Jo-Anne Peck, 40, and Craig DeRoin, 48, moved to Tampa shortly after they married, to help rehabilitate 33 historic buildings around Ybor City as part of an Florida Department of Transportation’s Interstate 4 improvement project.
They now live in canal home in Hernando Beach (“the most affordable waterfront in the Tampa Bay area,” Jo-Anne says), where they spend a lot of time watching the fish. “I still get really excited when dolphins come in, even after three years. We also have bald eagles that fly overhead, and I saw a coyote early one morning! Supposedly black bears live in the nearby nature preserve, but I have yet to see one,” Jo-Anne says.
We talked with Jo-Anne recently about their consulting company, Preservation Resource; their product line, Historic Shed; and about what could make Tampa Bay an even more awesome place.
How did you decide to start your own business?
I was consulting part time while teaching architectural drafting at a technical college in West Palm Beach. Craig had been a renovation contractor for many years, and it was a natural fit for us to merge businesses. Our historic preservation consulting company was incorporated in 2000.
We renovated several relocated houses for FDOT in Ybor City, and one of the most common complaints of new owners moving into these homes was a lack of storage. The homes had no garage, and standard sheds would not be approved by local Historic Preservation Review Boards.
Craig had already designed and built a shed to match our 1923 bungalow in historic Hyde Park, and we simply filled a need not addressed by any other local businesses. Since then, we have added other similar offerings, including traditional screen doors, wood window screens, and foundation lattice.
What do you think would make Tampa Bay an even better place?
Tampa does not value its historic buildings the way it should. St. Petersburg seems to do a slightly better job, but if preservation of the existing historic character of each community became a priority, the benefits would be immense. Revitalizing the existing building stock is the ultimate recycling project and keeps the unique character of a community intact. Every time a homogeneous new project is chosen over saving an existing historic building in the name of “progress,” a community loses a bit of its identity.
Do you have any advice for other wanna-be entrepreneurs?
Don’t think that running your own business is easy, or that it will make you rich overnight (or ever). So pick something that you believe in and that you love to do to bolster you through the hard times and make all the work seem worthwhile.
You can reach both Historic Shed and Preservation Resource online or call them at 813.333.2249
Tags: Craign DeRoin, historic prservation, Historic Shed, Jo-Anne Peck
(if you don’t have one, just ask me. It’s FREE & gets you discounts all over the area!)