Michael R. Pagnotta

Michael Pagnotta is currently the president of the Michael Pagnotta Architecture & Contruction firm in Ship Bottom, New Jersey.

From its inception, the company has been very successful in completing some of the most challenging customer residential projects in New Jersey. Waterfront vacation homes have become the main focus, although commercial and industrial projects also have been completed.

Homes built by the company have been chosen for the prestigious Long Beach Island Foundation House Tour, and many examples can be seen in newspaper and magazine features. Although a "young" firm, the company boasts a considerable body of distinguishable work, and several of the projects serve as landmarks along the New Jersey coast.

Recently Mike appeared in the television program series entitled, "Castles on the Coast." In the program, several homes were featured that were designed and built based on such factors as coast, aesthetic quality, environmental concerns, and personal needs of the client. Mike also claims to be influenced by nature in many of his designs.

In regard to his school days at Central, Mike commented that he has so many fond memories of Central that it is difficult to narrow them down. High on the list is varsity baseball when the team won the 1978 Ocean County tournament. He had one game in which he pitched a complete game victory and hit a homerun.

Mike was influenced by Jaunita Carfora, who instilled in him "habits as skills" that he since has applied to many endeavors. He learned about "humility and success" from Lolita Carfora and cited Principal Norman Brown as a good role model and source of encouragement.

Probably the springboard to career success was receiving the Sara C. Merrick Spanish scholarship for summer study in Mexico where he increased his ability to communicate with Spanish-speaking people. En route to Mexico, Mike enjoyed a brief stay in Austin, Texas, and later returned to attend the University of Texas.

While at the university, Mike worked for a Texas developer who was interested in completing a "destination resort" on a undeveloped island off the coast of Honduras. Because he was fairly fluent in Spanish, he was chosen to go to the island of Utila, and it was there that he worked with architect Bradford Duncan, a direct apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright. Duncan taught Mike a great deal about architecture and construction.

It is obvious to see that Mike's education, training, and experience are paying impressive dividends. As Mike himself comments, "I am still very excited about our firm as I truly believe our better days are still to come!" We at Central Regional also are excited about Mike's progress and wish him continued success.