River into New Jersey . Although it was an ethnically diverse suburb , it was still quite an adjustment after living in Harlem . “ It felt like I was on some sitcom like Mr . Belvedere or Who ’ s the Boss ?,” recalls Pedro , who found himself unconsciously replicating some of the chaos he ’ d witnessed in Harlem . “ I started hanging out with the wrong crowd , dropped out of high school and was quickly going down the wrong path . Although my father meant well , he ’ d never learned how to be involved and engaged with his children , so I was on my own to try to figure things out .”
Pedro ’ s wake-up call came on September 11 , 2001 . “ I remember being in the car with my father as he was driving across the George Washington Bridge to Harlem Hospital and being told to turn back . When the twin towers came down , something sparked inside of me – a sense of patriotism . I felt that my country was under attack and that I needed to step up – I took it personal because that was my city .” Due to some legal trouble he ’ d gotten himself into , Pedro had to work hard to get his GED , complete several community college courses , and write a detailed essay to prove his commitment and secure the entry waiver he needed to
CONTRACTOR SPOTLIGHT : PRESA CONSTRUCTION - 03