Real LI

How did a small insurance and real estate company in Huntington grow to a $2.5 billion business with 27 offices and 600 agents on Long Island? It's a "whale" of a tale and the answer can be found in the just published coffee table book, "Welcome Aboard: A History of Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty."

The well-researched book covers the 85-year history of the company from its founding in 1922 by entrepreneur Daniel Gale, and includes interviews with agents past and present. While the bulk of the material will appeal mainly to company insiders, anyone interested in the business of real estate or the history of Long Island’s North Shore will find something of interest here.

Kent Gale, who headed the company from 1950 to 1990, credits much of the success of the company to the hiring of women as part of the sales force. “We hired a lot of women because we could get top-notch talent…our philosophy was that we would create a company where there was no glass ceiling, and we were able to attract good people.” In 1991, Pat Peterson, a woman who closed on her first sale in 1975 as a Daniel Gale agent, became the company's third president.

Over the years, agents for the company have had many memorable listings and notable clients. In 2002, agent Nava Mitnick handled the sale of Land’s End, the 20-room mansion in Sands Point, said to be F. Scott Fitzgerald’s inspiration for the Buchanan mansion in "The Great Gatsby." The Knole in Old Westbury, a 10-bedroom mansion featured in Dudley Moore’s film "Arthur" and Al Pacino’s "The Devil’s Advocate," was listed and sold by agent Maria Petkanas twice, once in 2004, and again in 2007. Agent Michael Piccolo was also involved in the 2004 sale. The home was designed by Thomas Hastings, architect for the New York Public Library and the Frick Museum.

Agent Debbie Petkanas remembers showing a listing on Morgan’s Island to Harrison Ford and his former wife, Melissa, while the actor was filming "Sabrina" in Glen Cove.

Even Daniel Gale agents have been brushed by fame themselves, like Muriel Wadsworth, who was immortalized in 1955 by Madison Avenue, when she became the model for the portrait of Betty Crocker.

Copies of the 175-page book will be donated to local libraries and to the Huntington Historical Society. It can also be accessed electronically, for free, by clicking here.