My favorite thing about the South Side is… wait for it… where I spend most hours of my day… Zoltun Design.

Hear me out, especially coworkers who may think this is me schmoozing some certain bosses’ you know whats.

It is nothing of the sort.

I live in a small town 11 miles from the city, which means hours in traffic time. Twenty years ago, I worked for a company in downtown Pittsburgh and took the bus. I didn’t have road rage to contend with… I slept on the bus, to and from. Then, the company shut down and the job search was on. Luckily, a very nice man by the name of Rick Zoltun, who often came into the office I once worked, offered me a job… in the South Side. In my mind, this was like asking me to drive to Toledo every day and I gave it a long thought. The South Side to me was my “watering hole” in my early 20s. That’s all the South Side meant to me—lots of people walking around “very happy” on weekends.

Fast forward—I took the job and I’m still here. Yeah, the drive can be horrid, but the positives outweigh the negatives. Zoltun Design, Janey and Rick Zoltun, and the employees are friends to me, not just coworkers. Great friends. Even some people who have gone their separate ways for whatever reasons, I remain close with. Some live close by, some live across the country. Without Zoltun Design, my friendships so dear to my heart would not be possible. 

So, yes, the South Side has many fantastic restaurants, shops and bars, but my favorite place to be is where I work. 

Oh, and lastly, I love what I do as much as I love the people I see each and every day. 

By Casey Clark