Business Beat

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 …

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 …

There is an old saying in Italian culture: “Families are like a fortress.” Tucked away in west suburban River Forest are two small businesses started by an Italian immigrant who wanted to create a fortress for his family and a business for his five children. Frank Bertolli is the proud owner of Bertolli’s River Pizza and Frank’s Deli, located at 7973 and 7971 Lake Street respectively. All five of his children — Carlo, Tony, John, Nora and Marilda — have had a hand in Bertolli’s success. Bertolli was born in 1949 in Mola di Bari. He came to the United …

When a young man works behind a deli at age 15, does he dream one day of owning it? Pat Roberto did. Most high schoolers work evenings, weekend and summers mowing lawns, babysitting or painting homes. But Roberto’s part-time job blended his Italian heritage with his quest for the future. “I had jobs here and there at Calabria Imports,” describes Roberto. “I always had the time in the summer to work at the store behind the deli, as a stock boy or a cashier. I grew up in it.” Spending the majority of his extracurricular life at Calabria Imports set …

Ernest Hemingway once wrote, “Wine is the most civilized thing in the world.” Michael Mangini wholeheartedly agrees. When you’re sipping a Chianti at your favorite local ristorante, chances are good that it was made available by Mangini’s company, Tuscany Distributors of Illinois. After all, Mangini’s company distributes about 200,000 bottles of wine a year in the Chicago area alone. “We are the exclusive distributor for 230 different Italian wines,” Mangini explains. “Our wines come from all over Italy: Sicily, Lombardia, Venice, Naples, Bari and, of course, Tuscany.” Mangini was introduced to the wine business by a friend who owns Tuscany …

Celebrating 25 years in business is a quite an accomplishment. But when you hear the founder of the company is only 42, you have to ask, “How did he do that?” Meet Gino Fioravanti. A River Forest native, Gino is celebrating his silver anniversary in the irrigation and landscape lighting trades. Gino was a regular teenager growing up. He was a star on the Oak Park & River Forest High School wrestling team and got along with everyone. But he was far ahead of his classmates when it came to entrepreneurial spirit. Going into his senior year, Gino and classmate …

Extremely talented artists are born with a gift, and sometimes that gift isn’t realized until later in life. Case in point? A retiree from the City of Chicago is now a nationally recognized heirloom glass artist who is using her talents to keep her Italian heritage alive. Victoria Onorato always knew she loved art. Her uncle, Vito Davi, was a world renowned sculptor and Onorato was always amazed with what he did with his hands. “From my upbringing, I had something artistic influencing me,” recalls Onorato. “When I was a little girl, I was always getting into trouble for playing …