Jordan Parisse-Ferrarini
Trades for a Difference
Philadelphia, PA USA
"'Being real’ is helping your community, not hurting your community."
Career Roadmap
Jordan's work combines: Entrepreneurship, Non-Profit Organizations, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
I recommend finding a construction apprenticeship. Apprenticeships are one of the best and most lucrative educational opportunities in trade industries.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Vocational
Electrician Technician
Kaplan International Pathways
Vocational
Carpentry
Orleans Technical Institute
Certification
Business and Construction Management
Temple University - Fox School of Business and Management
Certification
Master Electrician
International Code Council
Certification
OSHA Authorized Training Instructor
OSHA
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
I was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
2.
We started a handyman company out of the trunk of a car with a bucket full of tools from the pawn shop—we passed out flyers and were able to pay the bills by providing small repair services.
3.
I saw my mom and brothers work so hard at the business that I took to it as well, seeing it was an opportunity and a way to get up and out.
4.
I invested in myself and my education in the construction trade.
5.
We eventually grew the business into renovations and started doing small-scale kitchen and bathrooms as well as basement restoration projects.
6.
What started out as a small handyman business from the trunk of a car grew into a nationally awarded brand in the luxury design build industry.
7.
As I became more successful, I realized that there wasn’t anyone else who looked like me succeeding in the industry, so I decided to do something about it.
8.
I started a nonprofit organization, Trades for a Difference, in order to give as many people from my community access to the same types of opportunities.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
You're real if you're out in the streets doing bad things.
How I responded:
Many young people fall victim to the negativity that tells us we're real if we're out in the streets promoting violence or selling drugs. That's not real. Being real is helping your community, not hurting it. Real is what's real to you. Live your truth, be who you want to be, and don't try to live up to the stigmas. If you take a step back and look at the people promoting that negative culture, they're not even people you actually look up to or want to be like. That lightbulb moment is powerful.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
My mom raised my siblings and me—my dad wasn't around. I remember seeing my mom struggle to make ends meet but she also worked so hard at everything she did. I took a mental note of that growing up and apply it to my own work today.