Carolyn Pistone
Most people remember the big moments in their lives, such as weddings, graduations, or promotions. For Carolyn Pistone, President and Managing Director of Clear Blue Commercial, Inc., one of those moments came shrouded in fog. Sitting on the 47th floor of a high-rise in San Francisco, she watched as a massive oil tanker struck the Bay Bridge on a misty morning. The ship spilled tens of thousands of gallons of oil into the water. What startled her most, though, wasn’t the spill. It was that business carried on as usual.
“All the other ships just kept going,” she recalls. “If I spilled oil at my front door, I’d stop everything and clean it up. But there isn’t really a mechanism in business to pause and fix harm. That day, I realized how deeply we put commerce above people and the planet. And I decided: not on my watch.”
That visceral experience sparked a career transformation that would eventually lead her to found Clear Blue Commercial, a full-service, ethos-driven commercial real estate company committed to sustainability and community. Now celebrating 11 years in business, the firm is a certified green business, certified small business, certified woman-owned business, and a proud B Corporation. Its mission? Saving the planet through real estate: one building, one community, one client at a time.
But Pistone’s journey to real estate changemaker was far from linear. “I like to say, if you lose enough jobs, you get a great resume,” she states. And, indeed, she’s worn many hats: starting in the entertainment industry, running facilities and operations for a major studio, pivoting to high-level real estate consulting, and eventually landing at one of San Francisco’s largest commercial firms.
Yet throughout her career, a familiar resistance kept surfacing. She says, “I’d walk into my boss’ office with a new idea and they’d say, ‘Thanks, now go do your job. You can’t save the world, Carolyn.’ But I couldn’t be contained like that. I knew that there had to be a better way. And so I created one.”
At Clear Blue Commercial, Pistone found a better way. Her team brings a lean, green, holistic approach to property and facility management, brokerage, leasing, and project oversight. And unlike many companies that place their core values quietly on the “About” page for optics, Pistone lives and breathes hers. Whether it’s reducing water usage through turf conversions or installing solar arrays that now power EV charging stations, the company’s daily operations are steeped in environmental and social impact.
“It might not be glamorous work,” she admits. “But when you realize that you helped divert carbon from the atmosphere and saved taxpayer dollars, suddenly the work becomes meaningful.”
That commitment to ‘doing more good than harm’ has also extended beyond business. In recent years, Pistone has emerged as a keynote speaker and author, amplifying her message of values-based entrepreneurship. Her first solo book, Open for Joy: A Journey of Healing and Business Success, was published in 2023. She’s also co-authored Power of Community. A new book is currently in the works, and she’ll lead an upcoming workshop: Saving the World by Playing Big in Your Small Business.
Pistone’s accolades include being named Enterprising Woman of the Year by Enterprising Women magazine in 2022 and being recognized by Real Leaders magazine as one of the 100 Women in Impact the year before. “I didn’t start doing all this to differentiate myself. I want everyone to do it,” she says, reflecting on her certifications and sustainability commitments. “This isn’t a niche. It should be the standard.” Carolyn also lends her expertise to the Climate Action 2020 Stakeholders Advisory Group and the Women Business Collaborative, working to shape national policy and push for greater gender equity in the business world.
Yet, for all the recognition and milestones, Pistone remains grounded in her mission: to make the world better, cleaner, kinder, and more just, through the everyday tools of business. “It’s easy to feel powerless,” she says. “You look at the state of the world and think, ‘What can I do? I’m just one woman in her 60s in California.’ But here’s the truth: you can do a lot. Especially when you lead with intention, collaborate with others, and align your work with your values.”
