NE Phila Connected
What started as 30 people who never knew each other, grew into close to 500 people. But who started it? Who’s leading this group? Well, it all started with a simple post on social media. As we got to know each other, people took on roles based on their skills. There were those who stood on plazas, those who controlled the radio, those who collected and transported supplies, and those who were providing information from various sources. As we progress, we hope to slowly introduce various members via our Facebook page, NE Phila Connected. In the meantime, we’d like to introduce you to our leadership.
Roman Zhukov was born in Magadan, Russia to a family with a military and medical background. In 1994, they moved to Ukraine, where he went thru primary school. He then went to a tech school for computer security and networking. By age 14, he was already working in the tech industry, first working as an apprentice at Marlin, and then by age 17, going on to co-own his own networking company. This networking company worked with government officials to speed up dial-up times by connecting the local neighborhood residencies into a single network, which allowed them to deliver internet through a centralized hub, as opposed to dial-up.
In August of 2004, Roman moved to the United States at age 18, specifically to New Philadelphia, Ohio. He went to high school there, and was then admitted to Cuyahoga Community College in Parma, Ohio, where he studied Photography and Web Design. Throughout his education, with limited English, Roman worked tirelessly at any job he could get.
In 2007, he moved to Panama City Beach, Florida with his wife, where he became interested in the Restaurant and Hospitality Industry. He started out working kitchen prep, then moving up to Sous Chef, then ultimately moving up to Head Chef. He then went on to work the business side of the industry, working in night life, doing marketing, and continuing with his passion for photography. He later went on to become a manager, and then ultimately opening up his own restaurant.
In 2015, Roman moved to the City of Philadelphia with his wife and son. They instantly fell in love with its culture and history. Using his background in management and working off his sheer desire to learn new things, Roman began working in Real Estate management, PHA, Section 8, and related fields.
Working in Real Estate, Roman was able to advise people on housing issues. He has always been engaged in helping people, from an early age. Everything he does is based on a desire to help those around him. From helping people find jobs, translating, or even just giving a ride to person in need, it’s just a part of his core. No favor is too small. He’s come to a point in his life, when all he wants to do is to dedicate his life to increasing the quality of life for those who really need help. As such, Roman was a natural leader for NE Phila Connected, seeing that this can grow into much more than just a regular Town Watch. Knowing how hard it is for a first generation immigrant to get answers to a question you don’t know how to ask, Roman sees this organization as an opportunity to help connect such people and others to resources, and really engage and unite the community and help us all get back to basics, neighbors helping neighbors, which in turn, helps the community at large.