Published on June 3, 2023

Dawid Czajka is the owner of two companies - DC Projects Inc and MC Contracting NY Corp, leader of the band Children of the People's Republic of Poland, founder of the non-profit organization "Dzieci PRL-u" Inc ("Children of the People's Republic of Poland Inc"), proud husband and father of two daughters, active Polish activist. There is no time for boredom or idleness in his life. He tries to make sure that everything he does has a purpose and brings satisfaction to himself and others. 

And it is hard to believe that this man, who is driven by the desire to create and improve the world, says of himself that he is an introvert.

- I love solitude and feel best alone with my thoughts and plans, and when the time comes to act, I act - reveals David. - The fullness of happiness comes from moments spent at home, when I can relax or read a book, while my wife and daughters, absorbed in their own activities, are roosting nearby.

Curiosity about America and visiting his dad

Dawid is from Lezajsk, a small town in the northern part of the Subcarpathian province, known for the beer brewed at the Lezajsk Brewery. He flew to New York on July 1, 2003 after successfully completing his third year at the Cracow University of Technology.

- My father had been living in New York since 1990 - says Dawid. - The United States interested me a lot, and when a few more friends expressed a desire to visit America, I considered it a great opportunity to organize a fantastic vacation. I didn't have the slightest intention to stay here, but after two months I liked it so much that I started thinking about extending my stay. This decision would have been much easier if I had completed my studies. That's why I hesitated for a while - to go back and finish my studies, or to stay and continue my education in the States? I stayed and, from today's perspective, I do not regret that I made such a decision. Even though I did not graduate from the Cracow University of Technology, those three years of technical studies still gave me a lot.

The time when I passed for college was the period of the baby boom in Poland. Because of this, it was difficult to get into the major of your dreams, because sometimes dozens of people applied for one place, especially for popular majors. Few of my class got where they wanted, the rest only where there was room. It was the same with me, because I wanted to study computer science or robotics, I also passed for the electrical department, but eventually ended up in environmental engineering. I found that I would get hooked at the beginning and then transfer. However, I didn't, because this specialty turned out to be quite fascinating. To this day, I still use what I remember and what I learned in classes such as structural engineering, building physics, mechanics, materials science and learning AutoCAD, which is used in the construction industry around the world on a daily basis.

Family together again

After arriving in the States, David went to live with his dad in the Ridgewood, neighborhood of Queens. Over the next few years, the Czajka family, which had been separated, began to reunite again. A year after David's arrival, his mom arrived permanently, followed by his sister Magda, a year younger than him. Finally, as late as 2012, the youngest sister Marta joined. And by then the family was already complete.

David's sisters didn't make his mistake and decided to move to the States after finishing their studies. Today they both work in their professions. Magda is an architect, and Marta is a pharmacist.

- Dad did well here - says Dawid. - In 2000 he opened his own construction company, and once I decided to stay, I didn't have to worry about employment. Unfortunately, as the son of the owner, I didn't have any concessions, quite the opposite. Dad demanded a lot more from me than from others. I had to work a lot, but I didn't have a problem with it, because at that moment I treated work as learning the "American art of construction," which at the time was significantly different from the Polish one. A few years later, I took up appraisals, project management, office work, and inspecting the sites on which orders were executed. And so I worked in my dad's company for another dozen years or so.

Hire you can, pay you don't have to 

After years, David came to the conclusion that he had gained a lot of experience and was of the age that it was time to create something of his own. He decided on his own company, but dealing with the same things that the elder Mister Czajka does.

- What I do is no different from what I did for years in my dad's company, but now I'm the boss and the responsibility is undoubtedly greater - admits David. - My company does exterior restoration of buildings in Manhattan. I get orders from the same companies and clients I've been working with for many years, and 99% of my projects are done in Manhattan, although I hold construction licenses for all of New York City. I realize that the industry I've chosen isn't the easiest and in many ways, but I've been in it for more than 20 years and have soaked it in. I notice a lot of changes, because both the city and the times we live in are changing. I remember that when I started working, inspections from the Department of Occupational Safety and Health were neither as frequent nor as meticulous as they are today. I try to believe that the city government does this not only to make money, but also to improve safety.

In addition to the city, you also have to contend with building owners, who breathe down your neck and take advantage of every error the company makes to either not pay at all or severely delay payment.

