Michigan is 'rabid' motorcycle market, says CEO of Ducati North America
Motorcycles are cool. But the Ducati brand is, objectively speaking, the coolest. Jim Harp, an electrician from Smiths Creek, recently put down a $500 deposit on his second Italian motorcycle in Birmingham. “How do I compare my old one to the new one? It’s like a flip phone versus the iPhone X,” he said. “Ducati just has a mystique.” Known for its...
A Former Chicago Project Will Become A Museum Dedicated To Public Housing
When Chicago launched a massive plan in 2000 to overhaul all public housing in the city–knocking down high-rises like Cabrini-Green and slowly rebuilding new communities–residents resisted. They didn’t want to lose their homes, or the tight-knit communities that had formed over decades. But as the plan moved forward, they rallied around a new goal:...
The weirdest Lamborghini ever is coming to the US
At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Italian supercar maker Lamborghini announced that it will be bringing the 2019 Urus SUV to the United States this September. It's by far the oddest car the automaker currently makes. Lamborghini has been known for making insane low slung supercars that drape the walls of adolescents' walls....
Marco's Pizza Promotes Tony Libardi to President, Inches Toward 1,000 Stores
Marco's Pizza, the nation's fastest-growing pizza franchise, announced today the promotion of Chief Operations Officer Tony Libardi to President, effective as of the first of the year. The move comes at a pivotal time as the brand rapidly approaches the opening of its 1,000th store and celebrates its 40thanniversary year. Libardi, a firm believer i...
2019 Lamborghini Urus Charges into North America
Lamborghini unveiled the 2019 Urus worldwide in Sant’Agata Bolognese last month in Italy. Now it’s here on North American shores at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show, having made its debut at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. The super SUV is powered by a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 engine making 650 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque sent through an ei...
Fiat Chrysler to invest more than $1 billion in Michigan plant and give $2,000 bonuses in response to tax reform
Fiat Chrysler announced Thursday that it will up its investment in the United States and pay some of its employees special bonuses after the recent tax code overhaul. CEO Sergio Marchionne said in a statement that these announcements reflect the company's ongoing commitment to manufacturing in the U.S. He also cited the recently signed tax bill as...
Servant leader: Umberto P. Fedeli finds value in every relationship
Umberto P. Fedeli plays to win. It doesn’t matter if he’s functioning as president and CEO at The Fedeli Group, as a board member at the Cleveland Clinic or as a trusted confidant who has been asked by a friend for help. It’s the way he approaches every facet of his life. “It’s ultimately about performance,” Fedeli says. “I have no interest in gett...
Romanucci joins ranks of John Marshall trustees
Chicago attorney Antonio Romanucci was recently welcomed into the ranks of The John Marshall Law School Board of Trustees. An alumnus of John Marshall, Romanucci joins a distinguished group of jurists who dedicate their time and resources to bettering the school and its students. “I’ve benefited enormously from my education at John Marshall and I’m...
Zerillo Realty opens new office in Norridge
Local realtor and Fra Noi website columnist Giuseppe Zerillo is moving up in the world. Just four years after going into business for himself, he outgrew his first office in Park Ridge, prompting a move last fall to larger quarters on Cumberland just north of Lawrence in Norridge. The new location contains offices for three leasing agents and five...
Italian artist captures city’s architecture
As a veteran architect, he appreciates the landscape of Columbus that especially includes favorite Eero Saarinen. As a seasoned artist, he loves the local colors of globally recognized textile specialists such as Alexander Girard. “So I feel very much at home,” Guglielmo Botter said. That’s even though he has been more than 7,500 miles from his res...
Furniture maker partners with lighting company
A local office furniture maker is now offering decorative lighting products made by an Italian company. Grand Rapids-based Steelcase began offering products this month from Merano, Italy-based FLOS. The “finely crafted” product collections include pendants, sconces and table and floor lamps. Steelcase is selling the FLOS lighting products throughou...
Ferrara Candy to be acquired by Nutella maker Ferrero
Lemonheads, meet Nutella. Ferrara Candy, the Oakbrook Terrace-based maker of Brach's, Trolli and Lemonhead candy, is being acquired by Ferrero, the Italian maker of Nutella and Tic Tacs. The acquisition has been reviewed by the Federal Trade Commission. Financial terms were not disclosed. Ferrero already owns a former crosstown rival, Fannie May, a...