BOCA RATON, FLA. — For several years during the 1980s and 1990s, he teamed with Barry Dickstein as the co-owner of a group of radio stations located in such locales as Atlantic City, N.J.; suburban Chicago; New London, Conn.; and Dover, Del. The investment was through his StoneGate Capital Group, which took the name in 1994.
Now, family and friends are gathering to remember Joel Hartstone, who passed away on February 4.
A 1970 Cornell Law School graduate, Hartstone, who was 79 years old, first entered the professional workforce as Counsel for Aetna, the Hartford-based insurance giant. As 1976 began, Hartstone would exit for a role as Managing Member of a boutique law firm in Hartford, exiting in June 1982 to join Dickstein in radio broadcast ownership.
That’s when StoneGate was established under the name Hartstone & Dickstein Inc. It spent a decade operating radio stations, and in April 1993 agreed to a merger with Southern Skies Corporation, an entity with 40% ownership held by Little Rock-based Jerry Atchley. But, that deal — a second attempt at combining businesses — never transpired. Instead, it sold its Youngstown, Ohio and Atlantic City stations to Jeff Warshaw-led Connoisseur Communications in July 1994; Utica-Rome properties were sold to a group led by Ed Levine, today the head of Galaxy Media.
By October 1996, Hartstone had carved a niched as a successful advisor on station sales, appearing alongside the top media brokers of the day at The Future of Radio Acquisitions & Finance symposium in New York.
Fast-forward to June 1997, and Hartstone was the President of a new radio station licensee — Excalibur Media. It was the owner of radio stations in Vermont and in Port Henry, N.Y., on the left shore of Lake Champlain, and saw Hartstone team up with Jim Champlin.
By 2020, and the COVID-19 pandemic, Hartstone hung out a new shingle, serving as Chairman/CEO of American PPE & CleanCoating, a Bensalem, Pa., based producer of self-cleaning, Nano-coated, medical face masks and Nano-coats. This concluded in April 2021.
He also served as the first President and CEO of Commander Premier Aircraft Corporation and was a Justice of the Peace.
Hartstone was born in Cambridge, Mass., and was most recently living in Delray Beach, Fla.
“He loved sailing, flying airplanes, and seeing live music with his friends,” says his father, Jarrett Hartstone. “Most importantly, he was a loving husband, brother, father, grandfather, and uncle who was relentlessly dedicated to his children’s education and showing them the way. Joel will be remembered for his devotion to family, his passion for mentoring emerging
entrepreneurs, and his unwavering commitment to excellence in all his endeavors. His legacy will continue to inspire those who had the privilege of knowing him.
Hartstone is also survived by his wife of 48 years, Joan; children, Jeffery, Alexis (Michael)
Bridgett, Stuart (Rosa), and Emily; grandchildren, Flynn, Avery, Colin and Mark; brother
and sister-in-law Eliot and Beverly, and their children Jonathan & Lauren; and ex-wife and close family friend, Penni.
A memorial service was held on February 10 at The Gardens of Boca Raton.