- I often joke that construction companies are the only companies you can hire, they will do the job, but you don't have to pay them - says David with a bitter smile. - The most difficult in this regard are small projects, where no formal contract is signed. With larger orders, contracts are signed and collectability of payments is easier, but also not always. Sometimes money cases unfortunately end up in the courts, but I consider such a solution as a last resort. We always try to get along at all levels, which, by the way, is part of any business. 

- It is a great satisfaction to win a tender, especially when 10 or 15 companies, very often larger than mine, compete for the order - he admits. - The point is that it's not always the lowest bid that wins, it's just that after repeated discussions with the client or commissioning company, the most reliable company wins. And when it still turns out after finishing that everything is done correctly, on top of that the cash register agrees, there is really something to celebrate.

Star clientele 

It hardly needs to be explained to anyone that construction involves hard, physical work. But as it turns out, there's more to it than that. In David's case, it's also a chance to meet interesting and famous people.

- New projects are challenges for me - he says. - I'm always happy when I manage to do something really good. By the way, I meet special people, the kind of people you don't meet every day. 

David strives to ensure that his projects are always done to meet the client's expectations, and often it has to be at the highest level. Thanks to this and his personality, he has made a good reputation for himself. He is highly regarded and often receives prestigious assignments.

- I did a project for Madonna, who bought three buildings in Manhattan and they had to be combined into one - reveals David. - With my company we undertook structural modifications to the buildings, as well as renovating the appearance of the exterior facade. Thanks to the fact that my company was active in the first phase of the whole project, I had the opportunity to meet the Queen of Pop several times. I must say that she seemed to me a very cool, welcoming person. Another music star I had the honor of meeting and doing the project was Sting. This is where I was completely blown away. I shook his hand and wanted to say something clever, but my emotions took over and I couldn't get a word out. 

We also carried out structural changes to the apartment of actress Sarah Jessica Parker, known for the record-breaking TV series "Sex and the City". Another building we worked in belonged to actress and photomodel Liv Tyler, daughter of Aerosmith rock band leader Steven Tyler. Admittedly, working for these celebrities did not lead to closer friendships, but for me both these and many other encounters will remain unforgettable. 

Artists like Madonna or Sting can be compared to walking institutions that give employment to a whole staff of people. Therefore, it is clear that they are not the ones who personally reached for the phone to call David and hire his company. 

- You can count on the fingers of one hand the businesses that are engaged for big projects for show business stars, celebrities, politicians or other high-profile people in New York - explains David. - It works on the principle of a single entity, consisting of designers, architects and one main company, which hires its best subcontractors for individual jobs.

A good team takes years to build

The proper execution of the order largely depends on the experience, commitment and mutual cooperation of the team. This is important, because construction work, is teamwork. Therefore, for David, the selection of employees is important. As of today, he employs 33 people, but his problem is too frequent employees rotation.

- I am very demanding - admits Dawid. - When hiring people, I first of all look at whether they are honest and hardworking. These are the most important qualities for me, because the profession itself can be learned sooner or later. I don't expect someone to work beyond his or her strengths, because I know it's hard work, but I regret to say that today there is a shortage of people who would honestly apply themselves to what they do. Older workers are much more reliable. On the other hand, among young people I often notice entitlement, scheming, laziness - a lot of bad traits of today's world. And everything should be hand on a silver plate. I, for one, am from a generation that from a young age was resourceful, curious about life, willing to learn, solving problems independently in every field. I'm of the opinion that there should always be honest work at the beginning, and then money will follow - never the other way around. This is probably how the Polish post-communist reality shaped me, which, looking at the world today, I am proud of. Now instead of thinking for yourself and coming up with solutions, just go on YouTube and everything is clear. Unfortunately, that's not how it works in my opinion, but so far it doesn't look like anything is going to change in this regard either.

The musical gene has been activated

However, man does not live by bread and work alone. For David, music is extremely important, which appeared in his life at an early age. This is interesting because he does not come from a family with musical traditions. 

- My father doesn't know anything about music at all, and as for my mother, she has always been very fond of singing, but just for herself, at home - he says. - Probably a gene was activated in me, in some generation, but I have no idea from which ancestor. And it may sound trivial, but I've always been interested in music. My neighbor was the organist at our parish in Lezajsk. I was a cool kid and I think he liked me, because when we went to church for mass, he usually took me to the choir, where he played the organ. I was only five years old at the time, and I was fascinated by this music and his singing. 

