Dan Pisani, VP of Sales for Contour Mortgage Corporation, wears his heart on his sleeve. As a high-powered executive, you’d expect the cut throat persona Michael Douglas once portrayed in the film Wall Street.
It’s safe to say, Pisani is quite the opposite.
Dan Pisani represents the new kind of executive, whose mix of business and pleasure less resembles Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street than the generosity of spirit that characterized Robin Hood (minus the tights.)
He’s smart. He’s ambitious. He’s not only a go-getter. He’s a go-giver that supports Long Island charities.
Ask Pisani about his favorite part of his job and watch the smile break on his face. “PinkTie,” he says.
PinkTie.org is the brainchild of the Cave brothers, the owners of 1st Equity title insurance in Syosset, who also founded the charity event in order to raise money for and awareness of breast cancer on Long Island. After losing their aunt Kathy Catalano at age 45 to the disease, founder Mike Cave sought ways in which to honor her and to help combat breast cancer on Long Island, which is disproportionately affected.
Cave decided to combine his entrepreneurial spirit with his desire to give back and created Pinktie.org, which hosts an annual fundraising event that targets men in the Real Estate business who come to both network for business as well as give to charity.
“So now you’re not only coming together for a charity event to do good and give back,” says Cave, “but you could also grow your business. Real estate professionals networking for a cure.”
The pink tie is the male answer to the eponymous pink ribbon that has become synonymous with breast cancer awareness. As a main part of their fundraising effort, professional athletes sign the ties, which are auctioned off during the event. The ties themselves raise tens of thousands of dollars.
“We always sponsor the experience of the athlete signings,” Pisani says of Contour Mortgage Corporation, which is a top level sponsor of the event. As a board member, Pisani is thrilled to see all of the money collected go directly to charities that stays locally on Long Island, such as FACT (Find a Cure Today), a Long Island 501C3 non-profit founded by Old Bethpage resident Linda Ferrante. “From the beginning, checks were written directly to the charity, not PinkTie,” Pisani says.
“It’s my favorite part of this job,” Pisani continues. “It’s really helped our bank show our community how we think about them.”
Pisani’s go-giver attitude doesn’t stop at PinkTie. He is part of team Lil’s Kids, who take part in the annual Alzheimer’s walk in Flushing Meadows, Queens in honor of Contour’s Managing Director Adam DeMario’s mother-in-law, Lillian Marinconz who currently suffers with Alzheimer’s.
It’s all part of the Contour Cares culture, which fosters a communal feeling of giving back. The philosophy is simple: “Be it through sponsorships, charitable giving, or volunteer work, Contour is committed to do our part in helping to build a better society for us all.”
Nobody exemplifies that mantra better than Dan Pisani.