YOUR STORY MATTERS HERE: Betsy Pedicone

By Tim Wesley

Ben Franklin supposedly said, “If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it – such as Betsy Pedicone.”

OK, maybe he didn’t mention Betsy, but he could have. 

Ask her to describe a typical day and you’ll get a laugh in response.  Then listen to her laundry list which probably includes, um, laundry, even though she didn’t mention it.  She did mention working part-time for her husband’s engineering firm, while still lending an occasional hand at her previous employer, while volunteering to help with Dutilh’s communications committee.

Throw in a Bible study on Tuesday nights, exercise now and then, cooking for a new neighbor and sewing Halloween costumes for her kids, and you have some basic ingredients for her typical day.  And if there happens to be a global pandemic and the kids are home from school, sprinkle in some extra parenting time as a sweetener.

Her secret sauce?

“It’s a lot of multi-tasking, especially with the kids being home now – and coffee,” said Betsy, matter-of-factly explaining her juggling act.  “I do better when I have some control over my schedule, but right now I don’t have that, so I’m trying to reorganize a bit and adapt – some days successfully, other days everything seems to fall apart. When I have rough days, I try to give myself some grace, ask forgiveness, and try again the next day.” 

She’s also quick to acknowledge with gratitude the flexibility provided by her part-time job and the help she receives from her husband, Steve, and their parents and neighbors.

“We’re fortunate to have both sets of parents living fairly close, and Steve’s parents also attend Dutilh,” she said.  “Plus, we live in a small neighborhood and we’re close with our neighbors.  Our kids play together, and it’s been helpful to have couples who can babysit or we can have a girls’ night out together.”

Graduates of Hopewell and Pine Richland, respectively, Betsy and Steve met at Penn State University.  A marketing major, she moved to Philadelphia after graduating and worked for a small engineering firm where she handled multiple tasks – no surprise there – including administrative duties, accounting and proposal design.  Steve, meanwhile, graduated with a mechanical engineering degree and joined a firm back in Pittsburgh. 

When they decided to marry, Betsy moved back to the area in 2009 and found a marketing job with another engineering company.  She worked until their first son, Seth, arrived in 2012, then opted to be a stay-at-home mom.  About 18 months later, though, her former boss called and offered a part-time position, so she took it.  A second son, Andrew, arrived in 2016, followed soon by a momentous career move for Steve:  Given the opportunity to take over his father’s company, Pedicone Engineering Consultants, he seized it.  And he soon convinced his versatile, multi-tasking wife to join him as a part-time office manager.  Today, she’s still juggling that role plus myriad others, and it’s working.

“Steve and I work pretty well as a team,” Betsy said.  “As an engineer, he’s very technically oriented and focuses his time on keeping clients happy. I try to make sure he remembers the personal side of being an employer, birthday reminders and sending cards for life events – new babies, new houses, etc.  The advantage of having Steve as my boss is he is usually understanding, especially this year, if some tasks are not done on his preferred schedule, or maybe, say, the bank account gets over-drafted once or twice before I catch an error during the Christmas season – hypothetically speaking, of course. I’m just very fortunate to have both the opportunity to work part-time while having young kids and getting to spend time with them.”

COVID, of course, has created additional challenges, from the kids being home to keeping the firm’s roughly 10 employees safe and working.  Employees are mostly working from home now, and Betsy said business has remained steady; restaurant clients, in particular, have used downtime to renovate their mechanical systems.  The firm is licensed in 20 states with a large base of repeat clients.

Whether working from home or the office, Betsy strives to apply her principles of faith and service when opportunities arise.

“Faith is kind of always in the back of my mind, and a lot of it is the way I want to treat people,” she said.  “In my first job, the owner always treated people with respect and liked to get to know them and take care of them.  We try to do the same.”

Those principles took root early in her life, while watching, for example, family members cook meals for shut-ins or new neighbors.  She now coordinates a meal plan in her neighborhood for families with new babies, and she frequently contributes her favorites:  Baked ziti and zucchini bread, just as her grandmother made.

“I grew up in the church and it was always just ingrained in me that you help out when somebody needs it,” Betsy said.

For her, that includes when the church itself taps you on the shoulder.

“I was always a little hesitant to get involved at church,” she said.  “I’d think, ‘Maybe I can do this, but I’m not great at it.’  Well, you might not be an expert, but you can use your knowledge to help.  It’s important for people to know that God will find a way to use you, so don’t be afraid to step up.  Take the leap because it pays off; it’s a way to give back to the church, and I enjoy doing the stuff so that’s a bonus.”

At a previous church, Betsy drew on her understanding of accounting and eventually became the financial secretary.  At Dutilh, she’s tapped into her marketing background and graphic design instincts to help with the annual report, logos and sermon slides.

“I’ve really enjoyed working with the communications committee,” she said.  “It’s a good fit with my background and the graphic design projects give me a creative outlet.”

Sewing Halloween costumes is both a family tradition and a creative outlet.  Her mom used to make Betsy’s – a scarecrow complete with hay sticking out was her favorite – and Betsy wants to pass down that tradition to her own kids.  She made a penguin with a fat belly for Seth, and Andrew wore it a few years later.  Of course, 8-year-old Seth now prefers that his mom doesn’t make his costumes anymore, so come October that might free up some time for another task on her list.

“When there are so many things you want to do, you have to prioritize and be flexible,” she said.  “Focusing on the kids is a top priority but I also have deadlines at work.  We tend to get the kids to bed between 8 and 9 p.m., and sometimes I’m working on something – or finally catching up on TV shows – and realize it’s midnight, so I better get to bed, too.”

Yes, Ben Franklin, even a busy person needs some sleep now and then.

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If you or someone you know in the Dutilh family has an interesting story or profession, send us your ideas! We would love to help tell the story. Email: communications@dutilhumc.org.