Local family puts charity first

Creating and developing a family business is a dynamic that proves as fulfilling as it is challenging, but for the Zwaiks, it is something that is integral to their family, both immediate and community wise.

Most recently, DJT Group has teamed up with Dough Hook Hospitality Group to not only revamp, but honor a Bayport staple, Tony’s Pizzeria. David Zwaik, who heads the DJT Group with his brother, Jacob, remembers going to the old-fashioned pizza place with his family. Their sister even worked behind the counter and David takes his daughter there regularly for pizza days.

But behind the major commercial ventures of DJT Development is a commitment to public service. The company works with local civic and charity organizations like the BBP Foundation to give to families in need while preserving their dignity and status in the town. “My brother and I take pride in giving back,” said David. ”We chose these organizations because they preserve and uphold the high standards of our community.”

The children of an immigration attorney (Vanessa Zwaik is currently an immigration lawyer and great-uncle Stanley Zwaik served as an immigration lawyer over 70 years ago), the family has long known the struggle of those trying to make a better life and feel connected to giving a helping hand to those in less-than-auspicious starting points.

This includes a foundation, Hope for Youth, where David is a board member, that helps at-risk foster children on Long Island.

“We are about helping people,” said David. “Profit is a by-product.”

David and wife, Melissa, have started a agency, For Good Realty, that further expands the altruism of the family with a twist that involves clients at the helm of good deeds: 5 percent of the company’s commission will be donated to a charity of the homeowner’s choice.

While the real estate firm only started a month ago, there are already six properties at various stages of closing, and Melissa is eagerly awaiting cutting checks for their partner charities.

The inception of the agency, much like the Zwaiks other businesses, came to be from a paucity in the field. In this case, Melissa had been working as a realtor and saw that other agents were lukewarm with their clients, resulting in a sense of trepidation, especially with first-time homebuyers who were new to the process, when agents did not come to milestone appointments like home inspections.

DJT Development had started with home renovations in lower-income neighborhoods and the Zwaiks became passionate about helping first-time homebuyers who did not have generations of familial experience with the process to help them.
“We are like a family,” said Melissa. “That is what sets our brokerage firm apart. There is a culture of helping and not one of competition so that the client gets the best representation and experience.”

When asked if their family brought them up with expectations of noblesse oblige, the Zwaik brothers were steadfast that it was not an overt expectation, but just part of their upbringing to serve others.

According to David, “We want to inspire people to pay it forward.”