Business Beat

When driving east on the Kennedy Expressway, it doesn’t take much to pass up Norridge without noticing it. A town of less than 15,000, Norridge was incorporated in 1948 and is almost completely surrounded by Chicago. It is a town made up largely of European immigrants, first- and second-generation Italians and Polish, hard-working people who take care of their families and each other. It might be easy to miss Norridge if you’re not looking for it, but there is no missing what has been happening on Lawrence Avenue just east of Cumberland Avenue for nearly 30 years. When Cumberland Chapels …

When Anthony DiBiase and Frank Cervone bought an existing elevator inspection business in 2002, little did they know they’d shoot straight to the top floor of their field. Today Elevator Inspection Services Co., Inc. in Burr Ridge handles a combined 8,000 inspections a year in Chicago and the surrounding municipalities. To put it in perspective, that’s an average of 22 elevators a day, with the safety of millions riding on the work these men and their team do, day in and day out. “In the past 11 years, we have grown the business by 75 percent,” says DiBiase, whose parents …

It’s not that far from 710 W. Grand Ave. in Chicago — where V. Formusa Co. opened its doors in 1898 — to 2150 Oxford Road in Des Plaines, where the company relocated. That the move took more than a century to make is a testament to the dedication and vision of the four generations that have run the oldest Italian food importer in the Chicago area. “It was hard to leave the old factory,” Vice President Sue Formusa Johnson admits. “It’s one of the oldest buildings in the city, we had relatives who were born upstairs, and it was …

In 1933, a pair of young Sicilian brothers — the oldest not even 21 — decided to start a business, unaware they’d create a legacy as well, and touch countless Italian Americans in the Chicago area. Vincent and Joseph Lucania opened their first funeral home in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood at 409 W. North Ave. The business grew, and Vincent moved west in the 1950s, following the migration of other Italian Americans to the area. He opened Montclair-Lucania Funeral Home’s current location at 6901 W. Belmont Ave. in 1957, and there it stayed. The venerable funeral home marked its 80th …

Walk into Tony Morizzo’s new business in Hoffman Estates, and you’ll encounter abundant sunlight flooding an impeccably appointed lobby as a glass-enclosed fireplace blazes away. It’s the kind of setting you might mistake for an inviting-yet-dignified inn, unless you read the sign out front. The Morizzo Funeral Home is a true milestone for Tony, representing the life’s work of a man who has built a family business based on four simple-yet-solid cornerstones: family, friendship, relationships and giving back. His brother Dan and son Ross join him in the third-generation enterprise. Morizzo’s new facility opened in November after 11 months of …

It’s been 50-plus years since Regal Seating Company starting manufacturing its custom, made-to-order commercial bar stools and chairs. And that kind of longevity extends not only across years and generations, but also into the very social fabric of the Chicago area’s most vibrant restaurants and taverns. Whether you’ve frequented Lou Malnati’s Gold Coast Chicago location, Beer House Chicago in Lombard, or Stout Barrel House and Galley on the Near North Side, you’ve seen the handiwork of Regal and its president, Jerry Saviano. On a grander scale, Regal has manufactured the seating for all the restaurants in the ever-expanding Buona Beef …

A strong entrepreneurial spirit, an emphasis on creativity, professionalism and a willingness to utilize best practices from all different types of industries are characteristics prized by Dominic M. Sergi, chief executive officer of REX Electric and Technologies LLC. These traits, along with the cornerstones of mutual respect and cooperation for all who interface with the company, and a commitment to good citizenship, have powered the success of REX, which has grown to be one of the largest providers of electrical and technology services in the Midwest. Sergi built the business from a modest family company started by his uncle in …

The Salerno family is entering its 100th full year of operation in the funeral industry, a major milestone by anyone’s standards. But they’ve also kept pace with the times. With its neoclassic atrium crowned by a striking peaked skylight, Salerno’s Rosedale Chapels in Roselle defies any dreary funeral home stereotype, as does the family’s Galewood Chapels on Harlem near North in Chicago. But ever since the first parlor opened its doors a century ago, Rosario D. Salerno established a tradition of compassionate service that his descendants honor with pride. “We still do business the way he did,” says Joe Salerno, …

Everyday conveniences have changed so much over the last couple of generations, including many that we take for granted, but depend on night and day. Nowhere is this truer than in heating and cooling, where Season Comfort owner Vito Palella has a unique double distinction. He stays on top of the latest advances in his field, yet has more than 30 years experience in helping customers spend smart now and save for years to come. “Because the technology has changed so much over the years, we can almost always help people save money and energy,” says Palella, a native of …

When Dominic Verlotta goes to work at Speed-O-Lite Printing Center in Franklin Park, he carries more than a mental list of upcoming print jobs. Working 60-plus hours a week, he lives out the lessons passed down by his Italian parents, who hailed from the Campania region. “When you’re family, you’re really family,” says Verlotta, who’s been in the printing business since 1975. “You help each other out, and that’s what it’s all about.” Others invoke family in the abstract, but for Verlotta, it’s as close as the front counter. His wife of 29 years, Marketta, handles a wide array of …