Our Team | Cortese Construction Service Corp. in Western New York

Domenic Cortese

President / Sales representative

Domenic is the President of Cortese Construction Service Corp. The business was founded by Domenic’s dad and uncle in 1951 and currently is owned and operated as a third-generation business. Domenic is best known for his radio call-in show on WBEN 930 AM, HAMMERTIME-RADIO™ with Domenic Cortese. His radio show has been on the air since April 1989 and can be heard each Saturday morning at 10:00am. Domenic also is host of the TV show HAMMERTIME-TV™ which airs Sunday mornings at 10:30am on Channel 2 in Buffalo.

Domenic is a graduate of Canisius College ’78 with a BA in Political Science and International Relations. He is a past-president of the Alumni Association. Domenic also has completed the Center for Entrepreneurial program from the University Of Buffalo School Of Management (2006). He is also a Leadership Buffalo graduate (’92), a Forty Under Forty recipient (’96).

He lives in Clarence, NY where he is active in the Clarence Rotary Club where he has served as club president and as a District Assistant Governor. He has served as a mentor for a seventh grader at the Clarence Middle School mentoring program through Clarence Rotary. He is also a board member for the Brothers of Mercy Foundation Board and is active in his parish, Our Lady of Peace, where he has served as Parish Council President. He and his wife, Diane along with his three children, Philip, Nicholas, and Michelle, were honored as the Rotary Family of the Year (2001). Domenic and Diane are very proud grandparents of 8, four boys and four girls. Domenic was named Clarence Rotarian of the Year for 2007. Domenic and Diane where also honored in January 2003 by the Clarence Chamber of Commerce as their Citizens of the Year, and 2010 as family of the year from the National Conference of Just Communities. Domenic was inducted into the Williamsville South High School Wall of Fame, November 2011. Domenic and Cortese Construction Service Corp. were also the proud recipients of the 2012 Buffalo Niagara Business Ethics Award for outstanding business ethics!

Philip Cortese

Vice president / Project coordinator

Phil was born and raised in the Buffalo suburb of Clarence. Has been with the company since 1997 and started his career as a carpenter’s apprentice before he could even drive himself to the jobsites. From there he learned all facets of construction. Today he is co-vice president and operating owner of Cortese Construction Service Corp. with his siblings Michelle, Nick and father, Domenic.

In 2000, he graduated from Clarence High School where he enjoyed extracurricular activities like playing soccer for the Red Devils. After high school, Phil continued his education at Canisius College where he graduated in 2004 with a BS in Management. From there he married his college girlfriend Kristin. Together they have three children, Giovanni, Giuliana, and Gemma. They currently reside in Clarence.

Phil enjoys a plethora of activities to keep himself active. To this day he plays soccer, softball, ice hockey, and golf. He also enjoys traveling, the anticipation of traveling, and of course down time with his family!

Nicholas Cortese

VICE PRESIDENT / SALES REPRESENTATIVE / BETTERLIVING PROJECT COORDINATOR

Born and raised in the WNY area, Nick Cortese has significant experience in the residential home remodeling industry. He operates, along with his father and siblings, this prominent 71-year-old, 3rd generation, family construction company.

Nick is very active, he and his wife Sara travel extensively. So far, they have seen 3 continents, and have a goal to see all 7 continents before age 50. Nick has also been playing soccer since he was very young and continues to play at a competitive level. He also enjoys playing ice hockey, and golf. Sara and Nick have 2 sons, a 4-year-old named Francesco, who is named after Nick’s grandfather Frank, the Founder of Cortese Construction Service Corp, and a 1.5-year-old named Sebastian.

Nick is a 2003 graduate of Clarence Senior High School, and a 2007 graduate of Canisius College with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management degree. He also holds a degree from the University at Buffalo’s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership Program.

