Sandell Featured In Extreme Makeover

May 01, 2007

Extreme challenge pays off for builders, Colonie family

The Business Review (Albany) - March 30, 2007

by Michael DeMasi

The Business Review

It was also a bonanza of publicity for the many local companies that contributed time, money and materials toward the ABC reality show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

But people involved in the project said that wasn't the reason they signed on.

"When this opportunity arose, it was an opportunity to give back to people that have been buying homes from us," said George Amedore Sr., president of Amedore Homes in Albany, who didn't get much sleep during the five days of around-the-clock construction.

The businesses and organizations that pitched in to finance the new, 3,600-square-foot home for Debbie Oatman-Gaitan and her four children at 23 Fairway Lane are too numerous to list.

A chain-link fence on the grounds of the Colonie Golf Course, which served as the staging area for contractors and other volunteers, gave some indication: There were about 40 banners advertising the companies involved in the effort.

As of March 27, the largest single cash donation was $50,000, given by Capital Communications Federal Credit Union to help the family pay for living expenses, said Lisa Dynko, who coordinated logistics on behalf of Amedore at the construction site.

Business owners who were interviewed cited their desire to help out with a good cause as the reason they agreed to commit time and resources to the project.

All said they weren't aware the construction would be taped for a national TV show when they said yes. They have also been told not to expect to see themselves or their companies mentioned when the show airs May 20 on WTEN-Channel 10.

Jeff Thomas, president of WeatherGuard Roofing in Colonie, said he got a call from an assistant at Amedore asking if his company would shingle the roof on a house being donated to a local family.

"I immediately said yes, without realizing it's a TV show," Thomas said.

He added, "Then he told me we had 99 hours to build the project. I got a little pain in my side. I got an extreme ulcer."

Like Thomas, Saverio Minucci, president and CEO of Sandell Manufacturing Co. Inc. in Rotterdam, had never watched "Extreme Makeover" before he was contacted by Amedore. Minucci offered a $25,000 donation and flashings for the doors, windows and deck on the home.

"Anything my company can do to help, I offered," said Minucci, who was moved to act in part because of the recent death of his father, Salvatore, who bought the manufacturing company in 1990 from its founders.

Pam Krison, executive officer of the Capital Region Builders and Remodelers Association, said at least half the companies that have pitched in to help are members of the group.

Based on the work the organization did last year to coordinate a five-day build of a Habitat for Humanity house in Schenectady, she said the companies aren't looking for free publicity.

"The thing they get out of it is the satisfaction of helping somebody," Krison said. "They also enjoy the challenge of everyone coming together under one roof."

Mike DeBrino is district manager at Sunbelt Rentals, a national firm with an office in Colonie that has donated construction equipment for more than 60 "Extreme Makeover" shows.

When producers told him they were looking for a builder in upstate New York, DeBrino said one name came to mind: Amedore Homes.

Amedore has volunteered on several occasions to help people or organizations in need.

"From Day One they always said it's not about us," DeBrino said. "Let's just take care of this family."

Amedore, who started the company in 1973, said the exposure from the "Extreme Makeover" project may broaden the territory where the firm builds houses, but that wasn't the primary consideration in his thinking.

"I have four blessed sons that want to keep expanding our business," he said.

At least one business has already tried to parlay its involvement with the show into bigger sales. Furniture Theatre in Malta paid for full-page ads in The Times Union saying ABC chose the store over others in the region to supply furniture for the Oatman-Gaitan family.

Co-owner Ed Caro said the store is donating about $35,000 worth of furniture. He didn't see a problem with tooting his own horn a bit.

"You certainly might as well make the most of it," Caro said. "It brings a lot of excitement to the store."

Just two days into the construction, on March 26, the house was already standing and the roof, with its steep pitch and intricate gables, was shingled.

People in white hard hats and yellow rain slickers were on scaffolding applying grout to the cultured stone exterior on the first floor as others scurried about the muddy ground.

Meanwhile, one man held another by the bare ankles as he dangled over the lip of the new, in-ground pool, screwing in a light fixture.

It was a swarm of activity that, from a distance, seemed like a nature show on PBS in which worker bees were doing their darnedest to quickly finish a hive.

"How many OSHA violations can you count?" a local newspaper photographer asked jokingly to those standing under a white tent pitched for the media near the backyard.

Despite what appeared to be organized chaos, there were no injuries on the job site, Amedore said.

Scores of volunteers in blue, "Extreme Makeover" T-shirts descended on the cul-de-sac off Consaul Road, doing everything from driving shuttle vans and guiding sightseers to serving food catered by local restaurants.

Tony Musco, a painter at Fresh Kote Inc., in Ballston Lake, waited more than two hours with eight other guys inside Chip Shots Restaurant at the golf course for their turn to work on the house.

