Hair futures looking up in Schaumburg

Dave Laudadio left behind an aggressive and tense career as a broker on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to start his own Schaumburg business. This time, it’s something more relaxing, like a shave and haircut.

Laudadio and his wife, Candace, on Wednesday will open Roosters Men’s Grooming Center, the first in Illinois, at 1426 N. Meacham Road in Schaumburg. It’s one of 40 such franchise locations nationwide, and he hopes to open three more in the area. Men and boys can get a precision haircut while relaxing on leather seats amid upscale decor that includes dark wood paneling and the traditional barber’s striped pole. Shaves are also offered for men.

Going from a frantic, grueling environment, from paper-waving to trading online, will find Laudadio transitioning into a more relaxing pace after 25 years.

“We started looking into this about a year ago and we were looking at different things. Everyone seems to have a restaurant or a bar deal, but that didn’t feel like a good fit,” said Laudadio, of River Forest.

While he’ll bring many of his skills from the trading floor to the barber’s floor, he has business in his blood. His father, Cosmo Laudadio, owns Cosmo’s Designer Direct men’s clothing store in Villa Park. He also operated Cosmo’s Designer Direct back in the 1960s and 1970s, then it was The Suitery and Euro Direct in the 1980s and 1990s.

Laudadio said he learned a lot from his father while working in those stores while growing up. But he admits that he may have to tame his broker side after spending more than two decades screaming trades on the Merc floor.

“I promise to control myself and not scream at anyone here,” he joked.

Volunteer trainer

Libertyville resident Patrick Reardon, owner of Advantage Solutions Training and Consulting in Libertyville, will be volunteering to help train firemen and others at the Countryside Fire Department in Vernon Hills. He’ll help guide them on using Microsoft and Excel products.

He goes several extra miles

Bolingbrook resident Joe Ventura, an emergency room technician at Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital, finished a 100-mile run in South Bend, Ind., to raise money for ALS, then a few weeks later, did a 50-mile run and raised money for Open Arms Breast Cancer Outreach Fund, part of the Hinsdale Hospital Foundation. Never mind that the 100-mile run lasted nearly 23 hours.

Hall of fame for CPA

Robert F. Reilly of Barrington Hills was inducted into the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’s Business Valuation Hall of Fame. Reilly is managing director of Chicago-based Willamette Management Associates, a business valuation and forensic analysis firm.

FastTrack

Palatine resident LeAnn Talbot, senior vice president of Comcast Greater Chicago Region, was named one of the “Most Powerful Women in Cable” by Cable Fax: The Magazine. ... Rhonda Anderson, former executive director of Faith in Action in McHenry County, has taken the same role with National Volunteer Caregiving Network in Wheeling. ... Brian Walsh, owner of Allegra Marketing Print Mail in Palatine, was elected co-chairman of the franchise’s Network Advisory Council and marketing adviser to the board of the Youth Conservation Alliance.

The American Indian Foundation gala that honored Sanjay Jha, CEO of Libertyville-based Motorola Mobility, was the most successful gala in the Chicago chapter’s history, raising $1 million for India, the group’s spokeswoman tell us. ... Hinsdale resident Robert C. Knuepfer Jr. and his family have been named 2011 Family of the Year by Metropolitan Family Services. They were recognized at the group’s holiday celebration at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Chicago. Knuepfer is partner in the corporate and securities practice at the law firm, Baker & McKenzie.

Kent Swanson of Evanston has joined Chicago-based Newcastle Ltd., a real estate advisory firm as its chief financial officer. ... Don Minner is the new communications and marketing manager at Northbrook-based Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc. ... Sikich LLP CEO Jim Sikich said his accounting and consulting firm moves its corporate headquarters to 1415 W. Diehl Road, Naperville. He signed a 12-year lease. About 150 workers from the Aurora office will move to the new location this month. ... Deerfield-based Corptax CEO Dave Shea took home the Technology Services Industry Association Star Award for small company excellence in support services for the second consecutive year, along with two certified support staff excellence center certifications. ... Robert Friedberg of Glen Ellyn is the new chief operating officer for Delnor Hospital in Geneva. ... Tom Konopacki opened his second Anastazia store in Glen Ellyn.

Des Plaines-based American Society of Safety Engineers’ Women in Safety Engineering Common Interest Group honored Linda Rhodes of Chicago for “making a difference in the safety, health and environmental field.” She’s a safety manager for ComEd. ... Kenny Goldman and Jeff Goldman, co-CEOs of Discovery Clothing Co. Tuesday is opening a location at 1253 E. Golf Road in Schaumburg, with a new design concept. ... Justin Murray was named regional first-level supervisor of the year for his work as front-office supervisor at the Doubletree by Hilton in Oak Brook, while Chicago Marriott Oak Brook’s Roberta Spangler won regional administrative employee of the year, during the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association’s 2011 Stars of the Industry regional awards.

Winnetka resident Judy Castellini is the new chairwoman of the board of trustees of the Hadley School for the Blind. ... Lisle-based Gladson CEO Sue Sentell and her team are donating a variety of food products to a number of suburban food pantries and charities. On Dec. 9, they’re organizing a wrap-and-distribute event to Giant Steps in Lisle, Toys for Tots, and the Holiday Shoppe of the Family Shelter Service in Downers Grove. They’re also adopting two families through the Lisle Township Holiday program. ... David Rubin of Skokie is the new senior managing director of capital markets at MB Financial Bank.

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