Page 45 - PC Living Jan-Feb 2017

PARTNERS IN BUSINESS & LIFEVALLI & JOE SORCIdo the same thing exactly - that's probably one reason why we work well together. When not at the drawing board in “Design World,” Joe spends a lot of time on the phone and out of o ce at the jobsite or meeting with clients taking care of immediate needs. I try to anticipate what has to be done next and get it started, so that he can jump in and delegate, ll in details or nish.Joe Sorci: Other than running the o ce, she responds to requests for proposals. She has the ability to open up a new proposal that took weeks and months of work, she takes one glance at it and nds a typo or blunder.Valli Sorci: And I make sure it gets corrected even if it’s the day of the presentation and we are with one foot out of the door.PC Living: What was the deciding factor to move the business from Orlando to Panama City?Joe Sorci: The timing was just right. In our business and our lives, it was the right time.Valli Sorci: Our kids had left home and we came up and looked at the area and loved it. And Joe wanted to live on good shing water.Joe Sorci: During the Advanced Technology Center presentation to the GCSC Board of Trustees, I told the committee that if they selected us I would move here. Of course, they didn't believe me at that time. Later, the chairman remarked, "You actually did that." We've made a lot of friends here in Panama City since. It is a community that we can integrate with. We got involved with several organizations and we give back.Valli Sorci: We are more social than we ever were. The lifestyle is very di erent here. When we lived in Orlando, we shared a boat that was stored in Cape Canaveral. To get out into the deep water, we had to get up at three o'clock in the morning, drive long hours, get the boat out, and go far out, and then deal with security from the cruise terminals and the Space Center.PC Living: In working together, what drives you the most? What gives you the most satisfaction?Joe Sorci: Many of our projects are large and complex, which takes a long time to develop, design, and construct. For me, it's working through that process on a shared mission with other talented people that are excited about what they are doing and delivering a well-designed, well-received building. When we are able to go back after completion and observe how the owners and the users feel about their space, how they use it, and how they embrace it. Just feeling that success, for me it makes me feel good about what we all do. You can't buy that.Valli Sorci: He is really, really, really good at presenting the project. His design and architectural talent and the ability to understand and translate the owner’s vision to the built environment is obvious. For me, watching him when he is talking about a concept that he believes in and is very passionate about, comes through and ignites others. It's something to see. People say, "Wow" after one of his presentations. That's what attracts me to him. It even calms me down at presentations when I have been covered in numbers for weeks.Joe Sorci: She takes that part away from me. I don't have to deal with the www.PanamaCityLiving.com • January - February 2017 • 45