Daniel Kamin fondly recalls his early days as an entrepreneur, selling parking spaces for Forbes field for $1 and lemonade at the baseball games. It was a pursuit that led him straight into the family real estate business, Kamin Realty in 1969.
Today Mr. Kamin is president and owner of the commercial side of the Pittsburgh realty business, the 39th largest shopping center and net lease retail property owner in the U.S. with 328 properties in 41 states.
After his parents passed away, close family bonds inspired Daniel and his brother Robert to create a memorial fund to honor their parents. The Harry Wallace and Dorothy Kamin Fund was formed and awarded its first grant in 2006. The experience was so rewarding that Daniel and his wife Carole subsequently decided to create a separate legacy fund of their own, to be advised by their three sons in the future. They designated many of the same institutions and organizations that their parents supported: the arts, historic preservation and the environment.
It was a natural fit, especially since Carole Kamin has followed in her mother-in-law's footsteps as President of the National Society of Arts and Letters, says Mr. Kamin.
"We have a wonderful, very close family," says Mr. Kamin. "We have chosen the Pittsburgh Foundation to carry on our legacy after we are gone."