When Pelham residents catch a glimpse of Adam Pihach zipping down the street in his truck emblazoned with the name Pihach Electric, it may seem familiar.
The name Pihach that is, not the shiny black Ford F-150 pickup. It is a name that has been associated with Pelham for more than a century.
“We were part of that East European wave that came to North America before World War I,” Adam’s father, David said. “Croatia, which is where our family was from, that group came through Ellis Island, New York.”
That would have been David’s grandfather — and Adam’s great granddad — Makso, who arrived in North America in 1913 with just $8 to his name. Makso eventually settled in Welland after stops in Pennsylvania and upstate New York, where he worked on the Erie Canal, and Hamilton, where he worked in the steel mills.
“All of Welland South is primarily from the same village (Donja Stuvicia) Croatia,” David said. “I went to Croatia (in 2008), and I went to Donja Stuvicia. I couldn't believe the names on the mailboxes, which were all the (same) names from Welland South.”
It was in Welland where Makso met his future wife, Annie Kurelija. Annie had also lived in Pennsylvania but had come north with her brothers after the death of her first husband.
“My grandfather, who was 14 years older than her, connected with my grandmother, and got her pregnant with my dad, so they had to get married. The wedding picture is hilarious. There's my grandparents, and my dad's in the picture, too, because she's three months pregnant.”
With the help of $1,000 that Annie had received after the death of her first husband, the newlyweds purchased a pig farm on what is now Pihach Street.
Not long after, David’s father, George, was born.
George eventually took over the family farm and became well known in Pelham, serving on township council from 1955 to 1967.
“And for one year he was deputy reeve,” David said. “Back then there was not a mayor. There was reeve, deputy reeve, and council.”
The farm life for the Pihachs came to an end, however, when David told his parents he didn’t want to take over the farm. This was in 1970.
“I just said, this life isn't for me. I want out. And so, I really forced their hand, because I was cheap labour.”
His parents subsequently sold the farm. David, meanwhile, went into the education field and wound up spending 12 years as principal at Denis Morris and Holy Cross high schools in St. Catharines.
As for Adam, the depth of the family’s roots in Pelham is not lost on him.
“Just a lot of family history and pride, yeah, just to be kind of the next generation, to be in that area and kind of continuing on the family legacy.”
In fact, he has shown that same streak of independence his father had shown all those years ago.
Pihach Street runs north-south between Chantler and Webber roads. Adam found himself in the area recently and did what he thought anyone else in his situation would do.
“I'm always driving by,” he said. “So, one day I stopped and thought, ‘I got to take a picture.’”
And the connection is being made when people bump into him when he’s out and about around town. For instance, when Adam was doing the electrical work for a new business on Hwy. 20 the owner of the building inquired about Adam’s surname.
“The owner of that building must be in his 90s, but he was there, and he saw my truck, and he said, ‘Oh, any relation to George Pihach?’” Adam said. “And I said, ‘Yeah, it's my grandfather. He goes, 'Oh, I remember when he was a city councillor,’ and he started talking to me about the whole thing.”
In the six months since he struck out on his own, Adam has been adding his own little bit to the family’s history in Pelham through his work. So far he’s been called on to do electrical work at several well-known businesses in town in addition to residential work.
For him, starting his own business was a way of carrying on the family legacy and working on his own terms. The Pihach name has helped.
“There’s the name recognition, whether consciously or not … recognizing something that is from Pelham,” Adam said. “It's definitely been a plus, and that's exactly what I was hoping.”