Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Event planner forced to evolve
Heather Pasko’s entire career as an event planner is the result of taking an unfortunate situation and turning it into something positive.
Pasko launched LEO Design Gallery in 2001 after her own wedding went awry — wilted flowers, subpar catering and “things that just didn’t happen exactly as we planned,” she said.
So while the event industry has been hit as hard as any by COVID-19, naturally, Pasko is looking for the opportunities the pandemic creates.
“I hear people talk about closing, but, for me, that’s not an option,” said Pasko, an Oley Township native.
LEO Design Gallery is helping couples navigate Pennsylvania health guidelines to hold “microweddings,” as well as planning larger gatherings within regulations in the months and year ahead.
At the same time, Pasko is trying to demonstrate her firm’s versatility. LEO Design can create custom storefront displays to promote reopenings and attract customers, or work with restaurants to provide ambiance in makeshift outdoor dining spaces.
“When you go in a tent, it feels bare bones,” said Pasko. “It feels like a tent.
“We can put up drapery, bring in furniture, add mood lighting and soften the atmosphere to make it feel like you’re walking into a restaurant.”
Once again, Pasko is adapting and growing her business — both of which she’s done successfully in the past.
A complete 180
Pasko was actually attending Lehigh University for psychology when she decided to start LEO Design Group, then known as Lovely Events and Occasions.
Originally, she wanted to help couples as a family counselor, but her professional aspirations took a sharp turn when she got married herself.
“My wedding completely changed my goals,” said Pasko. “I thought, ‘I can’t be the only one who’s frustrated,’ so I switched career paths and began doing sort of the opposite.
“There’s some psychology in that.”
Things moved rapidly from there. In 2009, LEO Design opened a wedding showroom in West Reading, followed by a location in Phoenixville, Chester County, and later, another inside the Valley Forge Casino in Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County.
The West Reading showroom also expanded to its current space at 9 S. Fourth Ave. in 2014.
During that period, LEO Design grew from strictly a planning service to include production when Pasko’s husband, Gregory Pasko, came into the business to run its rental and decor division.
Though she may have made it look and sound easy, Pasko and her business needed to be continuously evolving along the way.
“A lot of things I had to create on my own and set my own path because nobody was just going to give it to me,” said Pasko.
“I’ve been a trailblazer when it comes to being creative, working hard, pushing through failure and picking myself back up. A lot of it has been being persistent, having patience, and if someone tells me, ‘No,’ it’s asking, ‘Why not?’”
Determined to succeed
Pasko admits now is one of those challenging times for LEO Design. Around 80% of its event business for the year was lost either in postponements or cancellations due to the coronavirus.
Yet, there’s reason for optimism, too, she said. Pennsylvania continues to gradually reopen its economy and set protocols for gathers, while many events are being rescheduled for 2021
“When you hear you might lose a whole year’s worth of work, that’s a scary thing,” said Pasko. “For us, it’s just being able to weather the storm and get through this.”
“We know next year is coming. We have to get creative and reinvent ourselves.”
Dates are filling up so fast, people trying to book events next year may soon find there will be none left if they don’t do it now, said Pasko.
Until then, Pasko vows to persevere for the business she worked so hard to build.
“I refuse to give up on my dream,” said Pasko. “This is my passion. I love working with people. I love working with events and when an event comes together, there’s nothing else like that to me.
“It’s just pursuing my passion and not letting anybody stop me.”