"It's always great to help people," said Musco, whose crew was working for free.

mdemasi@bizjournals.com | 518-640-6814

Times Union Interview Sandell's Owner for Extreme Makeover

April 30, 2007

By PAUL GRONDAHL, Staff writer Click byline for more stories by writer. First published: Friday, March 23, 2007

COLONIE-- "Good morning, Oatman-Gaitan family!" Ty Pennington yelled in a raspy voice through a megaphone pointed at the front porch of Debbie Oatman's house at 23 Fairway Lane. It was 10:05 a.m. Thursday and the big secret that dozens -- perhaps hundreds -- knew around town was a secret no longer.As if on cue, Oatman rushed out of her house with her four sons to embrace Pennington and the rest of the design team from ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," with cameras rolling. Crew members clapped and cheered and Oatman and her boys hopped with excitement. Then, they did it all over again. Four hours later, they re-shot the "surprise" greeting for a fourth and fifth take. Reality TV moves in a surreal slow motion that progresses with the hurry-up-and-wait rhythm of a Hollywood movie set. Debbie Oatman, eyes swollen and red from tears of joy, spoke with a jittery excitement. "It kind of feels surreal to be here," she said. "Our house was sinking. I didn't know what to do. Today, I don't have a worry in the world." Oatman and her sons didn't seem mind the multiple takes of the five of them hopping into a 50-foot super-stretch Ford Expedition limousine with a big plasma TV and acres of plush leather. "I'm overwhelmed. Thank you so much," Oatman said to Pennington and the crew. And then she said it again. The family was packed and ready to fly to an undisclosed vacation destination. It was the start of a luxurious spring break for Oatman, 49, a single parent and student at The College of Saint Rose, and her four sons, ages 10 to 20. For the next week, life on sleepy Fairway Lane will be topsy-turvy. The 1970s-vintage, ranch-style home with light blue siding, situated near the Lisha Kill Creek and bordered by wetlands, is sinking and its foundation is cracked. When Pennington -- the hunky carpenter with spiked hair and a soul patch beard -- and the gang get done, the $123,500 property will be worth much, much more. They'll build a 3,700-square-foot custom home with state-of-the-art construction methods and install top-of-the-line fixtures such as granite counter tops and amenities, including a deluxe in-ground swimming pool. John Hallgren, a vice president of Curtis Lumber, traveled with the owners of Amedore Homes, which is leading the construction, to the show's previous home site outside Philadelphia. "It was pretty exciting and amazing. It gave us a good understanding of how they do it," Hallgren said. George Amedore Jr. said one of the biggest concerns is drainage. "We'll bring in a lot of truckloads of stone, raise up the level of the lot, improve the soil and install proper drainage," Amedore said. Amedore's company builds about 100 Capital Region homes annually. Their record was a 3,000-square-foot home in 54 days. They have 106 hours for this job. Today, volunteers and crew move out all the family's things. Saturday, they demolish the home. Construction at the end of the cul-de-sac continues around-the-clock until Wednesday. Thursday is the "reveal," in which the family tours their dream home. They move back in Friday. Powerful floodlights will illuminate the comings and goings of heavy construction equipment, crews of contractors, 2,000 volunteers and an around-the-clock cacophony of generators, power saws, drills and nail guns. Onlookers Thursday included Becca Graef, a Shaker High School sophomore hoping to catch a glimpse of Ty Pennington. "Well, Ty's hot, that's why," Graef said, as if stating the obvious. Her boyfriend, Greg Gallant, a Shaker junior, and his little brother, Zachary, an eighth-grader at Shaker Junior High, came along. "It's like the biggest thing that's ever happened in Colonie," Greg said. "I just want to see 'em knock down the house," Zachary said. During the demolition and construction, Fairway Lane from Consaul Road will be closed to traffic and parking. Residents must display special dashboard passes. More than a dozen neighbors were contacted by the show's producers and sworn to secrecy. Scores of others were in on the secret, including town of Colonie officials, the Chamber of Commerce, Amedore Homes, Curtis Lumber and other suppliers donating labor, supplies and personnel. The nearby Town of Colonie Golf Course parking lot will be the staging area for up to 2,000 volunteers, who will be shuttled by bus. "I hope we can get in and out OK," said neighbor John Swinegar. He said some neighbors have expressed concern about disruptions. On the other hand, they said Oatman is a deserving candidate for the reality show's magic. Saverio Minucci, president and CEO of Sandell Industries, has never seen "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." But his father died recently and when he was asked to help he was feeling emotional -- and generous. He wrote a check for $25,000 and started working with Mark and George Amedore to provide building materials and 80 workers. Minucci's plant in Rotterdam makes metal flashing material for home construction. "I don't know anything about the show, but the girls in my office are already crying," Minucci said. "They told me I'll be crying before it's over, too."

Sandell Helps with Extreme Makeover - Home Edition build!

March 23, 2007

Sandell Manufacturing has donated $25,000 and provided a large pool of volunteer to help build a new home for the Oatman-Gaitan family right here in New York’s Capital District. 

“When we heard the story of this deserving family we had to help,” said Saverio Minucci President of Sandell Manufacturing.  “We are proud to be apart of Extreme Makeover Home Edition’s building of this house.”   

Sandell Manufacturing has been providing flashing and accessories to the residential and commercial masonry industry for over 70 years. 

“This community has been good to us and we feel that to be a good business you have to give back to your community. When we were contacted by Amadore Homes about this project we jumped at the opportunity to help,” said Minucci.

Amadore Builders, with the help of hundreds of volunteer and partners, will be building a new home for the Oatman-Gaitan family is just seven days.

“It’s an incredible process.  To have our family help there family warms our hearts.  We are amazed at the speed at which this will proceed.  Seven days is a very short time period to complete this, but we have the utmost faith that it will be done and it will be amazing,” Concluded Minucci.

Sandellmfg.com Goes Live

February 08, 2007

Saverio Minucci, President of Sandell Manufacturing, today announced the newly revamped Sandell Manufacturing web site.  Located at www.sandellmfg.com, the new web site show the scope a breath of services amongst the Sandell companies. 

"We wanted a web site that was user friendly,  focused on our products and our three divisions," said Minucci.  "The new site does just that."  We have included a page that has all our specification sheets and MSDS sheet to help our clients and architects get the information they need," concluded Minucci.