There was a time when Pittsburgh was a teeming cauldron of immigrants – a cacophony of languages and voices and faces from across Europe. My grandfather Andrew Furiga was one of them. His first address: the 300 block of Cherry Way, where the One Oxford Centre skyscraper stands today.
The only reason I know anything about Pittsburgh is because he came here from Slovakia for a better life. He mined coal for decades outside the small town of Avella in Washington County. With my grandmother Anna, who was Carpatho-Rusyn (I’ll let you look that one up here), they raised 10 kids, including my dad.
I grew up in a place called Cleveland (yes, you know it and please leave your jokes in the comments). My family’s deep roots here brought me back here 20 years ago.
There’s a reason why I stayed. Watch my video to find out why!
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Paul Furiga is president and CEO of WordWrite Communications. You can find him on Twitter @paulfuriga. 
