Language Skill Makes New Life Less a Hard Sell

To a stranger, Les Pietruszkiewicz, 56, a Sioux Falls Real Estate agent and former refugee from Poland, looks like a typical businessman putting in his eight-plus hours a day. Only those closest to him know that a short 25 years ago he didn’t know the significance of a check or how to deposit one, either.

By Jacquelyne Taurianen

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Les Pietruszkiewicz walks into his office a few minutes past 10:30 a.m. on a Thursday. He begins unloading the gadgets that get him through the day: his cellphone accompanies a laptop and desk phone, Palm Pilot, calculator, notebook, portfolio and finally, the ultimate sign of South Dakota assimilation, a personalized, Wall Drug coffee mug.

To a stranger, Pietruszkiewicz, 56, a Sioux Falls Real Estate agent and former refugee from Poland, looks like a typical businessman putting in his eight-plus hours a day. Only those closest to him know that a short 25 years ago he didn’t know the significance of a check or how to deposit one, either.

For a refugee, something as a mundane as a checking account can highlight the divide of culture, economy and understanding.

“When I came … no checks, no checking account in our country,” he said. “I never see check until I get here. A lot of people don’t know how they work or trust the checks.”

A client of his, a new refugee, once came to a closing with 18 checks in hand, ready to pay for the house.

Perhaps better than anyone, Pietruszkiewicz could empathize with the misunderstanding.

Early in his own settlement, a personnel office called him asking him about his untouched payroll checks.

“I had like 13, 14 checks I didn’t cash,” he said. “I kept them at home because I thought, ‘this is the money.’ ”

More than two decades later, Pietruszkiewicz takes the mistakes and misconceptions he once had and turns them into lessons for others new to the country. He does it in the hopes of making their lives easier.

Pietruszkiewicz first left Poland in 1983, escaping from communist rule to a refugee camp in Austria.

When he came to the United States, he had to leave his wife and children behind.

Although he would write letters and call home as much as possible, it was difficult to get through Polish government control and it was expensive. And so, his first years here, he was alone.

Pietruszkiewicz worked several jobs after arriving in Sioux Falls. He worked in construction, left for a job in a plastics company where he made bottles and then left that job when he was hired at a local meat factory.

“I applied to work at John Morrells three times before I got the job because I had no language skills,” Pietruszkiewicz said. “It was very hard because I had no time for class, all I did was work to make money.”

Adjusting to a new language was the hardest part, Pietruszkiewicz said.

That, and being without his family.

Two years and three months after he came to South Dakota, his wife and children were finally granted access to the United States.

And when Agnes couldn’t find work, Pietruszkiewicz opened a family business, The Polish Plate.

“We started to cook because that’s what we know how to do,” Pietruszkiewicz said. “It’s what you do if you don’t know language, you try the best that you can do and we can both cook.”

The Polish Plate had a 10 year run and through it, Pietruszkiewicz continued learning how to overcome obstacles.

He invented a number system to identify food orders instead of words so he and his wife would be able to communicate with customers.

His ability to adapt, creatively at times, and his diverse background made his next transition, into real estate, an easy one.

“I sold my first house to a couple from Latvia who only spoke Russian,” Pietruszkiewicz said. “I speak several languages so that helps me and I was so happy.”

He started in the business to make a better living for his family but stayed because the love he has for the job and love of helping others, especially those in the same situation as he was when he first came to America.

“Oh you’re talking all the time with different people, and you help them,” he said. “That is your service to the public, and it’s good because many people from other countries … Russia, Bosnia … don’t know what to do, where to go, how to get started to get a house, so I can help them.”

He speaks all the Slavic languages and uses them to his benefit every opportunity he gets.

He says he loves talking to people even when it is difficult.

“If I don’t understand or they don’t understand, I ask them to explain it in a different way,” he said. “Eventually, we always figure it out.”

Pietruszkiewicz knows the benefit of helping people in life and business. He receives about 95 percent of his referrals from word of mouth.

“People in the community talk,” he said. “I will sell a house to their cousin and then when they are looking, they are told ‘go to Les, he will help you.’ ”

This holds true for more than just housing.

“I told them it’s for life,” Pietruszkiewicz said. “You call me, not even related to house … something happened … you call me. They get an accident, call me and ask what to do. So I tell them to, or I will call the police and sometimes I go the accident.”

Other times Pietruszkiewicz is requested by Lutheran Social Services, the organization that helped him resettle, to help with translations in an emergency.

“Sometimes I have to go to help immigrants to get papers … or if they’re in the process to do green card or naturalization,” he said. “I sold a house to a Bosnian couple. Now I don’t speak Bosnian but for example Russian, Czech and Polish. That would be easy to communicate with Bosnian because they are similar. So if they talk slowly and I talk slowly, we can communicate.”

Dan Hoiland, 52, a former boss and longtime friend tells this story:

“I will never forget the guy that needed help after a heart attack,” Hoiland said. “He was in danger of losing his house. And Les didn’t want to see that happen, so he helped him refinance and the guy still has the house today.”

Sioux Falls is “familiar” now and there’s more help in the community for immigrants and refugees, including from him.

“I love talking to people and being able to help them,” he said. “It’s a little different (today), but it’s still difficult for people and I understand that very well. I understand what they feel because I felt same way before.”