Termite-Damaged Wood Finds New Purpose in Beautiful Awards

Pete LaQuaglia, who also goes by his artist name Odd.

As an artist seeking to honor the legacy of PMP Charles “Chuck” Evans (Evans Pest Control, Philadelphia), Pete LaQuaglia wanted to do something special for his late friend and mentor. LaQuaglia — owner of marketing firm Koonook whose background also includes owning and working in pest control and lawn care — got together with consultant Paul Bello and the two discussed creating the Charles M. Evans Memorial Award for Business Excellence to be presented at a Paul Bello PJB Development Workshop.

LaQuaglia, who also goes by the artist name Odd, did not want to buy a mass-produced award because “it's lazy and when we lose someone like Chuck, we have to understand there is no mass production of Chuck — he was created. When we recognize peoples’ achievements, we have to understand that they didn't get there by buying it online — they worked hard and got themselves there. They created it. Paul challenges his attendees to work and develop plans to help make their businesses flourish, they create that.”

“Everything has a purpose, this 2 by 4 started out as a tree and it had purpose, it provided oxygen, removed harmful carbons, and it provided shelter for wildlife and pests,” he said. “Once it was cut down, it was no longer a tree and it served a new purpose. That tree became wood and it provided work for lumberjacks, mills, and construction workers/ That wood became 2 by 4s and it served a new purpose. Once that 2 by 4 is installed in the home, it provides a loving safe home, where we create memories, build families, and have a safe place where we can mourn when we lose a loved one. Once termites damaged the structure of the home, that 2 by 4 no longer had a purpose — its garbage.”

LaQuaglia was inspired and created a new purpose for the termite-damage 2 by 4s — an art sculpture acting as a centerpiece for unique, beautiful awards. It was a labor of love for LaQuaglia. Each piece required approximately five weeks of work and each award required about 18+ hours of sanding. LaQuaglia used resin to fill in the gallery's termites left behind and restored the damaged wood back into a beautiful 2 by 4. He then burnished the wood, beginning with 60 grit sandpaper all the way to 3,000 grit.