This week, we are welcoming Mark Perel to the Long Island Legends Podcast!

Mark is the owner and president of Homestead Window Treatments, Long Island’s premier custom window-covering company. Since taking over the family business from his father, Mark has transformed Homestead into an award-winning brand, recognized for eleven consecutive years as Best of Long Island.

Known for his entrepreneurial drive, Mark has built Homestead around one core principle: the customer experience comes first. From curating luxury designs to creating a seamless installation process, his leadership emphasizes attention to detail, accountability, and delivering unmatched value.

Beyond the showroom, Mark is passionate about marketing innovation, community engagement, and building partnerships that expand Homestead’s reach. He also runs a 10,000-member interior design and outdoor living group, where he fosters connections between homeowners and industry professionals.

Outside of business, Mark is dedicated to personal growth and fitness, seeing discipline in the gym as the same consistency required to grow a thriving company. A husband and father, he integrates family into the heart of Homestead’s story, reflecting the values of resilience, gratitude, and excellence that guide both his work and life.

This week, we are welcoming Rob Pannell onto the Long Island Legends Podcast!

Rob Pannell is a Smithtown, New York native where he attended Smithtown HS West, then Deerfield Academy for a post-graduate year. At Cornell, Pannell won the 2013 Tewaaraton Trophy and was a 2011 ESPY nominee for best collegiate athlete. He was a 4x All-American and 4x first team All-Ivy selection. Since, he has 13 seasons of professional lacrosse under his belt, currently playing for the Maryland Whipsnakes in the Premier Lacrosse League. The 2018 MVP and 2x Offensive Player of the Year, Pannell is the first player ever to record 300 goals and 300 assists in outdoor professional lacrosse. He is currently third all time in career points with 635. Pannell was a member of Team USA in the 2014, 2018 and 2023 World Games, winning gold medals in 2018 and 2023. A 2x All-World selection, Pannell is the all time leading scorer for Team USA in international competition. Pannell currently resides on Long Island where he is in a business development role with Acrisure, a leading insurance brokerage in the United States and globally.

This week, we are welcoming David Díaz to the Long Island Legends Podcast!

David is the owner of Selden Concrete Corp. is a fully licensed, insured and owner operated poured concrete contractor with over 50 years of experience. Since their inception in 1993, the company continuously strives to provide new and past clients with quality work at reasonable prices and schedules that meet or exceed their expectations.

They continue to service some of the most respected custom home builders, real estate
development firms and general contractors throughout Long Island with quality concrete work, as well as homeowners.

They specialize in residential and commercial concrete work in both Suffolk and Nassau County. The company offers a wide range of services specializing in the concrete construction of residential communities and sub-divisions of new homes, townhome and condominium construction, construction of commercial buildings, as well as foundation additions for extensions or additions to homes.

This week, we are welcoming co-owners of Signature Premier Properties, Peter Morris and Kathy Viard to the Long Island Legends Podcast!

Peter Morris is the owner of Morris Construction. Since 1994, he has been bringing architectural visions to life throughout the Huntington area. In 2007, during one of the toughest real estate markets in decades, he launched Signature Premier Properties—a neighborhood-focused, flexible real estate firm that’s grown into Long Island’s fastest-growing agency. With deep expertise in construction, building codes, and local real estate, Peter continues to play a hands-on role in helping clients and improving his community.

Real estate runs in Kathy Viard's blood—she started her career alongside her mother, a seasoned agent of 35 years, and has since earned numerous awards in the field. Kathy plays a key role in growing Signature while building a company culture rooted in family, flexibility, and community. She's also the force behind Signature Cares, a division dedicated to giving back to the neighborhoods they serve. For Kathy, real estate isn’t just a business—it’s a way to help others find “home,” just like she did.

On this week of Long Island Legends, we are welcoming Michael DeAngelis!

