Korellis celebrates 60th anniversary with a milestone year

2020 marked Korellis’ 60th anniversary, and it was a year full of milestones for the company. A rebrand, a greater emphasis on new trades, the biggest project the business has ever undertaken with their work on the upcoming Hard Rock Casino, and all in the midst of a global pandemic. 

“If you would’ve told me that this year would end up as good as it has back in March, I certainly would’ve thought you were wrong,” said Pete Korellis, President of Korellis. “The Hard Rock Casino project is the largest single contract Korellis has ever had. I’m thrilled with the way this year has ended.” 

Korellis leadership saw the company grow from a well-loved local roofer into a much more comprehensive construction team as they expanded their business to include sheet metal/wall-panel services, masonry restoration, and carpentry. The growth was great enough that this year that Pete Korellis saw fit to shed ‘Roofing’ from the company name. 

“Here in Northwest Indiana, I think most people already associate Korellis with roofing,” Pete Korellis said. “We won’t be showing up to jobs in roofing trucks anymore, so this opens the door up to continue expanding into other trades. 

Pete Korellis noted that even as they expand, roofing is still the core of who they are as a company. 

“Roofing will always be the engine that pulls the freight train around,” he said. “If people ask ‘what is Korellis?’ we can say it’s a construction company that focuses on commercial/industrial roofing, but also does masonry restoration and wall panels—maybe even more in the future.” 

The 60th anniversary also marked a transition in leadership, as Pete Korellis prepares to step away from his role as President, and Vice President John Ziolkowski will be stepping into the position. 

“The goal is that nobody will notice the change when I become president,” Ziolkowski said. “It’ll just happen one day. I’ll have a new title, and some new responsibilities, but nothing will be impacted in the operation.” 

Ziolkowski already laid a set of goals he wants to accomplish, the first of which is making sure there are always leaders ready to step-up when needed. 

“I want to prep the new generation and build a leadership team in case something were ever to happen to myself,” he said. “I want to build myself around people that are better, smarter, and more innovative than myself. That’s what’s going to keep this team here.” 

For their service, Ziolkowski saw his vision for the company captured in the work they did on the Hammond YMCA’s renovation. 

“It was huge to help them with that uplift on what the Y is all about,” he said. “It’s about showing appreciation about the community coming together. That’s what we’re trying to do here, we’re trying to build our future. Not just for our future growth, but for our employees. That’s what I want to do as president.” 

Pete Korellis, for his part, is still set to remain with the company as CEO – no longer involved with the day-to-day operations and instead helping grow the company as a business. 

“As long as we continue to put our employees first, this business will continue to grow and prosper,” he said. “I’ve said for many years that the most honorable thing a business can do is employ people at good wages with good benefits. As long as we continue to keep that first, and I have full faith that John and his team will, there will be endless opportunities for Korellis.” 

To learn more about Korellis, visit https://korellis.com/.