Army Veteran and Construction Pro Brings Wealth of Diverse Experience as He Joins Pillar To Post Home Inspectors® Network

(PITTSBURGH, PA)—To say Matt Ruggieri has “done a good bit,” – his words – is a huge understatement, because a “good bit” for Ruggieri is a whole lot of stuff for most people. That’s because the 36-year-old Pittsburgh resident served eight years as an active-duty infantryman in the United States Army – where he was deployed to Iraq three times, and yes, jumped out of airplanes – before receiving an Honorable Discharge, then worked full-time while earning a bachelor’s degree in business and an MBA as he climbed the corporate ladder to become senior project manager for a commercial construction company.

Now Ruggieri is expanding his spectrum of experience by launching a new career for which he couldn’t be better suited: he’s a new franchise owner with Pillar To Post Home Inspectors, serving the Greater Pittsburgh area and surrounding communities.

Simple math quickly demonstrates that a home inspection is money well-spent when making what is typically the largest single investment most people will ever make. “That’s one piece of advice that’s hard to argue,” says Ruggieri. “No one needs surprises with what they are spending to buy a home in today’s market.”

And as far as choosing home inspection as a new career, these are industry facts: The U.S. building inspector industry, measured by revenue, is estimated to have a current market size of $4.9 billion, according to global research firm IBISWorld.

Launching operations in January 2023, Ruggieri is a perfect example of why so many military veterans make a perfect fit for owning a franchise. Veterans represent 14 percent of franchisees, and they prove a good fit for the franchise model because veterans possess strong leadership skills and a thorough understanding of being part of a team. Franchises also operate on proven systems and defined procedures and the military training that veterans go through allows them to easily adapt to a system and find success in franchising. Ruggieri brings a vast wealth of experience from his military and corporate careers.

“I have worked with a lot of different people in high-pressure and challenging situations, which gives me strengths from a technical standpoint,” he said. “More importantly, I operate my business and my interactions from a moral and ethical standpoint instilled in me from my time in the military to my work planning, managing, and closing large-scale construction projects. I worked in the corporate world and in the small-business world, which exposed me to a lot and prepared me to start my own business in too many ways to count.”

The civil/commercial construction company where Ruggieri previously worked specialized in government-funded construction projects. While he loved his work, his 60- to 70-hour workweeks took their toll and Ruggieri believed he was at the right time and place, given his experience, to go into business for himself.

“Home inspection fit in well with my background and Pillar To Post Home Inspectors’ commitment to technological progress and customer service impressed me. I felt comfortable with the culture and appreciated the support of an established franchisor to help me begin my own business,” Ruggieri said.

It doesn’t hurt that small business ownership runs in the family. Ruggieri’s fiancée, Jamie Ober, is already a small-business owner operating two permanent hair removal businesses at two locations in Pittsburgh with five employees. “We agreed that while owning and operating a business is hard, it is one of the ways to realize our life goals and provide a better life for our family,” said Ruggieri, who added that couple is expecting their first child, a daughter, in February.

One of the many reasons Ruggieri chose Pillar To Post Home Inspectors is the innovative technologies the company introduced in the past 18 months. These advanced technologies, along with the business model, provide an exceptional home inspection with unique and innovative features that are all delivered within a seamless brand experience. All developed pre-pandemic and ready to be utilized when the pandemic struck, the new features further highlight Pillar To Post Home Inspectors’ standing as a visionary in its industry. The package is now known as the Ultimate Home Inspection and it’s revolutionizing the home inspection industry. So much so that the company was just awarded the much-coveted Best Innovators by Franchise Update Media in the category of “best customer service tools.”

PTP360 is available with every home inspection and provides an interactive, 360-degree visual inspection summary that brings the inspection report to life and includes every room and a home’s exterior. It can be accessed anywhere, anytime from any device and shared with family or contractors.

PTPEstimates provides a cost estimate for inspection summary items. This upgrade is extremely useful for sellers who do a pre-listing inspection, letting them learn what recommended repairs will cost based on prices charged in their area. Estimates can be requested with one click.

PTPFloorPlan provides an accurate floor plan of the entire home. This useful upgrade can be used to determine furniture fit and placement, and also provide exact dimensions to contractors for estimating purposes.

PTPHomeManual is an upgraded service that provides a digital owner’s manual for a home, letting users download manuals/warranty information, find safety recalls on appliances, learn the age and useful remaining life of systems and much more.

“The cyclic nature of home prices going down while loan rates have risen equals opportunities to purchase homes for a lower cost than the previous couple of years with the opportunity to refinance to more manageable rates in the next two to three years when those rates stabilize and come back down,” Ruggieri said. “Generally speaking, a home purchase is the largest purchase in most people’s lives and a home inspection offers the opportunity to provide the knowledge and reassurance to a new homebuyer to make that leap with confidence.”

For information visit https://mattrteam.pillartopost.com or call 412-923-5290.

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About Pillar To Post Home Inspectors®

Founded in 1994, Pillar To Post Home Inspectors is the largest home inspection company in North America with home offices in Toronto and Tampa. There are nearly 600 franchises located in 49 states and nine Canadian provinces. They’ve ranked in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise500® for 26 years. Long-term plans include adding 500 to 600 new franchisees over the next five years. For further information, please visit www.pillartopost.com or for info about a franchise go to www.pillartopostfranchise.com