CNBC’s new series, Staten Island Hustle, follows five businessmen as they forge paths that will ultimately lead them to, well, more business. The men are all experienced businessmen and entrepreneurs and have been friends for years. In the words of CNBC, “Like more than 44 million other people in the U.S., they’re in the business of side hustles, bringing in a bit of cash on top of their 9-to-5 jobs.”
The crew meets once a week to discuss projects to invest in, and to create business models that they market test to decipher what side hustle will be the best use of their time.
Read on to meet the men who make up the cast of Staten Island Hustle.
Dom Detore
Don Detore is the group’s “connector”. He has lived on Staten Island for 21 years, and knows the right people to get the deal done. An astute businessman, Detore is the founder of 2D Construction.
He tells CNBC, “I’m the guy that everybody comes to… People ask me for help with their homes, whether it be construction [or] financing. Can I recommend a good finance person so they can refinance their house at a cheaper rate? Do I have a good attorney for a product? Or they want to go to patent something. I get calls for everything.”
Detore has been interested in the business for years. When he was a child, he used to work with his father selling fruits and vegetables in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. At age 18, he purchased a pizzeria in Brooklyn for $10,000 with the hopes of flipping it to make money. Within two years, he was able to sell the pizzeria for $75,000.
Mike Palmer
Palmer has run his own auto repair shop for 20 years.
He explains to CNBC, “In my business it’s not just fixing the cars, you’ve got to know how to talk to the customers, how to sell the work, how to sell the jobs, how to make the customer understand why they have to do the repair on the car because nobody wants to put money into their cars.”
Tony DeCicco
Tony D has worked on Wall Street for over 30 years, and even teaches a lecture series on investing.
In the words of Tony D, “Hustle means a stretch. Hustle means to pull out of the sky in order to make your family and life work.”
He adds on that in this show, there’s no boss; no one has power over the other. The five men are equal partners who come together to “realize a dream”.
Adolfo LaCola
Adolfo is the only one of the hustlers with a college degree. A co-owner of Ghostface Killah’s record label, Starks Enterprises, LaCola splits his time between LA and NY and is involved in a number of business deals on both coasts.
LaCola has tried his hand at a variety of disciplines. He’s worked on Wall Street, in diagnostic medicine, and has also invested in NYC liquor stores and ice cream parlors.
Ron Montana
In the words of CNBC, Montana is the “biggest hustler of the crew.” He is an entrepreneur and has invested in many small businesses. He’s the idea man, and enjoys dedicating his time to as many businesses as it takes. “Restaurants, pizzerias, nightclubs, I did everything,” he tells CNBC.
Ron is the CEO of Zero Swipes, a payment processing company.