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The Taddeo Tradition
The Taddeo family business, Church & Chapel Metal Arts,has
thrived through three generations,four location changes, and
64 years of service. So when company president Joseph Taddeo
passed away recently, the family became even more determined
to see that his dream would continue well into the next century.
"He had the highest level of integrity of any person
I know," Frank Taddeo says of his father, a Korean War
veteran and founding member of the Chicago Amerital chapter
of UNICO National. "No matter how difficult the situation
was, he had the right solution and a comforting answer."
Now it is up to Charles (Joseph's brother and the current
company president), Joseph's son Frank, and Charles' sons
Charles Jr. and Vince, to map out the future of the company.
Church & Chapel Metal Arts offers a complete line of
supplies to the funeral home industry, including torchiere
lamps, lecterns, kneelers, cremation urns, and even the metal
sidewalk signs that indicate a funeral is in progress.
And thanks to the recent acquisition of R W. Clark Manufacturing
Co. - with its metal and woodworking machinery and framemaking
capability - Church and Chapel can now produce many of its
announcement and directory products in-house.
The company has come a long way since its founding in 1933
by Pietro Taddeo, an immigrant from Castelvetrano, Sicily,
and a World War I veteran. Though he entered the industry
at the height of the Great Depression, Pietro's strong work
ethic and devotion to his customers led to rapid expansion.
In 1937, he moved his operations from the 1800 block of Luna
to the area of Halsted and Jackson.
It was about that time that Joseph began working at the shop
as a youngster, running errands, tidying up and learning the
business from the ground up. This training served him well,
because when Pietro fell ill in 1948, Joseph took an even
more active role in the company. After Pietro passed away
in 1951, Joseph took over as president of the company, which
was then located at 3345 W. Chicago Ave. His brother Charles
joined Church & Chapel in 1958.
The company continued to prosper due to the hard work, diligence
and sacrifice of the entire family.
"The whole family lived above the business-my grandfather
and grandmother, my father and uncle, and their three sisters.
My uncle and aunts moved out after they were married, but
my father and mother stayed, raising me and my brother and
two sisters there," Frank Taddeo says. "In fact,
even though the company was rapidly becoming a nationwide
supplier, my father lived above the business until 1971, when
he bought a home on the West Side of Chicago. He eventually
moved to Glen Ellyn."
The company moved to its current location at 2616 W. Grand
Ave. in 1981. Frank joined the firm in 1978, and in the years
that followed, Charles Jr.and Vince came on board.
This infusion of new blood led to continued expansion.Currently
boasting 22 employees who work in such diverse areas as woodworking,
frame assembly, sales, marketing and warehousing, Church &
Chapel now ships "same day" nationwide. It has also
expanded its offerings from traditional Catholic items to
those of almost every major denomination and religion. "When
we first opened, our Catholic background helped quite a bit,"
Charles Sr. says. "But we now service just about every
Christian denomination, as well as Jewish Buddhist faiths.
And since the Catholic Church has recognized cremations, we
have been serving this fast-growing portion of the industry
as well."
It is through moves like these that the Taddeos hope to propel
the company into a fourth generation and the 21st century.
In doing so, they honor the memory of Pietro and Joseph Taddeo,
whose dedication, hard work and leadership made it all possible.
... reprinted from fra noi, April 1997
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