When Frank Peczuh, Jr. learned that he was selected as the grand marshal of Price City’s International Days parade, his first reaction was, “I’m not old enough to be a grand marshal and I haven’t accomplished enough!” The response is typical of Peczuh’s humble, self-effacing attitude, “When someone wants to shine a light on me, I ask, ‘Why me?’ there are so many other great people and stories around that deserve more recognition,” said Peczuh.
As unpretentious as they come, Peczuh, is comfortable with anyone. He is hopeful about the future of the area and ardently optimistic. Though his tone of voice is quiet, he passionately says, “We have challenges, but we have the right mix of personalities to overcome any problem. The sooner we learn to put differences aside and pull in the same direction, the sooner we’ll be a success. We need to grasp hold of what might be and hope for the better- not wring our hands about what might go wrong.”
Practically growing up in his father’s printing shop, Peczuh has worked about every job in the warehouse. His father started him out at nine, sweeping floors. By the time he was 12 he had mastered sweeping and moved to running a printing press. At 15, he was completely immersed in the printing business. His dad, and boss, is his greatest hero who now offers wise advice from the sidelines.
Aims for team success
Currently, with Peczuh at the helm, the company has four locations (three in Utah and one in Colorado) and 165 employees. “The thing that makes me happy is to watch Pecuzh Printing employees succeed. Printing is great, but at the end of the day, I feel much more pleasure in looking at their lives- seeing them work and provide for their families,” Peczuh said. When he goes to sell printing to clients, he often shares employees’ success stories.
With his quiet personality it’s easy to dismiss Peczuh without a deeper look, and actually he is happy avoiding attention. But, those who are familiar with him know a generous, tenacious and substantial person who has a strong sense of who he is. His personal motto is: where much is given, much is required. He genuinely feels that he is incredibly blessed and will never be able to give back as much as he has been given. He does his giving quietly, without fanfare.
At the mention of firefighting, Peczuh’s eyes light up. “That is my happy place. I do it because I enjoy it so much.” Though firefighting, he is with people on some of their very worst days. He hopes to touch the nightmare families experience with some genuine kindness. “There are really hard things that happen to good people, and when I come home from a difficult call, I feel good knowing that what I did was meaningful.” The other firefighters are like family and Peczuh is quick to point out the long list of firefighters who have influenced him over the past 30 years.
No resume
When Peczuh was asked to submit a resume to the governor’s office several years ago, he laughed. Working in a family business his whole life, he had not ever even thought of writing one. He modestly laughs that he didn’t have much to put on his resume. The governor saw through Peczuh’s humble paperwork and appointed him to Utah State University’s board of trustees. It was the right choice because Peczuh is passionate about USU Eastern. He wants to see the college grown and flourish, “The potential of the college is intriguing to me. I hope that we can fulfill that potential.”
Peczuh resembles a boy in a candy shop when he talks about his family. As a young man, he rolled his eyes when “old guys would talk forever about their grandkids.” Now he fits the stereotype of that grandpa with a wallet full of photos. He has five grandkids and one on the way. “Man, I love it! I have a patience that I didn’t have before, and I can let them do so much more than I let my own kids do.It is amazing to watch them learn and grow.”