Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
The Italian American Executives of Transportation honored Dominic Romanazzi and Wayne Bubak on Nov. 18 at Alta Villa Banquets in Addison.
Dominic Romanazzi — Man of the Year
A devoted family man and fierce advocate for workers’ rights, Dominic Romanazzi is a most deserving recipient of the Italian American Executives of Transportation’s 2017 Man of the Year Award.
Dominic Romanazzi first became a Teamster in 1986 when he began working for the Illinois State Tollway Authority. He subsequently became a member of Teamsters Local 330 in 1989 when he began working for the Illinois Department of Transportation.
In 1998 Dominic was appointed a Business Representative for Teamsters Local 330, and in less than two years, he was appointed to the position of Recording Secretary. In December of 1999 he was elected to the position of Secretary-Treasurer. In 2004 Dominic was elected President and Principal Officer of Local 330. He has been re-elected by the rank and file membership and is currently serving his 4th consecutive term as President and Principal Officer, a position that he cherishes.
As President of Local 330, Dominic serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the organization that represents more than 2,000 members working in virtually every industry including Public Employee, Construction, Ready Mix, Warehouse, Beverage, School Bus, Waste and other industries. Dominic is in charge of all major negotiations and the administration of the Local Union as a whole.
In addition to serving his membership as President of Local 330, Dominic maintains an expanded role as a Union leader and fighter for working families. In 2004 he was appointed as a Trustee on Board of the Suburban Teamsters of Northern Illinois Health, Welfare and Pension Funds. In 2009 Dominic rose to the position of Union Co-Chairman where he remains. The Suburban Teamster Fund(s) provide Insurance and Pension benefits to over 10,000 active and retired participants. In 2012 Dominic was appointed Chairman of the Teamsters Volunteers in Politics Board, which is the political branch of Teamsters Joint Council 25. Dominic also serves as a Trustee on the Board of the Illinois Teamsters/Employers Apprenticeship and Training Fund. Dominic serves as the Union Co-Chairman of the Northern Illinois Ready Mix and Material Association Grievance Committee and has served as a Director on the Italian American Labor Council since 2003.
Dominic believes in hard work and determination and fights tirelessly for worker’s rights. He attributes his strong work ethic to his mother, who was born in Naples Italy and immigrated to Chicago. She raised four children in the old Chicago Avenue neighborhood located on the city’s West Side, where Dominic grew up and lived until 1979. Dominic’s greatest role model and inspiration will always be his mother, Mary. He adores his loving family and his greatest pride is his beautiful daughter, Isabella.
Dominic has always been proud of his Italian American heritage and is humbled and honored to be selected as Man of the Year by such a fine Italian-American organization. The IAET is very proud to have Dominic as our 2017 Man of the Year and also as an active member.
Wayne Bubak — 2017 Humanitarian of the Year
Faith, family, country and charity are the things that Wayne Bubak holds most dear. He unconditionally donates his time, talent and treasure to these and other worthy causes in an effort to make the world a better place. It’s no wonder that he has been selected the Italian American Executives of Transportation 2017 Humanitarian of the Year.
Wayne credits his desire to help people to the values instilled in him by his parents and the Catholic schools, which he attended from elementary through graduate school. Since his childhood as an altar server, he has continued in assistance to his Church through being an adult altar server, Lector, and as head usher for 32 years. He has been a Parish Council and Finance Council member and rose to be Chairman of both Boards. Most recently he became an Executive Committee member for the Archdiocese of Chicago, in the “To Teach in Christ” campaign. He has also been a Religious Education instructor. Over the years, Wayne has organized and assisted in numerous events for the benefit of his parish. He has also served in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program for disadvantaged children.
He further lives his faith through being a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus, St. Michael the Archangel Council, which is comprised of many Chicago Policemen and was founded in 1997. They are the only Knights of Columbus Council of law enforcement officers in the United States.
Wayne is married to his high school sweetheart, Mary Frances, a retired school teacher/administrator. Over the years she has been a member of Parish Council, an instructor of Religious Education and a member of the Domestic Abuse Ministry for the Archdiocese of Chicago. Together, they are parents of three very successful adult children, and three grandchildren.
Elected to the Northbrook Elementary School Board 27 and later to the Northfield Township High School District 225, Wayne rose to the level of President. He was appointed a member of the North Suburban Special Education District and was on their Governing Board and Executive Board, where he served as the Secretary.
Professionally, Wayne has spent a lifetime of service to his country. He started out as a purchasing agent for the Defense Department and traveled nationwide. For his hard work and dedication he received an Outstanding Performance Award from the Department of Defense.
Wayne then became a U.S. Treasury Agent. He was selected to teach at the Treasury Law Enforcement Training School in Georgia. Over the years, Wayne held various duties including Dignitary Protection, guarding Presidents and other dignitaries. He worked mainly with the Federal Grand Jury in the Northern District of Illinois, focusing primarily on political corruption cases. He had the first two prosecutions involving “extortion under official color of right,” using political office for monetary gain. He also developed another theory of prosecution against businesses supported by the Federal Courts.
Wayne received numerous commendations from The U.S. Attorneys Office and outstanding performance awards from the Treasury Department. At retirement, Wayne was the only agent to have received performance awards from all the U.S. Attorneys to whom he was assigned. He is currently working on defense investigations and expert witness work as appointed by Federal Judges.
Wayne is the Vice-Chairman of the Italian American Executives of Transportation and a recipient of the 2016 IAET President’s Award. He has been Chairman of their 2016 and 2017 golf outings. He serves as Treasurer for Knights of Columbus and the Italian American Police Association. He is also a Board member of the Chicagoland Italian American Charitable Organization.
