Rocco Ayvazov was just 21 years old when he emigrated from Bulgaria to the U.S., arriving with nothing in his pockets and settling in Pennsylvania.
His first job—one of three he worked—was making American flags for a manufacturer. He also held down jobs as a busboy and a dishwasher. His hard work caught the attention of a gentleman who offered him a union job with a commercial-boiler manufacturer, and in his spare time, Rocco convinced a fellow Bulgarian to teach him his trade—framing houses. As they say, the rest is history.