No, my dad never lied to me. In fact, he’s the person I’ve most respected for my entire life. Back in 1975 or ’76, I was back in New Jersey for a day courting my future bride. I had the day off from my sports writing job, and we decided to take in the above […]
Tag: Blog
Respecting Veterans…and helping a great High School
As we remember and recognize the sacrifice of our Veterans this Friday, we are honored that several Veterans currently serve on our Advisory Board, and we have the opportunity to work with so many more through our client engagements. The brilliance of the team at root9B, as they help their clients maintain the highest possible […]
A culture of distrust.
A few years back, I authored a blog about an unscrupulous broker at Wells Fargo who had managed to lose more than half of my then 86-year-old Aunt’s portfolio, by investing her money is stocks no 86-year-old should have been invested in. It seemed the broker had never read the “Know Your Customer” rule. It […]
Italy/9-11/and Colin Kaepernick
I was in Italy working on a potential business deal two weeks ago when Tom Bergeron, the editor of NJBIZ, called me. “We’re going to look back at 9/11 on this, the 15th anniversary. Would you be willing to write down your thoughts about the day? It’s amazing but I’ve realized our staff here – […]
Scallops…Brunello…and an agreement
You never know what can develop from a lunch at Alfie’s. Having known and respected the team at Global Markets Advisory Group (GMAG) for – literally – decades, when Charlie and Kevin said to me over scallops and Brunello, “So, Bob, how can we work together?” it was too good an opening not to pursue. […]
Bob DeFillippo Joins Zito Partners
Thrilled to welcome Bob DeFillippo to the Zito Partners team. Bob DeFillippo Joins Zito Partners WARREN, N.J. – Bob DeFillippo, most recently the Chief Communications Officer for Prudential Financial, Inc., has joined Zito Partners in a senior consulting role. Mr. DeFillippo brings more than 40 years of senior leadership experience in corporate communications, journalism, government […]
The Hidden Strength Behind Navy SEALs
It was a fairly direct and pointed question, the type of question you’d expect from a woman who has worked on Wall Street her entire career. “If my company supports your organization, tell me what the programs look like that we’ll be funding.” Megan leaned back from her chair, gave me a wink and smile […]
Memories of a funeral…and leadership
There are some things I remember from my childhood. Not a lot…but those that have stuck, stuck well. One is a memory of a funeral service for Walter Kimbrough. Walter was the lead groundskeeper for the Bayonne Housing Authority. My dad was the executive director. On Saturdays and Sundays when dad would go to the […]
TABB Forum highlights our blog
NYSE – Once Upon a Time: A Great Brand The NYSE’s big mistake last week wasn’t the software glitch. It was the silence that resonated from a nearly empty trading floor during the outage.The post-Dick Grasso leadership at the exchange has de-emphasized quality of execution and concern for the least-sophisticated investor to focus on speed, […]
Once Upon a Time: a Great Brand
Yes, this will be a biased view. In the mid-1990’s we spent time, energy and money building the NYSE into one of the great brands in the world. The result was an 83% market share, global dominance in the listings business, and the status – documented by independent research firms – of being one of […]
Trying to give back to the FDNY
I’m standing in a midtown firehouse a few weeks ago watching – over a two-hour period – the guys suit up and answer six different calls. Last week, in a different midtown house, it was three calls in 45 minutes. Yet the guys (yes, in these particular houses and during these shifts it was all […]
Salvatore J. Cassano Joins Zito Partners’ Board of Advisors
NEW YORK, NY (September 18, 2014) – Salvatore J. Cassano, the 32nd Fire Commissioner of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), has joined the Board of Advisors of Zito Partners, the company announced today. Commissioner Cassano led the United States’ largest fire department with more than 16,000 fire, EMS and civilian members, and an […]
Two great Americans. So respectful of our relationship with Col. Jacobs
There are people in my life who give me…and our team…great guidance and inspiration. Our Board of Advisors is a group of people who do just that. I encourage you to watch this piece. An amazing hero — and friend — introduces us to another hero…and reminds us what’s great about this country. Posted by […]
Partnering with Ketchum
Ketchum today announced the formation of Ketchum Zito Financial, a new offering from Ketchum that combines the expertise of both our firms to benefit existing clients and provide what we believe will be an attractive resource for potential clients. Our clients at Zito Partners will now have the additional support of the Ketchum team, when […]
The Truth’s Not Always Easy…
Playing the game on the side of the angels is always fun. Truthinadvertising.org (TINA.org for short), one of our clients, fights the good fight each day, educating consumers about scams, challenging organizations that mislead the public, and outing bad apples in every industry. In the “what you don’t see” category, TINA has had numerous “quiet” […]
The Other Side of College Athletics
Sports Illustrated has painted an especially damning portrait of college sports in its extensive feature on the Oklahoma State football program (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-football/news/20130910/osu-introduction/). But there are thousands of college athletes that rise above the horror stories that seem to get broad media exposure, and instead set an example for other students, and the high school athletes […]
WPIX Looks at a Great FDNY Program
For more on the FDNY Foundation’s Firefighter for a Day program, visit:
True Teambuilding
I’m always stunned by the “teambuilding” exercises corporations use to energize and motivate management. Some are outstanding…others better suited for the academic scrap pile. One of the best I’ve seen is the FDNY’s – the opportunity for a management team to spend a day learning how to manage a real crisis – a raging fire […]
JetBlue teams with the FDNY Foundation
JetBlue CEO Dave Barger talks about a great program offered by the FDNY and FDNY Foundation. Read more here.
