Pete Giampaoli

“I have had the opportunity to travel to many beautiful places around the world. As a builder I have tried to bring back a little of the character and charm I have seen and implement them in our home designs.” —Pete Giampaoli

Founder and owner of Chico’s Epick Homes, Pete Giampaoli has been hugely instrumental in helping “build” the Chico community, from creating healthy outdoor adventures for kids to designing and constructing some of the finest and most highly respected homes and neighborhoods from Sacramento to Redding.

Pete remembers Chico High teachers Mr. White, Mr. Prentice, Mr. Peters, Mr. Skip McDonald and Mrs. Hollandsworth as guiding and making a lasting impression on him. After graduating in 1965 and attending Chico State, Pete enrolled in a real estate intern program at Foothill College in Los Altos. He and his wife, Betsy, looked at several cities, including Sacramento and Redding, before deciding to raise a family in Chico. After owning Ingram Realty for ten years, Pete fulfilled a long-held desire to not just sell homes but build them. Thus, EPiCK Homes (derived from Elizabeth, Pete Including Chris and Kyle) was created. He has now been in real estate for 35 years, and his son Chris has joined the firm.

“We pride ourselves on attention to detail. From the streetscape to master bedroom retreat, we want to do it right, for the long-term.” The attention to detail has paid off. The company has won many awards over the years, including Chico Building Industry Association’s Builder of the Year Award (2002), the Sacramento BIA award for Best Architectual Design, and Community of the Year (1999), for EPiCK’s Riversgate development in Sacramento.

Pete has a long involvement with the community. He has worked with Cal Trout and spent 2 terms on the Board of Directors, during which time he worked to increase the water flow on the Pit River. He worked with Bernie Richter on legislation concerning Davis Lake non-indigenous fish introduction into California, fencing Deer Creek to protect the stream banks, and implementing regulations at Butt Lake to protect wild Rainbow spawning. He has also donated money for research for California Coastal Steelhead.

In Chico he has been on the Chico State Advisory Board for two terms under Manuel Esteban and Paul Zingg. He is proud to be a Rotarian, and received the Paul Harris Fellow Award for his contribution to the community. He was President and on the Board of Directors of the local BIA—which contributed over $120,000 to local charities during his tenure—and was awarded their Builder of the Year Award in 2002.

Pete has fond memories of growing up in Chico, especially fishing Big Chico Creek in Upper Bidwell Park—frequently with Press Powell. Thus, he was a natural to start the popular “Hooked on Fishing Not on Drugs” (HOFNOD) program seventeen years ago. “I felt there was a need to provide an alternative to hanging out on the street corner. We hope to be nurturing a life long hobby for those kids. Fishing gets kids outdoors and enjoying nature.” Chico’s HOFNOD is the largest kid’s free-fishing day in the nation.

The event brings together up to five thousand children, parents and grandparents as well as many dedicated volunteers from both Rotary groups, local businesses, and the Bass Club. Since its inception, HOFNOD has raised nearly $400,000, all of which goes to children. The event is not just about catching fish: children also learn about local wildlife, fly-tying, and fish cleaning, and are provided with rods, reels, hooks, bobbers and bait free of charge. For many it is the first time they have fished. Some later come back as volunteers, a testament to the importance of the program. For Pete it is gratifying that something he loves so much— fishing— is touching so many lives.