Barbi joins elite group of bankers
Florian Barbi celebrated a half century in the banking industry with his induction this May into the Illinois Bankers Association 50 Year Club. Barbi currently serves as chairman of the board, president, and CEO of First Nations Bank and Bank of Bourbonnais. During his tenure, he has grown the banks’ assets from $19 million to approximately $600 mi...
Ferrero will open innovation center in Chicago
By all measures, Ferrero had been a successful U.S. company for years. While its corporate headquarters are in Alba, Italy, the private company owns several brands popular in the U.S., including its Nutella spread. But the company has actively grown its U.S. business in recent years. The first step was through acquisitions. In 2017, the company bou...
Gucci opens store at Easton Town Center, first Columbus location in three decades
Gucci has opened its first location in Columbus in three decades. The Italian luxury fashion house opened a new location at Easton Town Center this week, making it the only Gucci location in Ohio. The store marks Gucci's return to Columbus. The fashion house was part of the original lineup of Columbus City Center mall when it opened in 1989, but la...
Ferrero announces major new investment to Bloomington, Illinois plant, adding 200 new jobs
Ferrero North America, part of the global confectionery company Ferrero Group, today announced plans to invest up to $214.4 million to expand its chocolate processing and product manufacturing plant in Bloomington, Illinois. The 169,000 square foot addition will be dedicated to producing Kinder Bueno, a popular Ferrero premium chocolate bar in Euro...
Italian company to set up North American HQ in Delaware County
An Italy-based industrial filter manufacturer is expanding its presence in Delaware County. Filtrec says it will invest more than $1 million to establish its new North American headquarters and an assembly plant just south of Muncie and create up to 21 jobs by the end of the year. Filtrec acquired the former Taurus Tool building near State Road 67...
Jessica Defino to lead DuPage Justinians
Wheaton attorney Jessica Defino has been elected president of the Justinian Society of Lawyers, DuPage County Chapter. Joining her as officers are Vice President Amanda Zannoni, Second Vice President Kira Albrecht, Secretary Anthony DeLongis, Treasurer Gabby Antoniolli and Comptroller Elizabeth Pope. A member of the DuPage County Chapter since she...
NOLI Builds Italian-Inspired Kitchens for La Dolce Vita
How does a biopharmaceutical executive from Verona end up becoming Cincinnati’s sole purveyor of luxury Italian kitchens? Good question. For Agostino Fede, owner and founder of NOLI, it went something like this: After retiring from corporate life, Fede moved to New York City, where he began, as he puts it, a sort of grand “rewiring.” The question,...
JCCIA to honor Bob Sirott, Jesse White
The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans will celebrate a beloved media veteran and a revered elected official at this year’s Dante luncheon. The event will take place at 11 a.m. on May 26 at Galleria Marchetti in Chicago. Radio and TV news legend Bob Sirott will receive this year’s Dante Award at the event, and Illinois Secretary of State Je...
Italian Design Day 2022 in Detroit
The Consulate of Italy in Detroit hosted Italian Design Day 2022 on Monday, March 28, in The Firehouse in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood. The event highlighted Italian luxury brands and made in Italy designs as well as featuring a presentation by renowned Italian architect Roberto Palomba. During Palomba’s presentation, a craftsman demonstrated ho...
Italian firm opens $30M plastics recycling plant in Anderson
A subsidiary of Italy-based Sirmax Group said its new plastics recycling facility in Anderson is now operational. SER North America said it plans to bring total employment at the $30 million plant to 40 by the end of the year. Plans for the 124,000-square-foot facility were first announced in July 2019. The company said it has already hired 25 empl...
Italian Design Day 2022 in Chicago
On Wednesday, March 23, 2022 the Italian Cultural Institute (IIC) and the Consulate General of Italy in Chicago will participate in the 6th edition of the Italian Design Day dedicated to “Re-generation. Design and New Technologies for a Sustainable Future.” The Institute will present “I, You and It: Stories of entanglement between species” a series...
Missimi nets major local theater honor
The Sarah Siddons Society bestowed its 2021 Leading Man Award upon local theater luminary Dominic Missimi. The society funds scholarships to promising theater arts students at top Chicago-area universities, including the Theater Department at Columbia College, Theatre School at DePaul University, Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt Univ...