CNN invites us in to discuss issues and comebacks
Can Paula Deen make a comeback? Paula Deen’s empire is crumbling. Other celebrities have bounced back from scandals in the past, but can she? Christine Romans, Bob Zito, and Pamela Brown discuss.
Please join me in welcoming Ray to the Zito Partners team.
I’m happy to inform you that Ray Pellecchia, my trusted partner for 14 years at the New York Stock Exchange, has joined Zito Partners in a senior consulting role. During the past 26 years, I’ve had the great fortune to team with some amazingly talented and dedicated partners at Sony, the NYSE and Bristol-Myers Squibb. […]
Protect the Elderly in Your Families
It was just over a year ago. My Aunt Gene (we always called her FLAG – fun loving Aunt Gene) grabbed my hand at Thanksgiving dinner and said, “Rob, can we talk after dinner?” “What’s wrong, Aunt Gene?” “I’m worried,” she said. “I’m worried I’m going to run out of money.” This is a woman […]
Lessons for America from Australia
First, having personally felt the strength and damage – but not the tremendous destruction – of Hurricane Sandy in the Northeast, our hearts go out to all who have been impacted in any way. This has been a difficult eight days for us, but nothing compared to the experience of those of who have lost […]
Interesting Piece from Peter Kenny at Knight
Peter Kenny of Knight, who was a great help to our efforts at the NYSE, writes a morning note for investors each day which I find among the best in the marketplace. His note yesterday morning (shown below) contained some interesting facts about true household income and unemployment. I thought you would enjoy it. […]
To my Advertising, Marketing and PR Colleagues…
Please help us support the FDNY Foundation OK, I’m making a pitch. When I was at the NYSE I worked with just about every New York public relations, communications, advertising and investor relations firm, helping coordinate and gain visibility for your clients’ IPOs, milestones, and publicity efforts. But now I’m wearing my FDNY hat. My […]
OWS: A Guy Who Won’t Be Participating
This is the story (it will be brief) of a 29-year-old blue collar guy who won’t be participating in the Operation Wall Street protests today. Brian Robinson works his butt off (and the butts of others as he helps run a couple of health clubs). Brian was one of the first recipients of the Cento […]
The Congressional Medal of Honor
Peter Kenny of Knight Capital Group does an insightful morning note every day, looking at the markets and giving readers his input about what lies ahead. He also regularly adds a human touch…something that I look forward to reading as much as I do the market commentary. Today he wrote about a special group of […]
Must See!
SEE THIS MOVIE The producers of Act of Valor (http://actofvalor.com/official/) were kind enough to arrange a special screening of the film two weeks ago for members of the FDNY and NYPD. Wow. A number of the Navy SEALS who “star” in the movie were at the screening. The standing ovation they got from the audience […]
London Olympics: 2-4-1
The “numerical” buzzword in the US these days is 9-9-9…Herman Cain’s proposed tax plan that has sparked debate among supporters and critics. But last week I heard another numerical buzzword that’s tough to argue with – 2-4-1. It’s the plan the Olympic Delivery Authority used to prep for next summer’s Olympic Games in the UK. […]
National School Bus Safety Week
Seven years ago, Don Perry had just finished his morning run when a car sideswiped his school bus. The driver pulled away, Don followed but, before he could reach the car, it crossed into oncoming traffic and hit a tractor-trailer head on. Don rushed to the shattered vehicle, checked the woman driver for a pulse […]