"Our projects, in general, are only possible through generosity of vendors and suppliers. It's donations like this that allow this to keep happening."
— Andrew Bank, producer of "George to the Rescue."
"We wanted to actively involve the family in the removal of the stuff in their garage. They had a lot of stuff in there, like surfboards and bikes. We know it might be overwhelming to find a place for it all in a quick turnaround."
—Andrew Bank, the producer of "George to the Rescue."
In the NBC home renovation show, "George to the Rescue," host George Oliphant and his team create life-changing transformations for people in need during each half-hour episode. For its tenth season finale on Nov. 2, the show has plans for the family of an extraordinary athlete, and they've partnered with PODS to pull it off.
"George to the Rescue" has used PODS containers for multiple construction projects over the course of 10 seasons. Often, the show's crew worked with PODS for on-site storage during construction. But this season-ending project required a different type of storage.
George and his team planned major renovations for the home of Anastasia Pagonis, a 15-year-old Paralympic swimming champion from Garden City, New York. She was born with a genetic condition that caused her vision to start declining at age 12, yet she competed as a Paralympic swimmer until, less than a year ago, she lost her vision entirely.
Anastasia wants to continue to train for the 2020 Paralympic Games. George to the Rescue worked with her family to plan several upgrades, including transforming the home's lighting to accommodate Anastasia's sensitivity to light and renovating her bedroom and bathroom to make them more accessible and comfortable. A surprise for everyone was the installation of an Endless Pool that would allow Anastasia to train without leaving her home, saving an hour drive each way to her training facility.
"One of the things that has really helped pull Anastasia and her family through this really difficult change has been getting back into the water," says Andrew Bank, the producer of George to the Rescue.
To make the pool happen while keeping it a surprise — the family needed to quickly and discreetly relocate the entire contents of their garage. Numerous trucks and deliveries would be coming in throughout the project, so the driveway had to be clear as well. George to the Rescue needed a storage option that could be convenient for the family, adapt to the show's production schedule, and keep personal belongings off-site.
PODS donated the use of a container, and delivered that container to the Pagonis's door. The family spent three days sorting their garage goods and packing the container. PODS then picked up the container and stored the Pagonis's belongings in an off-site storage facility throughout the construction project, which ran about six weeks.
"We benefited from it because it was all off our plate from a production side, and the family had it off their plate in terms of wondering where their things were going to go," Bank says. "It saved us hours of work and allowed us to have a very successful demolition day."
The results of the project will be unveiled in the final moments of the George to the Rescue finale, including the surprise pool. Bank expects the entire family's lives to change — especially Anastasia, who will be more comfortable in her own home. After the fanfare, PODS will return the container to the Pagonis family whenever they are ready.
Bank says that flexibility will allow the family take their time while enjoying their upgraded home and helping their superstar swimmer dive back into training.
Watch the full episode on the home renovation.
Home Renovation for Blind Teenage Swimmer
Business Moving & Storage Case Studies
Browse by Category
