Taking a Victory Lap

From left, Matt Winters, Frank LaGuarina, Bill Winters and Mike Winters. (Photo: Bill Cardoni)

By Sara Campione

What do football, baseball, home remodeling and FDU’s Florham Campus have in common? It’s the Winters brothers — Bill, BS’10 (Flor), Mike, BS’13 (Flor) and Matt, BS’14 (Flor) — and their friend and business partner Frank LaGuarina, BS’14 (Flor).

From playing collegiate sports together to building a home-remodeling business, the four men have forged a bond built on teamwork, resilience and a shared vision.

Bill was the first to attend FDU, graduating in 2010. He credits former head football coach Rich Mosca with bringing him to FDU. “Coach Mosca’s effort to show me how much he truly wanted me to play for him meant the world to me,” Bill says.

Mike followed in his footsteps. “Visiting Bill at FDU was always an incredible experience. He’s always been a leader — that’s why he’s our CEO now — and I’ve been following him since I was a year old,” Mike says with a laugh.

Matt suffered injuries in high school, leaving him unable to continue his athletic career into college. But he still decided to join his brothers at FDU.

LaGuarina and Matt connected at orientation, becoming friends, and LaGuarina ended up on the baseball team with Mike.

After graduation, the four men took different professional paths, gaining experience and honing their skills, before coming back together for a new venture.

The idea for Victory Home Remodeling originated with Matt, and by 2019, alongside co-founders Jared Brown and Mike Nucci, the company was born.

Mike joined as the regional vice president of residential marketing, and Bill came on as executive vice president of leadership and development before being promoted to CEO in 2024.

Under Bill’s leadership, Victory has been recognized as #1 on the 2024 Fortune Best Workplaces in Construction list in the small/medium category.

And the team recently signed an office lease at Bell Works, a complex featuring a mix of offices, retail space and dining options, in Holmdel, N.J., for just under 43,000 sq. feet. FDU partners with Bell Works to offer classes on location.

The men say their experiences as student-athletes built the discipline and grit necessary for entrepreneurial success.

“Balancing 5 a.m. workouts, travel games, and academic responsibilities taught me time management and resilience,” Bill says. “That same grit drives our business forward today.”

Their relationships at FDU also played a pivotal role in shaping who they are today.

For LaGuarina, the small class sizes and the personal relationships he built with professors and his fellow students rounded out his experience. “If I’d gone to a bigger school, I wouldn’t have had the same meaningful interactions that made FDU such a special experience,” LaGuarina says.

Victory Home Remodeling isn’t just about business success — it’s about building a legacy.

“All of us have children now, and we want them to be excited to one day work here and carry on what we’ve started,” Bill says. With dreams of transforming the industry and expanding Victory’s reach, the Winters brothers, LaGuarina and their team are just getting started.