Founders
“Leadership is not about a title or a designation. It’s about impact, influence and inspiration. Impact involves getting results; influence is about spreading the passion you have for your work; and you have to inspire team-mates and customers.”
Robin S. Sharma
Rocco DiLillo
Founder (Retired)
“Rocco DiLillo has lived the entrepreneurial experience. He’s operated 10 companies — five he founded, five he acquired — taken a company public, rescued struggling businesses and realized successful exits. His passion for building businesses compelled him out of his first retirement in his mid-40s. Today, he’s begun to divest himself of his business holdings” and begin some new adventures.
He was winner of the Ernst & Young, NASDQ and USA Entrepreneur of the year in 1997. He also serves/has served as a board member of the following associations: AMCO Worldwide, GMA Partners, Algon Capital, Britton-Gallagher & Associates, West Park Direct, Main Street Gourmet, The Entrepreneurs EDGE and the M.A.C. Foundation Tee Off on Leukemia.
PorchLight’s foundational business principals are in large part due to Rocco’s executive council and collaboration. He served as PorchLight’s Board Chairman from inception, in 2003, through December, 2021. Diane and Janet are grateful for Rocco’s guidance over more than two decades and although he is no longer Chairman, he is a friend, colleague and always a call away.
Diane Ayres
CEO
A founding partner of PorchLight’s National Rental Finding Service established in 2003. The PorchLight members recognized the need for renters to have quality home finding assistance much like their home-buyer colleagues. PorchLight set-out to fill that void and to provide rental finding capabilities nationwide. At PorchLight, Diane is responsible for business strategy, strategic alliances, and client development. While at PorchLight, she developed cost saving models with clients demonstrating the savings impact on corporate housing and household goods storage when rental assistance is implemented from the on-set of the move. Prior to PorchLight, Diane worked in the corporate housing industry for 15 years as a Vice President responsible for new market development and global sales. Diane has served on ERC’s Editorial Committee, the Spring, 2008 Planning Committee and was the recipient of ERC’s Meritorious Service award in 2009. Diane is a graduate of Kent State University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and public relations.
Janet Zamecnik
COO
One of PorchLight’s founders, Janet architected a service and operations process and designed custom software for automated workflow, allowing PorchLight to become the first rental assistance company to offer metrics to clients and vendors. Since 1998, Janet has worked with corporations and relocation companies to establish metrics and process strategies for both corporate housing and rental assistance. Janet is a real estate professional and continually offers training to real estate agents specializing in relocation. She graduated from Kent State University with a Bachelor of Science degree.