Mr. Cognetti was licensed in Pennsylvania as a real estate salesman in 1977 and a broker in 1980. For distinguished service and outstanding sales performance, the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors (PAR) recognized him as a life member of its PAR Excellence Club, and the Greater Scranton Board of Realtors included him in its Million Dollar Club. He earned an MBA in finance from the University of Scranton in 1984 and a Bachelor of Architecture from the Catholic University of America in 1973.

  In 1985, Mr. Cognetti purchased the assets of the Hinerfeld Realty Company and became its President and Broker of Record. He has earned the distinguished professional designation of Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager (CRB), and he is a select member of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR). He has also been awarded the prestigious Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation from the Commercial Investment Real Estate Institute.

The Hinerfeld Realty Company was founded in 1934 by Sydney Hinerfeld. The company is one of a few continuously operated real estate brokerages in Northeastern Pennsylvania over a span of seventy years.  Through its long existence, it has provided residential, commercial, appraisal and property management brokerage services.  The company has operated both independently and as a franchisee at two different times in its history for two different national companies. It was also an early member of the New America Network of Commercial Brokers. At one time during Mr. Cognetti’s ownership, the company had over thirty sales associates.  Mr. Cognetti was the first broker in his market to create two separate divisions. He felt that in order to truly serve the public professionally, agents must be specialists in either commercial or residential brokerage. This was unheard of locally; however, it distinguished the Hinerfeld Realty Company as a provider of professional services. Today, the company is focused on providing commercial brokerage services.

Mr. Cognetti has kept current with the regional economic climate, as well as with prospective commercial and industrial real estate properties, through his involvement in a number of organizations such as committee work with the Scranton, Wilkes-Barre,  Pocono Mountains, and Pittston chambers of commerce. As president of the Hinerfeld Realty Company, he became a founding member of Penn’s Northeast, the regional marketing entity for economic development.  His community involvement includes past leadership roles with the Lackawanna Historical Society as well as co-founder of the Architectural Heritage Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania and the Board of Directors of Meals on Wheels of Lackawanna County.

Currently, he serves as a director of Fidelity Deposit & Discount Bank where he is assistant secretary of the board and a member of the Building and Credit Administration committees. He has also served as a member of the Audit Committee.  He is on the board of St. Francis Kitchen.  He serves as a subcommittee chair for Scranton Tomorrow, as a member of the Great Valley Technology Alliance, and as a member of the Transportation Committee of the Scranton Chamber of Commerce.  Recently, Mr. Cognetti has provided real estate consulting services to the Susquehanna County Rail Authority as well as for various other for profit and not for profit clients.

As a member of the Greater Scranton Board of Realtors, Mr. Cognetti has served on its Board of Directors and as its President. After his term in office, Mr. Cognetti continued his involvement by chairing several Board committees including Long Range Planning and Advertising. In addition, he has served on the Board MLS and Marketing and Finance Committees. He also currently serves on the Professional Standards Committee. While on those committees, he proposed regionalizing the MLS and Professional Standards Committees to encompass all the Boards in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

As a member of the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors (PAR), Mr. Cognetti provided a unique service to association members. Beginning as a member of the Standard Forms Committee, Mr. Cognetti, over time, was appointed chair of a committee for an initiative he proposed to review and consolidate the numerous forms used by members from around the state.  As Chair of the committee, he was instrumental in gaining consensus for a standardized agreement of sale that is currently being used by all members in Pennsylvania. The objective was to protect the consumer by insuring that the agent had a user friendly document covering all issues that should be considered in the sale process. Mr. Cognetti also served on the Finance and Commercial/Industrial Committees of PAR. He also has received certification from The National Association of Realtors as a mediator.    

A lifelong resident of Scranton, Mr. Cognetti is married to the former Mary O’Malley. He has two children, Adrianna and John Carlon.      
 
Professional Recognition and Memberships
 
· Member, Greater Scranton Board of Realtors (President- 1985; Realtor of the Year-1986)

· Member, Greater Wilkes-Barre Board of Realtors

· Charter Member Tri State Commercial and Industrial Association of Realtors 

· Member, Industrial and Office Real Estate Brokers Association of the New York Metropolitan Area, Inc. (IOREBA)

· Life Member of the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors PAR Excellence Club

· Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM)

· Member Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR)

· Certified Real Estate Brokerage Member (CRB)

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