Victoria Martoccia remembers why one particular luxury estate she designed and custom-constructed was more than a dream project. She built it for PGA Golfer Chris DiMarco, who is famously known for giving Tiger Woods a run for his money in the 2005 Masters. He came in second in a sudden-death playoff.
The home for DiMarco and his family was featured as part of the 2008 “Street of Dreams” in Orlando, where Victoria was living at the time and where she first started her business. Victoria Martoccia Custom Construction was one of three custom home builders selected to show their outstanding masterpieces at the showcase, plus it was the only company featured owned by a woman.
The mother of six children, Victoria went back to school when her youngest child was one. “And by the time he was three, I had started my own company. I just opened my doors (in 2005), and within three years, I was building a 16,000-square foot house, out of the ground, for a PGA golfer.” And from there, the sky was the limit. She built houses for more PGA pros and NBA players, developed commercial properties, and reimagined whole house renovations. Her company is a self-made success story.
Growing up outside of Philadelphia, Pa., Victoria was her father George’s sidekick. He was a general contractor and, she says, wherever he would go, she would follow. He taught her how to use an electric saw when she says, “I probably should not have been operating machinery.” He also showed her how to install drywall and lay brick. Victoria didn’t think about what she was learning as traditional man’s work. It’s why she fearlessly breaks the glass ceiling.
Leading the way: She recalls mothers and daughters that she would encounter at showcases featuring her homes. “The mothers would say, ‘This one was built by a woman’ and then they would pull me aside and tell me that was why they wanted their daughters to see it.”
As someone who has paved her own street of dreams, Victoria says encouraging women to pursue their passions is what drives her philanthropy.
Women’s Executive Club of Fort Lauderdale: Through her work with the Women’s Executive Club (WEC) of Fort Lauderdale, Victoria says she’s able to make a difference in the lives of girls and women who want to succeed.
She says the group’s support of the Women Empowering Women (WEW) scholarship program is vital to her as someone who started her own second career at 40. The group’s WEW scholarship program provides women who’ve been out of the workforce with the financial, educational, emotional and professional support to re-enter or advance in the workplace. (https://wecftl.com)
Victoria says WEC’s commitment to Pace Center for Girls aligns with her own. “We partner with Pace for education, counseling and training and just do whatever we can for the girls and their families.” (www.pacecenter.org)
She is on the board and oversees social media and public relations for The Royal Dames of Cancer Research (https://www.royaldames.org/) and is a member of PAWS Auxiliary of the Humane Society Broward County. (https://humanebroward.com/paws/)
Words to Live By: “It is never too late to be what you might have been,” a quote from writer George Eliot.
