Gaetano Indomenico: “I’m from Floridia—and Today I Build America’s Dreams.” He Arrived in the U.S. With Just a Trowel

When Gaetano Indomenico arrived in the United States, he had few certainties and almost nothing in his pocket. “I had just 36 dollars,” he recalls today, with a clarity undimmed by time. It wasn’t even enough to rent a truck to move the few belongings he had brought with him from Floridia. “The money wasn’t enough to hire a vehicle. We arrived by ship, and that’s how we began.”

But what truly defined that arrival was not what he lacked—it was what he carried.

A trowel. The tool of his trade. The symbol of a life that would be built through work.

From that seemingly small detail unfolds a story that is both common and extraordinary—like thousands of others, yet unique in its path. Indomenico was one of many Italians who left Sicily in the late 1960s, driven by necessity and sustained by a stubborn hope. A journey without guarantees, without promises, without certainty. “I simply wanted to reach my uncle, Rosario Failla,” he says today, almost downplaying a choice that would radically change his life.

There were no strategic plans, no entrepreneurial visions. Only the desire to work, to build something, to create a future for a family that did not yet exist but already felt like a responsibility.

The Connecticut that welcomed Gaetano Indomenico was not an easy place for Italians. Suspicion, prejudice and stereotypes were part of daily life. Immigrants were often confined to the hardest jobs, underpaid and underappreciated. Yet in that difficult environment, the Italian community did what it had always done: it stood together, helped one another, and transformed hardship into dignity.

Roads, buildings and entire neighborhoods still bear the mark of that generation from Southern Italy—artisanal skills, discipline and an extraordinary capacity to adapt. Indomenico emerged not through luck, but through daily dedication that allowed no shortcuts. He worked tirelessly, learned by watching, made mistakes and corrected them. Growth was slow but steady—brick by brick, day after day.

More than half a century later, his name is associated with one of the most solid and respected construction groups in Connecticut and neighboring states. Success, however, never erased his origins—or his way of being in the world. Indomenico never stopped calling himself a mason.

Even today, at 85, he goes to the company every day, wearing his work uniform, sharing time with his children and employees. “I still go around in my work clothes,” he says naturally. He recounts an episode that, to him, is merely anecdotal but reveals much about his outlook: “One day I went to City Hall to pay a tax, and the clerk—who knew me well—barely recognized me because of how I was dressed.”

There is no pride in the telling, only consistency. Presence. Example. Respect. For Indomenico, enterprise begins here—long before balance sheets and revenues.

With minimal formal education—just three years of elementary school—but an unbreakable will, he achieved in a few years what others took decades to build. “In 1966, none of this was a given,” he says with quiet pride. “We had few tools, but a lot of determination. Some people build a great deal over a lifetime—we managed it in a short time. And I, with only a third-grade education, had already done quite a lot.”

Residential complexes, major construction projects and significant infrastructure followed. His reputation grew, leading even to unexpected collaborations, including with international film productions that required technical expertise and absolute reliability.
At the heart of everything, however, was never just work. Family has always been the true pillar of Gaetano Indomenico’s life. The bond with his mother remains profound and intact. “I often think of my mother and I feel like crying,” he admits, without holding back emotion. That feeling intertwines with his relationship with his siblings and with his sister Lina—“whom I had to take care of before I could even think of getting married.” Duty came before desire.

Even when that meant giving up hard-earned savings—sometimes even the money needed to travel.

Decisive, too, was meeting Tina, the woman who would become his wife. “I had seen her maybe once or twice in Floridia and never imagined she would become my wife,” he recalls with a smile. “Today she is the most important person in my life. Even at 85, when I finish at the office, I can’t wait to go home to her.” A love that grew over time—solid, discreet, far from rhetoric and deeply rooted.

Their children, now involved in the business, carry names that reflect a family story shaped by affection, memory and respect for those who are no longer there. The company—now employing more than 100 people and generating tens of millions of dollars in revenue—is the result of this constant intertwining of work and values. It has never been just a place of production, but a space of relationships, responsibility and belonging.

A key moment came with the founding of the company itself, created with a group of partners and an initial capital that would seem almost symbolic today. “There were 17 of us, and we had just $1,700,” he recalls. Each month, everyone contributed a small amount to build the capital. No one felt more important than the others. “We became what we are,” he repeats, “without ever losing our values.”

Even now, the company retains a rare family spirit in modern entrepreneurship. Shared meals, Saturday breakfasts, celebrations with families and gatherings among fellow townspeople are not folklore—they are tools of cohesion and identity. That is how trust is built. That is how difficulties are faced.

Despite American success, Floridia remains a fixed point. “Everything started at 147 Via Polisena,” he says. “My father sowed well. He taught me the value of money and sacrifice.” Every return to Sicily is a journey into memory—family, friends and places that marked the beginning of everything. The house, the garden, tomatoes and tenerumi grown by his own hands are symbols of a bond that time and distance never broke.

“One must always help those in difficulty,” he continues to repeat—a guiding principle that runs through his entire life.
Gaetano Indomenico’s story is that of a man who crossed oceans without losing himself.

“What am I most proud of?” he says.

 “Of arriving here with nothing but a trowel.”

A successful entrepreneur, certainly—but above all, a living testament to how work, sacrifice and family values can turn a dream into reality, without ever forgetting where it began.