Adam Fincik cherishes the memories of his time with the Donora Youth Baseball Association (DYBA) in Southwest Pennsylvania.
Now co-owner and production manager at Planet Roof – a roofing shop that services the Pittsburgh and Altoona areas near his old stomping grounds – simple things, like piling into vehicles with teammates for away games, stick with him.
”Just the good old days, man,” he said.
Fincik said the area businesses that sponsored teams and had their logos on jerseys “were like celebrities to me. You would drive past the business and say, ‘Oh, (so and so) is right there!’"
That’s why a few years ago, he reached out to Colby Perrotta, a member of the DYBA Board of Directors and son of one of Fincik’s favorite youth coaches, the late Joe Perrotta.
Fincik wanted Planet Roof to make an annual donation to DYBA, and become a sponsor.
Now it’s his company’s name on the uniforms, and he feels privileged that his business can give back to the community where he grew up.
“It feels good on my end, just because it was something that I always looked up to my whole life,” he said. “It truly is a dream come true.”
It’s why Planet Roof’s philanthropy reaches beyond the baseball diamond.
Offering support close to home
Planet Roof also supports Club Serenity Inc., a nonprofit in Southwest Pennsylvania that supports people who are battling substance abuse. In an area of the country hit hard by the opioid crisis, Club Serenity has been providing supportive services for more than 25 years.
Fincik jumped at the opportunity to help.
“They have some really good people involved (in the organization) that I know personally,” he said.
He said Planet Roof has been a sponsor at Rock for Recovery, an annual fundraiser held by Club Serenity, and provided roofs for two of its recovery houses.
“If we donate a roof, that's $15,000 they can put toward computers and things like that,” Fincik said. “A lot of times these people are not in the best position, so to have resources after you're in that bad position is a blessing in my eyes, and we help provide that.”
Planet Roof’s work in its community was recognized by ServiceTitan’s Power the Nation initiative, which highlights the philanthropy of its customers.
Planet Roof made the switch to ServiceTitan last October and saw its gross monthly income more than triple from late 2024 to this past spring.
Fincik acknowledged how the extra revenue has boosted Planet Roof’s ability to give back, and noted another benefit of switching to ServiceTitan.
“Everything ServiceTitan has to offer has freed up so much of our time,” he said.
“The roofing industry is fast-paced, and it's really easy to be off on your numbers if you don't have the right systems in place to check them every day – not only every day, every hour. We just have it so dialed in now that it's like clockwork.
”It’s given us the opportunity to think about (philanthropy), because that’s not something you just do on a whim.”
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A blast from the past
Fincik wears his love for his community on his sleeve, so it’s no surprise his charitable decisions have been rooted in the personal connections he’s nurtured over the years.
He said he’s still in contact with one of his youth coaches and some former teammates.
“A lot of times when I see some of the guys I played with, we'll talk about, ‘Oh, remember when you did this?’” he said. “It was a big part of my life.”
Though Fincik doesn’t need help conjuring memories from those days, Colby Perrotta recently made it easier. Colby gives Fincik a plaque and a hat every year for sponsoring a team.
One year he also handed Fincik an old catcher’s mitt. It belonged to Joe Perrotta and was used by Fincik his entire youth career.
“When (Colby) handed it to me, he knew that I wouldn't hesitate at all to know what it was,” Fincik said. “He wouldn't let anybody touch it. It was my mitt.”
Fincik said he keeps the plaques in his office.
And the catcher’s mitt?
“It’s on my desk,” he said.