Michael DeAngelis has deep Long Island roots, having moved from the Bronx as a baby with his parents and three older brothers. He was the first in his family to graduate college, earning a marketing degree from the New York Institute of Technology.

Blending street smarts and trade skills passed down from his father with formal education, Michael built a dynamic career in the construction and building maintenance industries—starting as a sales rep, earning his MBA, and eventually becoming a Vice President leading North American sales.

In May 2020, he launched Equiquest as a side hustle. By January 2023, he left his corporate role to go all in on entrepreneurship. Today, Michael runs Equiquest Private Hard Money Real Estate Lending—focused exclusively on funding real estate investors right here on Long Island.

In addition to lending, Michael actively invests in commercial real estate and brings the same energy and drive to exploring other ventures as well.

Watch this episode to learn more about his journey in real estate investing and lending.

This week, we are welcoming Mike Lewis to the Long Island Legends Podcast!

Michael Lewis is 49 years old and has been married since 2009. He and his wife have a teenage son. He is a licensed professional land surveyor and a certified floodplain surveyor, with surveying experience dating back to 1998, and has been licensed since 2012. Michael currently serves as a project manager at SAM-NY, the largest geospatial firm in the United States.

Outside of work, Michael enjoys a wide range of outdoor activities, including archery, hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, and skiing. He’s also a passionate sports fan who frequently attends Yankees and Islanders games with his son. Driven by both his profession and love for the outdoors—especially archery—he has committed to prioritizing his physical health a year ago, leading to a transformative personal journey.

Watch this episode to hear about his journey of losing 100 pounds in less than a year.

Listen to this episode to learn more about his journey of losing 100 pounds in less than a year!

On this week of Long Island Legends, we are welcoming Eliot Lonardo!

Eliot R. Lonardo is a lifelong resident of the Town of Huntington and a proud 1996 graduate of Walt Whitman High School in South Huntington. He went on to earn a degree in Criminal Justice from LIU’s C.W. Post campus. A first-generation Italian American on his father’s side, Eliot comes from a family of entrepreneurs—his father worked in construction, and his mother is in the electronics industry. He credits his mother with instilling in him a strong work ethic, a clear moral compass, and a deep commitment to community service.

After graduating college, Eliot earned his real estate license in 2004 and began working full-time in 2005. In 2018, he joined the Huntington office of Signature Premier Properties. By 2024, Eliot had become the top-producing agent in his office and was ranked #9 company-wide out of nearly 1,800 agents.

Eliot is also a respected leader within the real estate community. In 2018, he served as Chairman of the Long Island Board of Realtors’ Fair Housing & Cultural Diversity Committee and has held leadership positions at both local and state levels.

His dedication to education is evident in his role as a trustee on the South Huntington Educational Foundation (SHEF). In 2019, he was honored by SHEF at its 2nd Annual Gala for his contributions to the school district. He also serves on the Walt Whitman Alumni Association, which recently helped celebrate the district’s 100th anniversary. In 2023, Eliot was inducted into the South Huntington Hall of Fame.

In local government, Eliot was appointed to the Town of Huntington’s Board of Assessment in 2018, elected Chairman in 2021, and continues to serve in that role through 2025. He also serves on the town’s Affordable Housing Advisory Board, helping address Long Island’s housing affordability challenges.

Eliot remains deeply involved in community service, supporting organizations such as TRI CYA (where he was honored in 2023), the Townwide Fund, Girl Scouts, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, South Huntington PTAs, and the Huntington Manor Fire Department.

On this week's episode of the Long Island Legends podcast, we are welcoming Matt Norman!

Matt is a part of Team Norman. He is an Online Bodybuilding and Fitness Coaching at Mitropoulos Coaching helping athletes and lifestyle clients of all levels build the body and confidence they’ve always wanted without sacrificing their busy lifestyle. Whether you’re looking to become a pro bodybuilder, level up your physique, get leaner, or just get healthy, he will tailor your program to meet your specific needs.