Nick has also been a licensed real estate salesperson since 2009, initially getting into real estate to buy, renovate and sell homes through Cortese Construction Service Corp. Since he possesses a unique set of skills that allow him to look at your potential home from a contractor viewpoint, and from a realtor viewpoint, he has excelled into buying and selling for the general public, as well as our family of Cortese Construction Service Corp. customers- another service that sets us apart from our competition.

Nick started his career with Cortese Construction Service Corp. in 2001, as a rough framing carpenter, and worked his way up through the ranks over his tenure with the company, while simultaneously working towards his academic goals. Nick is now one of our 3 acting Vice Presidents, as well as the Project Coordinator and a Sales Representative of the company’s Betterliving Sunroom Division.

Michelle Cortese-Manfredo

Vice-President / Design Consultant

With an educated love for interior design, Michelle has acquired her more than 15 years of Interior Remodeling experience not only through working with her family’s third generation remodeling business, but also her post bachelor accreditation with Penn Foster’s Certified Interior Decorator program. As Co-Vice President and operating owner with her two brothers, Philip, Nicholas and father Domenic- she oversees office affairs while enjoying her primary role as Design Consultant for all of Cortese Construction Service’s wonderful customers!

Michelle has three young children, and when not at Cortese Construction Service Corp., Michelle enjoys family time and traveling as much as possible, with her husband, Michael and extended family and friends.

Michelle attended Buffalo’s own, Canisius College for her bachelor’s in marketing and business management and post graduate certification in Interior Decorating from Penn Foster career school. The Cortese Construction Service Corp. family is proud to not only have had their entire family graduate from Canisius College for their undergraduate degrees, but also to have completed the University of Buffalo’s Center for Entrepreneurial leadership (CEL) program for small business, (which they highly recommend)!

As Cortese Construction Service Corp. moves further into its third generation as a family owned and operated business, they continue to strive to make the overall atmosphere as comfortable and family-friendly as possible for all their employees and customers!

BUDDY FLUFFKINS MANFREDO

CFO “Chief Fetch Officer”

LINDA S.

CONTROLLER

Linda was welcomed into Cortese Construction Service Corp. over 40 years ago, when she walked into the original office hoping for an opportunity to heighten her office skills. Upon her initiation, she oversaw answering the phone, scheduling appointments and some typing. With much hard work, dedication and commitment, she has now grown to become Cortese Construction Service Corp. controller; in charge of payables, GL entries, job costing, and simply whatever needs to be done! Being able to watch the company grow, and see the next generation bring it to the subsequent level has made all the hard work worthwhile to Linda.

Linda was born and raised in WNY and has watched her two children grow into young men! She now has a granddaughter, yes, finally a girl! She also enjoys baking, for many a birthday celebration in the office! Linda also enjoys spending time with her family, boating and tropical getaways with her husband.

TYLER H.

SENIOR ESTIMATOR

Tyler was born and raised in Syracuse and comes from a long line of carpenters. He started working in the trades at a very young age. He made his way to the Buffalo area in 1999 to go to college and eventually made a career in residential construction in 2001. He started his own remodeling company in 2006. His expertise excels in all facets of residential remodeling, stemming from his long experience as a conventional framer.

In 2016, Tyler was engaged to his now wife, Jessica, and it was time to transition his focus from running his business to starting a family. Cortese Construction Service Corp. was the perfect career change for him. Tyler took the position of Senior Estimator and quickly made a move to also include part-time sales. With Tyler’s wide range of background in construction, he has been able to develop a keen eye for detail and knows how to bring a customer’s vision to life.

While making the switch from working in the field to the office was a challenge, working for Cortese Construction Service Corp. has been one of his best work experiences! When Tyler is not working, he is very busy with his growing family and volunteers in a Bible education work. He also enjoys time in his country home and watching football, GO BILLS!!

TYLER S.

SALES REPRESENTATIVE

As a Lifelong resident of Western New York Tyler Samer received his Bachelors and Master’s degrees in the field of Naval History from the University at Buffalo. Since then he has worked in the fields of construction and home remodeling as well a four-year stint producing radio for WBEN, including Domenic Cortese’s HammertimeRadio™ program.

