Letter from Bob

“Twenty-two years ago, Syracuse, New York had one of the worst brownfields in the country. Junkyards, oil tanks, and derelict buildings sat on contaminated soil along the most polluted body of water in North America. I told myself, ‘We have the ability to fix this, we must fix this… and now, we ARE fixing it.’ The oil tanks and junkyards are gone, the soil is being cleaned, Onondaga Lake, which is a federally declared Superfund site, is making a comeback and we now have an opportunity to build a multi-billion dollar building on this site. But it won’t be just any building… this time we’ll make a difference.”

Robert Congel — Founder of Destiny USA

Executive Team

Robert J. Congel
Bob is the Founder and Chairman of Destiny USA. Prior to that, he founded and ran the Pyramid Companies, which is currently the 13th largest retailer developer in the USA. Destiny USA is Bob’s dream project, and he is determined to make it the world’s new model for responsible operation and sustainability; as well as a research lab for consumer science.

Bruce Kenan
Bob Congel’s long-time business partner, Bruce joined the Pyramid Companies in 1970. He was a driving force behind the construction of the 1.5 million-square-foot Carousel Center in Syracuse, NY, and is closely involved in all aspects of Destiny USA. Bruce received a degree in architecture from Syracuse University.

Richard C. Pietrafesa, Jr.
Richard is a Managing Director of Destiny USA and closely involved in green initiatives. Prior to joining the Executive Team in 2000, he was the President and CEO of the Pietrafesa Corporation and President of Polo Ralph Lauren Clothing. Richard is a graduate of Harvard University.

David M. Aitken
An integral part of the Destiny USA Executive Team, David is involved in the development of Destiny USA. Prior to joining the team, David was Executive Director of the Lakefront Development Corporation in Syracuse, NY, and served as Deputy Commissioner of Aviation at Syracuse Hancock International Airport. David is a graduate of Syracuse University.

Marc D. Strang
Marc joined the Destiny USA Executive Team in 2001 and heads up all marketing efforts. Charged with articulating Bob Congel’s vision to the world at large, Marc is a major creative force behind the project and one of its key decision makers. Marc is a graduate of RIT in Rochester, NY.

Rob Schoeneck
After 17 years with the Pyramid Management Group, most recently as General Manager of the Carousel Center, Rob joined the Destiny Team in 2008. Prior to joining the Pyramid team in November 1991, Rob served 10 years in the United States Navy; having been designated a Naval Aviator in May of 1982. He is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and has a master’s degree from the George Washington University.

Twiggy M. Eure
Twiggy joined the Executive Team in 2001. She brings a new level of compassion, commitment and close connections to the community. Her goals are to better integrate community engagement into the culture of Destiny USA and to expand our partnerships with organizations and business partners. Twiggy is also Founder of Virtuous Business Solutions, Inc. She has a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Oswego and a master’s degree from Syracuse University.

Martin Galanti
Served five years as Director of Operations at the Savannah Dhu Preserve and Conference Center in Clyde, New York prior to joining the Destiny USA Team in November, 2008. Twelve year veteran of the Hotel Industry in New York City and Chicago following graduation from Rochester Institute of Technology in 1991. Marty is assisting in the implementation of operational components of Destiny USA.

Frank Mahoney
Frank joined the Destiny USA team in July 2008. Frank is a 20-year finance professional, most recently at Lehman Brothers (Managing Director 2003-08) and UBS PaineWebber (Managing Director 2001-03). Frank served as the lead underwriter on the inaugural issuance of Carousel Center PILOT Bonds in February 2007. Frank also served Governor George E. Pataki as lead staff person on his economic development transition team (November-December 1994) and his first Executive Vice President for economic development (1995-97). He is a graduate of SUNY Albany (BA, 1981), and the Pace University Law School (JD, cum laude, 1988) and Graduate School of Business (MBA, with distinction, 1990).