15 Millennium - Twenty-fourth Edition ARCHITECTURE, CONSTRUCTION, DESIGN AND REAL ESTATE lesson that success can come from starting with nothing. Following this experience, Mr. Scerbo acquired one of Milwaukee’s oldest companies. He expanded its workforce to 500 employees and participated in major government programs before selling it. Upon the expiration of a noncompete clause in 1989, he acquired and developed Bloom City USA, based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which distributed cologne and recreational products. He sold this company in the early 2000s and entered real estate development full-time. Mr. Scerbo’s career took him across various industries. He attributed his success to the example set by his father, who apprenticed as a custom tailor, immigrated to the United States, and built a men’s and women’s clothing business from scratch with strong determination and drive. His father insisted that none of his sons join the business and instead wanted them to build their own paths, a decision that pushed them to become independent and responsible. Mr. Scerbo’s professional legacy included seven patents. He was involved with his local Rotary Club for 30 years. Recalling the humility he felt at this moment, Mr. Scerbo said the experience encouraged him to make sound decisions throughout his career. He was proud that most of the choices he made turned out to be the right ones and led to successful outcomes. AMF later evolved into a recreational company with divisions that developed air-cargo loader rail systems, bowling equipment, Hatteras Yachts, Harley-Davidson motorcycles and other brands. At the time, Mr. Scerbo was in his 30s and managing about 50 professionals in the engineering division. When his division was spun off and ultimately acquired, he was instrumental in growing the new company, York Industries, in the hydraulic field. With a small team, he built the business into multiple locations before selling it in his 50s. Mr. Scerbo considered this one of his most notable achievements. He was tasked with building a manufacturing operation from scratch, starting only with an engineering department and relying on subcontracted designs. He and his team purchased equipment at auctions, trained machine operators and grew alongside their partners. It served as a
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