The neighborly relationship with the church organist was so good that David was often a guest at his house. He befriended his grandchildren and went to play with them.

- But it wasn't the playdate that attracted me the most during these visits, it was the synthesizer the organist owned, David recalls. - He would let me sit down to it and teach how to use it. By then I knew that playing made me happy.

Seeing their only son's passion for music, Mr. and Mrs. Czajka gave him his first synthesizer of his own as a communion gift.

- I remember to this day that it had 1.5 octaves and two timbres - he recalls. - I immediately sat down to play. I did it with such passion that my mother enrolled me in a music center, where I started piano lessons. After three years, the director of the music school, who ran the center, closed it and transferred me and several other students to the same school. But it wasn't so easy there anymore. I attended it for two more years and gave up because of the teacher, who so effectively discouraged me from playing that I discontinued my studies.

A boy with a guitar 

For the next two years, David didn't even want to look toward the piano, let alone sit down and play it. Something changed two years later, after starting high school. 

- There I had a friend, a pianist and music school graduate - Dawid weaves his memories. - He had really good skills. There were several pianos standing in our school, and we started playing them together. It was thanks to him that I returned to playing. That's also when I became interested in the guitar. I was 15 years old when my adventure with this instrument began. I never parted with the guitar from the moment I took it in my hands for the first time.

- My learning to play the guitar has nothing to do with what the possibilities are today - he claims. - I taught myself to play from the various newspapers, magazines or songbooks available, in which I found chord and function breakdowns. Thus, I am self-taught. I had a very good foundation in music theory, but each instrument is specific and I lacked knowledge of the guitar itself. I think I learned to play a little bit the wrong way. I didn't have anyone who was more experienced and told me what I should practice so that I could get proficient faster. That's why now, when I meet people learning the instrument, I'm able to suggest to them what they should do to make this learning go more smoothly and quickly. It took at least three years before playing the guitar began to bring me satisfaction and joy.

In addition to playing during the 1990s, Dawid mainly listened to dozens of Polish bands such as Hey, Myslovitz and Pidżama Porno, Polish punk and rock music.

- Access to music back then is nothing to compare with today's times - Dawid recalls. - We recorded music from the radio to cassettes and listened to whatever we happened to have. It's better not to mention the quality of recordings from the then-popular Grundigs or Kasprzaks at all.

Player by the campfire

Today David laughs that he grew up to be a campfire player. The guitar accompanied him all the time and he played it at every opportunity. 

- I played at all truancy, campings and school events, on vacations and any occasion that came along - he recalls. - I can say that to this day I have remained such a campfire player. I have hundreds of songs in my head that I can play at any time, and I am happy to make all kinds of events pleasant. As a feast and campfire musician, I also sang. Because playing the guitar goes with it automatically. 

This changed a little after I went to study in Cracow, because there were fewer opportunities to make music, but instead Dawid went to concerts more often.

- There were constantly musical events in the city, with groups like Myslovitz, T-Love, Kult, Akurat, he recalls. - We went to all their performances. I also remember the first concert by Ania Wyszkoni and the group Łzy at Club 38 in the campus of the AGH University of Science and Technology. Only six people came, because no one knew them yet. It was a beautiful student life.

First purchase 

After arriving in New York, David's first purchase was just a guitar.

- I missed it very much - he recalls with a smile.

The friendly boy quickly met a lot of people, and when he had already decided not to return to Poland, one of his new friends told him that his cousin had a band and asked if he would like to play together. 

- They met at the "Roxy" music studio in Long Island City for rehearsals - he says. - I gladly accepted the invitation, because I was curious about what they play and how they play in New York. I hoped that perhaps I might catch a show myself. They suggested that I play the bass, but I didn't have a broad idea about playing the instrument at the time.

A week later, David was contacted by the band's drummer and told that he had a bass guitar and would be happy to lend it. He persuaded him to drop by rehearsal again to see how he felt about playing the bass.

- We called ourselves "Paradigm" and that's how my adventure with the bass guitar began - says David.

The band existed for two years, from 2004 to 2006, and the boys played at many Polish-American events held in New York and New Jersey, including the Sokolow Glade, the Warsaw Club, the Polish-Slavic Center.

- We even recorded an entire album - Dawid reveals. - But we never released it, so you can't even listen to it, as it was preserved only in our home archives.

Iwona Hejmej