Tyler has been with Cortese Construction Service Corp. since 2013. Starting in the field as an apprentice, he was eventually promoted to a foreman, and given the responsibility of part time sales in the Betterliving department. After being a foreman for several years he accepted a position as a full-time sales consultant for all renovations and has been able to use his hands-on knowledge of the work to help guide his design and scope of work.

He is a great lover of history, music, sports, and architecture, often travelling with his girlfriend to see concerts and explore new cities.

Tyler is currently a full-time sales consultant for Kitchens, Bathrooms, Additions, and all Betterliving sunroom and shade products. He has said that his favorite reason for working for Cortese Construction Service Corp. is the family atmosphere, and the love of being able to make homeowners visions and dreams into reality!

Jason K.

Cost Controller

Jason was born and raised in the small town of Varysburg, NY. He spent 8 years in Attica before attending SUNY Fredonia and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration Finance. Before joining Cortese Construction in August of 2021, Jason has worked as a Staff Accountant and Office Manager. Jason currently lives in Clarence and is married to his wife, Stacey, and has 3 children, Cole, Wyatt, and Meadow. He also has 2 dogs, Dex and Scout. Jason enjoys spending time with his family which includes going on bike rides, swimming, playing sports, playing boardgames, watching movies, camping, and going on road trips. Jason’s interests include sports and history. In his minimal free time Jason likes to run, workout, golf, watch football, and is known to indulge in the occasional happy hour.

Marisa S.

Accounts Receivable/Office Manager

Marisa was welcomed into the Cortese Construction Service Corp. in May of 2021. She is graduate of Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart and of Erie Community College. Marisa has raised over $175,000 to date for local charities such as Make-A-Wish WNY, American Heart Association, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Crisis Services, AAPI Community Fund, Diamonds in the Ruff, White Whiskers, local food banks, and individual families in need.

Marisa was born and raised in Buffalo, NY, with her family roots stemming in Italy. She has been an entrepreneur since the young age of 21, which has provided necessary skills to be successful. Marisa is also a proud sole proprietor to a small business – fitness studio in WNY, where the primary focus is to create an overall healthy well-being for all clients. Her mission to provide the best experience for clients parallels at her role with Cortese Construction Service Corp. Marisa has a vast knowledge of Office Management, Accounting, and Client Relations as she has spent over 6 years working for a local hardscape construction company. Her attention to details, upbeat personality, and drive to succeed are her most highlighted qualities!

Marisa absolutely loves to dance and teach her Zumba classes at her fitness studio. She is a dog mom to 3 beautiful Boston Terriers (and 2 cats!) Family is her most important value in life, and in her spare time she enjoys spending the day at the beach, shopping, volunteering for local charities, and cooking with her family. She always put the needs of others first and gives 110% of her best effort at all times.

She strives to bring much success, organization, (and fun!) to Cortese Construction Service Corp. during her career. Marisa is so happy to be a part of the Cortese team and cannot wait to evolve her career with this company!

Mathew M.

Sales Representative

Mathew was born in WNY and has lived here with his family his entire life. After graduating Clarence High School, Matt knew he wanted to stay in the area. While obtaining his bachelor’s degree from the University at Buffalo, he started working in residential framing. It was then that he realized his passion for the trades. He started working with Cortese in early 2021 after 20 years in the construction industry and hit the ground running as part of the Sales Team. His attention to detail and knowledge of the industries has helped him excel at assisting homeowners with bringing their home renovation projects to life. When Mathew is not at work, he enjoys spending his time with family and friends. He loves watching his son play travel baseball and watching his daughter dance. Having played competitive soccer growing up, he also coaches both of his children’s town league soccer teams. As an avid golfer, Matt can often be found enjoying a round on one of the many area courses whenever time allows.

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