【63】An Inspiring and Resilient Entrepreneur@Pittsburgh

In January 2013, Michelle Barabas donated 5^th Street School building, which she had purchased and been revitalizing since 2008, to the Borough of Donora. She purchased it for the price of $8,500 and spent over $35,000 on the renovations. Michelle intended to transform it into a living market as well as a nonprofit to assist local residents in raising their property values. She had a lot to tell as an entrepreneur, as well as a person who is full of ideas and ambitions.

In 2008, she graduated from the International Academy of Design and Technology with a degree in Visual Communications only to find that the market crash months before was leading to major layoffs in corporate graphic design and advertising departments nationwide.

She started an apprenticeship on a 10-acre green farm and got immersed into horticulture. At the same time, she was also actively seeking an investment where she could utilize the $10,000 she had saved from her educational loans. That is the essence of entrepreneurship, they are always pursuing the next thing. Barabas is indeed an entrepreneur. You know it the moment you meet her.

When she saw this school building in Donora on the Howard Hanna website, she felt this was her opportunity. With her business plans from college in hand, she called the realtor and within 41 minutes, her bid on the building was accepted. The endeavor did not turn out as planned but with her optimistic and kind nature, she will also tell you that those lessons she learned from this journey turned out to be so valuable that they ultimately led to what she is proudly doing now in Pittsburgh.

Her business ideas were to construct a vertical market within the school so that the building could be run as a living market. The day she started the revitalization was when her troubles began. 

Firstly, know thy neighbor. Michelle’s school sat adjacent to a neighbor who disliked the fact that the vacant property was finally purchased. This was because the new ownership assumed by Barabas made the neighbor’s parking on her property illegal. The neighbor started to file complaint after complaint to the local authorities stating that Barabas’ revitalization was posing a risk to the air quality and safety of the neighborhood. In reality, the dumpster at the entrance of the school building (legally on Barabas’ property) was blocking where she liked to park on the school property. However silly the complaints were, annoyed local authorities made Barabas’ revitalization inconvenient and eventually impossible. 

Secondly, Barabas put herself and her fiance’ at the time on the title of the building, so when Barabas’ fiance betrayed her, a legal battle had to ensue to get the property under her name only. That incidence was not just financially consuming but simply exhausting to Barabas who only wanted to create something meaningful. 

Thirdly, there was one last episode. Barabas finally said “Enough is enough”. The neighbor never really stopped fighting Barabas and the local officials finally had enough as well. One day the working crew showed up and there were “Condemned” signs on every door. At the time she purchased the school, Michelle was told by the Code Enforcement officer that the property was not condemnable after inspection.  The problem was she couldn’t go back in time and there was no paper record of what the first officer had told her.  That’s when she decided to donate this property to the City of Donora, get away from the headache, and start something new and positive in Pittsburgh where she is originally from.

Her entrepreneurial pursuit in Pittsburgh to help people of all ages start and grow small businesses was not a simple one to say the least. This made me think a famous Chinese saying that “God will make you work very hard and come near despair before you are chosen for a noble mission.”

Her business endeavors range from working with artists to help them build promotional materials and ultimately earn a living doing what they love, to working with youth to enhance their professional  and entrepreneurial education from a very young age, and to working with NPOs to bring different empowerment programs to more people with a desire to make a better life for themselves across the U.S..  For a person who worships simplicity and clarity, you might be appalled by Barabas’ various titles and responsibilities in many programs. Don’t worry, you are not alone. I was appalled and wondered how she could possibly manage to do so many things at one time and deal with all the obstacles that seem to be there each step of the way.

Yet she did it all. Not only she has the elegancy to enjoy her victory, but most importantly she has the composure to tackle dismay. In 2012, her fundraising money from an event she hosted in Market Square was stolen by a streetman who happened to be at the right place at the right time; Her sponsorship money was stolen by partners who didn’t hold integrity in front of profit as a decent organization under U.S. law should do; There was even a conflict with her original organizational name and she had to swallow the bitterness and reincorporate during her third year in business.  Each and every time, she coped with it, stood tall and strong, and handled each adversity with more poise than the last.

Now her incorporated NPO, the Art Resource Teaching Society Inc. includes many business branches that suit her ambitions. She is also a Graphic Designer, Web Designer, Event Planner, and the VP of Klauscher Architects. Her for-profit passions allow her the luxury of donating her time to her NPO. This approach may not be the one most entrepreneurs would choose but this is Barabas’ journey. She fights to prove that with ideas and perseverance, anyone can make their dreams a reality.

As of October 2013, she expanded her youth entrepreneurship program into a new neighborhood in Pittsburgh. At the same time, her work with artists in both Pittsburgh and Florida also continues. In addition, she is about to simplify her organizational structure for expansion since Google for Nonprofits has denied her usage of Google products as a result of having a fiduciary vs. her own 501(c)3 status. Simplicity is always a good thing to strive for.

When writing this story about Barabas, I have been thinking how fortunate I am to know her. Just like I want my little sister, who has had a business plan posted on her bedroom door since before she even graduated from high school, to know her one day, I want myself to be reminded of this inspiring and resilient entrepreneur who has been doing everything to pursue her dream as a creator. If you got inspired reading this article… even just a little, please share it. As Michelle would say, “What good is inspiration if we keep it all for ourselves?”

P.S. Where we always met in Pittsburgh was a neighborhood called Dormont towards south of the City. I found the Dormont main street a very nice place, nice coffee shops where people are so friendly; great used bookstore where I found all the Ken Follett collections Matt and I loved! 

Thank you Michelle for bringing inspiration in my life and leading to find life's many precious offerings. Have a beautiful day!