Brian DiSabatino, CEO of a family-owned construction firm, will lead a discussion with Christopher Buccini, a successful real estate entrepreneur, at Neumann's eleventh annual Abessinio Lecture on Management and Entrepreneurship on November 17.

Titled “Beyond Success: Building a Business, a Family Legacy, and a Lasting Impact,” the program will explore the decisions, relationships, challenges, and values behind building successful businesses and creating an enduring legacy.

The program is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. in the Meagher Theatre.

DiSabatino is a fourth-generation leader of EDiS, a construction and development company based in Wilmington, Delaware. He has guided EDiS to significant industry recognition, including the ABC Delaware STEP Diamond Award for safety and multiple Excellence in Construction Awards.

Named the 2025 CEO of the Year by Delaware Business Times, he has driven transformative projects such as the Town of Whitehall, a $1 billion master-planned community reimagining a “turn-of-the-last-century” town from the ground up. He currently serves as Chairman of the Delaware Business Roundtable, where he collaborates with business and civic leaders to advance the state’s priorities in education, workforce development, infrastructure, and innovation.

Committed to philanthropy and public service, DiSabatino is also a member of the Neumann University Board of Trustees and the Board of the Philadelphia Zoo. With his son Jacob, he co-founded 22in22, a national campaign to bring awareness and funding to prevent military suicide.

He will be joined on stage by Christopher Buccini, co-founder of Buccini Pollin Group, Inc. (BPG), a privately held, real estate investment, development and management company. BPG develops and acquires hotel, office, residential, retail, and parking properties, and sports and entertainment venues throughout the United States.

Chris Buccini leads the firm’s investment management platform, Corten Capital, and its commercial management affiliate BPG Real Estate Services, LLC. He is also a director of PM Hotel Group, Inc, a hotel management company with nearly 16,000 rooms under management.

In addition, Chris Buccini and his brother Robert are co-founders and co-owners of Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union. Delaware Business Times named the brothers 2026 CEOs of the Year.

The Rocco and Mary Abessinio School of Business Chair in Management and Entrepreneurship Endowed Fund is the center of entrepreneurship education, activities, and programming for Neumann’s School of Business and across campus. The annual lecture series is one of the outcomes of this endowed fund. Rocco Abessinio visited campus on October 4, 2016, to deliver the first presentation in this series.

Mr. Abessinio, an alumnus and longtime friend of Neumann, is chief executive officer of Roch Capital, Inc., a privately-owned capital management firm focused on making investments in quality assets that will be held for the long term. He is also the founder of Applied Bank and Applied Card System, which grew to be the 10th largest issuer of Visa and MasterCard credit cards in the country.