Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria And Ivan Cordoba-Paparoni.
Hi Maria and Ivan, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
We are originally from Venezuela, where both my husband, Iván, and I built professional careers in the legal field. I worked as a criminal court judge, and we had established a life through many years of education, discipline, and hard work. However, circumstances connected to my work and the political situation in our country eventually forced us to leave Venezuela and begin again somewhere new.
We arrived in Pittsburgh in 2017 with our daughter, Carla, who was only two years old at the time. Although we were professionals in our home country, we quickly realized that restarting our careers in the United States would require an investment of time, money, and resources that we simply did not have. We understood that, in order to move forward, we would have to reinvent ourselves, remain humble, and be willing to learn an entirely new profession.
Iván began working in construction and roofing, gaining practical experience and learning the industry from the ground up. Over time, we recognized an opportunity to combine his technical knowledge and work ethic with my experience in organization, administration, legal matters, and customer service. In 2018, we founded Pittsabana Contracting Services as a small family business, with the goal of providing honest, dependable, and high-quality service.
Pittsburgh and its people were incredibly kind to us from the beginning. As homeowners and customers noticed that we were genuinely committed to the quality of our work and to treating every person with honesty and respect, they began opening their doors to us, recommending us to others, and giving us opportunities to grow.
It has been a long journey filled with challenges, sacrifices, and continuous learning. We have had to adapt to a new language, a new culture, a new industry, and a completely different way of life. However, every experience has helped us become stronger, more knowledgeable, and more grateful.
Today, we continue to grow our company while remaining committed to the values that brought us this far: integrity, hard work, responsibility, and respect for our customers. Our goal is not only to build a successful future for our family, but also to make ourselves useful to the community and to the land that welcomed us and gave us the opportunity to begin again.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
“Smooth” is probably the last word I would use to describe this journey. For a family that relocates to another country, the challenge goes far beyond adapting to a new language or a new landscape. It means discovering an entirely different culture and learning how to become part of it without losing the values, principles, and identity that have always accompanied us from our own.
It also means facing each new challenge with the constant feeling that there is still so much to learn. Every day brings something unfamiliar: a new system, a new expectation, a new way of communicating, or a new lesson about how to move forward. At the same time, there is the natural sadness of missing the life we were forced to leave behind—the places, routines, memories, and sense of belonging that once formed part of our everyday lives.
Perhaps the most difficult part has been the distance from the people we love. When you leave your country, you also leave behind the natural support system that surrounded you for most of your life. There are moments when the absence of family and close friends deeply saddens the heart, especially during important celebrations, difficult times, or ordinary days when you simply wish they were nearby.
Along the way, we have had to learn to focus on our blessings rather than only on what is missing. That does not mean ignoring the sacrifices or pretending that the journey has been easy. It means consciously choosing gratitude, even during difficult seasons. At the end of the day, we recognize that we have been given the opportunity to rebuild our lives, raise our daughter in a safe and welcoming community, and create something meaningful through our work.
The road has not been smooth, but it has taught us resilience, humility, patience, and gratitude. Every challenge has shaped who we are today and has reminded us that progress is not always measured by how easy the journey is, but by the strength, faith, and determination with which we continue moving forward.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Pittsabana Contracting Services is a family-owned construction company based in the Pittsburgh area. Although we provide several exterior home-improvement services, roofing has become the heart of our business and the area in which we have developed our strongest reputation.
We specialize in residential roof replacements and other exterior improvements that help protect and preserve a home. We work with trusted manufacturers such as CertainTeed and Owens Corning, and we make a continuous effort to stay educated about materials, installation methods, ventilation systems, warranties, and industry standards.
What we want people to understand is that roofing is not only about installing shingles. A roof is a complete system, and every property has different needs. Proper installation, appropriate materials, ventilation, and attention to detail are all essential to the roof’s long-term performance. For that reason, we take the time to inspect each property carefully, explain what we find, and provide homeowners with different options whenever possible.
What sets us apart is the personal attention we bring to every project. Our customers are not simply names on a schedule. We speak with them directly, answer their questions, help them understand the process, and remain involved from the initial inspection through the completion of the job. We know that replacing a roof is a major investment, and we believe homeowners deserve honest information, clear communication, and respect throughout the entire experience.
We are very conscious that we are not simply working on houses. We are working on our customers’ homes and investments, and we take that responsibility seriously.
We are also careful not to recommend work that we do not believe is necessary. Trust is more important to us than making a larger sale. Sometimes the best service we can provide is telling a homeowner that a certain replacement or additional item is not needed. We want our customers to feel that we are advising them in the same way we would advise a member of our own family.
We are known for our commitment to quality, responsiveness, and accountability.
The part of our brand that makes us most proud is the trust we have built. We feel truly honored when customers mention us by name in their reviews. To us, that means they did not simply deal with a company; they worked with real people who also took the time to know who they were. Every time a customer returns, it is a sign that we are doing something right.
Many of our projects come from referrals, returning customers, neighbors, and people who have seen our work in their communities. For a family that arrived in this country and had to begin again, every recommendation has a very special meaning. It represents someone opening another door for us because they believed in the service they received.
Our brand is built around honesty, workmanship, education, and human connection. We are proud of the roofs and exterior projects we complete, but we are even more proud when a customer tells us that they felt respected, informed, and cared for. That is the reputation we want Pittsabana to continue building: a company that does quality work, stands behind it, and treats every home as if it truly matters—because it does.
Any big plans?
Our vision for the future is to build a company that not only continues to grow, but that can also endure for generations. We want Pittsabana Contracting Services to remain a family business rooted in the same values that have guided us from the beginning: honesty, dedication, responsibility, and a commitment to quality.
As we grow, it is very important to us that we never lose the personal attention and high standards that our customers have come to expect. We want future generations of our family and team to understand that our reputation is built one customer, one home, and one project at a time.
At the same time, we look forward to incorporating new technologies, materials, and innovations that can improve the quality, efficiency, durability, and overall experience we provide to our customers. The construction and roofing industries continue to evolve, and we want to evolve with them while remaining faithful to the principles that define our company.
We also hope that our growth will allow us to create more employment opportunities and provide people with the chance to learn a trade, develop professionally, and build stable futures for their own families. For us, success is not only measured by the number of projects we complete, but also by the positive impact we can have on our employees, customers, and community.
Ultimately, we want to leave behind more than a successful company. We want to build a lasting legacy: a trusted business that serves its community, creates opportunities, embraces innovation, and maintains the same standard of quality and dedication for generations to come.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pittsabana.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pittsabana/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PITTSABANA/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pittsabana-roofing-b268aa19b/
- Twitter: https://x.com/pittsabana
- Youtube: @pittsabana9736
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pittsabana-contracting-services-castle-shannon-2
- Other: https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Pittsabana+Roofing%2C+4041+Library+Rd%2C+Castle+Shannon%2C+PA+15234
