Page 33 - Delaware 222 - 2025

CONSTRUCTION & REAL ESTATE
Gregory Pettinaro
Pettinaro
As a second-generation leader of
vertically integrated real estate
development fi rm Pettinaro, Gregory
Pettinaro spent a lifetime learning from
his father, Verino. Today, the fi rm is the
largest development fi rm in Delaware,
and largely built Wilmington’s
Riverfront, including the Chase Center
on the Riverfront, the Shipyard Center,
the Christina Crescent and Gates
Building, and more. In 2022, Pettinaro
completed a long sought-after
project in redeveloping Barley Mill
Plaza and attracting the state’s fi rst
Wegman’s grocery store. Th at project is
continuing with future phases, and the
fi rm’s attention will soon turn to the
redevelopment of the former Hercules
golf course.
ALMA MATERS:
Q&A:
Chris Schell
Schell Brothers
Schell Brothers is a new home
construction company that bills
itself as focusing on happiness over
profi t, and has divisions in Delaware,
Richmond, Va. and Nashville, Tenn.
Th e company off ers varieties of
architectural styles and innovative
home plans, and since its inception
in 2003, it has built between 400 and
500 homes in the First State per year.
Preston Schell launched the company
after a successful career in fi nance,
notably a position at Merrill Lynch in
Chicago, but searching for something
more than making money. With 260
employees, Schell Brothers has also
branched out into interior design with
Decor Direct, outside living space
design with Creative Courtyards as well
as solar panel installation with Clean
Energy USA.
ALMA MATERS:
Greg Sawka
Bancroft Construction
After a career at Exelon and custom
home-building, Greg Sawka came
to Wilmington-based Bancroft
Construction almost by chance
after answering an ad. Starting
as an assistant project manager
and rising through the ranks of
the fi rm to oversee operations and
preconstruction, Sawka was named
president and CEO in 2010. Since
then, he’s helped the construction fi rm
parlay successful expansion projects
at the University of Delaware and
Longwood Gardens into fruitful long-
term relationships with both, including
as part of a bid group on UD’s STAR
Campus. Sawka also opened offi ces in
Princeton, N.J., and Salisbury, Md., to
expand Bancroft’s geographic reach.
ALMA MATERS:
BOARDS:
Q&A:
Preston Schell
Ocean Atlantic Companies
Preston Schell left a career as an
investment banker to return back to the
place that always brought him the most
happiness: Delaware’s beaches. Here,
he founded Ocean Atlantic Companies,
a full-service real estate development
fi rm that has built commercial projects,
residential neighborhoods and resort
clubhouses, including Th e Peninsula
on the Indian River Bay and Lighthouse
Club at Coastal Club. Along with his
twin brother, Chris, Schell is also
among the biggest philanthropists in
Sussex County, donating millions of
dollars annually to local causes. An avid
environmental supporter, Schell also co-
founded the Sussex County Land Trust.
ALMA MATERS:
BOARD:
Q&A:
DelawareBusinessTimes.com | DELAWARE 222 31
DelawareBusinessTimes.com | DELAWARE 222 31