introduction
Welcome! I'm Joe, originally from the steel city of Pittsburgh but now proudly calling the sunny shores of South Florida home. By profession, I'm a data analyst serving with the Department of Homeland Security. Beyond the government grind, I find my passion in various interests. As an avid hockey fan, you'll often find me cheering on my favorite teams or hitting the rink myself for a pickup game with friends. One of my favorite hobbies is designing, creating and collecting challenge coins and other merchandise. I mean, that’s why you’re on my website right? It's a creative outlet that allows me to express my love for art and design. At a young age i found myself constantly drawing cartoons and taking various art classes. All of that doodling in school has finally found a sense of form for me and i get to express it through coins.
I first discovered and got introduced to challenge coins back in 2012 by attending my first convention - Megacon in Orlando, Florida. Being surrounded by so many amazing costumes from all different kinds of fandoms completely blew my mind. During the con a couple of friends and myself got invited to dinner with a local chapter of the 501st Legion. At some point in the night a member had approached us and asked if we we’re interested in joining. My friend quickly spoke up and said yes which piqued my interest. After the convention I quickly started researching what it would take to join the 501st. When I told my friend my initial plan he laughed and said he was joking when he wanted to join. Instead he had said that only to make it appear that we belonged at what I would eventually learn was a members only dinner. Oops!
Since I had already made my initial investment and had met some pretty cool people I decided to continue my journey anyways. What seemed like a daunting task quickly turned into a reality as I decided on a costume to build and met a few members from my local chapter. A few months and a thousand dollars later and I was officially a member. One night after one of my first events I was gifted a challenge coin from a friend . That was a stepping stone into a much larger world.
one of the highlights of my time in the legion thus far was during Star wars weekends at walt disney worlds mgm/hollywood studios in orlando. this is where those new friendships were forged into lifelong brotherhoods.
its also where i was introduced to a larger world of challenge coin collecting. each day members would have to arrive at the park well before it opened in order to get dressed and ready for the parades. in our downtime we would trade coins and stories. This is where i also learned that disney security had their own coins made for each of their respective departments.
trading with security officers opened up so many possibiilties and it has only grown from there.
Fast forward a few years and I found myself in charge of making merchandise for my local squad and costume detachment. Not knowing any better I produced a few coins, patches and pins from a company that was referred to me and I wasn't really pleased with the price or the quality. I told myself there had to be a better way to bring my ideas to life and I decided to begin designing and manufacturing them myself. So in 2018 i started pfabdesign.
My client list includes civilians, TV and film crews, first responders, government officials and many more. I take pride in knowing that I can offer a high quality product at an exceptionally low price because there is no middle man. I love having an outlet for my creativity and this allows me to express that side of myself and so much more. I hope I can bring your ideas to life as well. I treat each project as if it were my own and love to push the boundaries of whats possible.
Despite my busy schedule, I prioritize spending quality time outdoors, whether it's soaking up the Florida sunshine or spending a few days at the house of mouse with my family. Speaking of family, I am blessed with a beautiful and loving wife and two wonderful daughters who bring immense joy and fulfillment to my life.
I also recently reconnected with my lord and savior jesus christ and have gotten heavily INVOLVED in my church.
Join me on this journey as I navigate what’s possible in creating custom made merch, and celebrate the simple pleasures of life with my loved ones.
Please feel free to have a look around the site and if you have any questions please ask.
Thank you for visiting!