Thursday, May 14, 2026

Geno Randazzo Named Grand Marshal of 2026 Patriot’s Day Parade on Archer

Hailed as the gold standard of giving by the Midway Chamber of Commerce leaders

By Tim Hadac
Southwest Chicago Post


A Southwest Side business leader best known for serving others has himself just been served with an honor by the Midway Chamber of Commerce.

Geno Randazzo of All Exterior Contractors will serve as grand marshal of the MCC’s 2026 Patriot’s Day Parade, set for Thursday, June 25.

The parade is set to step off at 7 p.m. at Archer and Parkside, heading west to Kennedy High School, where it will disband.

“This is quite an honor for me. It’s humbling, and I’m grateful,” Randazzo said. “Especially in the year in which we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence—this has a great deal of meaning for me.”

Best known as a highly successful roofer who has repaired/replaced roofs on nearly 500 homes and businesses in the Midway area, Randazzo has expanded his business in recent years to include interior remodeling—everything from the smallest repairs to whole-house restorations after fires and floods.

But beyond his success as a one-stop shopping resource for everything relating to exteriors and interiors of homes and businesses, Randazzo has earned quite a bit of respect and admiration for his support of local schools, churches, veterans’ posts, senior citizen clubs, Scout troops, Little Leagues and other youth athletic associations, and police and fire causes.

Several years ago, he founded the Midway Cool Kids Club, a social group designed to help build the self-esteem of boys and girls with disabilities.

Randazzo also is known for purchasing and distributing meals to local senior citizens who are alone on Thanksgiving or Christmas.

In all his charitable giving and community service, he has been joined by his wife and business partner, Margarita.
Geno and Margarita Randazzo



“Geno is incredibly deserving of this honor because he has spent years consistently showing up for our community, often quietly and without expecting recognition,” Midway Chamber of Commerce President Mary Ellen Brown said. “Whether helping launch events like the Back to School event, supporting projects such as the Veterans Triangle, collaborating with local businesses or stepping forward when a neighbor is facing hardship, Geno never hesitates to help.

“He is a true friend to the community, someone people know they can count on, and this honor is a wonderful way to recognize the many ways he has served others over the years.”
Randazzo is well known for helping others in need.


MCC Board of Directors member Al Cacciottolo also weighed in.

“It’s nearly impossible to overstate the positive impact on the Midway area that Geno has had over the years,” Cacciottolo said. “Geno is a businessman with a heart. He gives and gives and gives. In that regard, he’s the gold standard in our local community; and by naming him grand marshal the Chamber salutes him and also hopes that other business owners follow his example.”

The same day the grand marshal accolade was announced, Randazzo said he wanted to share the spotlight with others.
Geno (center) with Mary Ellen Brown and Al Cacciottolo

 
Specifically, he has chosen to salute the Midway area’s cancer survivors, as well as family and caregivers of cancer patients.

To that end, he has rented a double decker bus that will ride directly behind the grand marshal car. He plans to fill the bus with men, women and children whose lives have been affected by the disease.

“I know we all agree that cancer is so horrible,” he said. “Nobody deserves a break more than someone fighting cancer or whose loved one is fighting cancer. I want to use my role in the parade to help motivate people to donate their time and talents to cancer research and cancer-related charities.”

At his own expense, Randazzo is supplying 300 shirts for the cancer survivors or anyone wanting to walk in remembrance of a loved one. The bus is for those unable to walk the route, he added.

He also plans to have a digital mobile truck which has videos on both sides where Randazzo will be displaying a slide show of photos from the survivors/victims of cancer.
Geno and his mother, Gail.


“I just really want them all to know they are not alone throughout this battle,” he said. “I will be ordering shirts for them and need sizes and quantity for their party”

Those interested in participating with Randazzo are encouraged to click this link: https://www.facebook.com/share/18WVo2taS5/.



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Thursday, May 7, 2026

Four Years Later, and Brighter Than Ever

Giana Pope's Color Wheel Purple Teeth Whitener Used, Enjoyed by Thousands

By Tim Hadac
Southwest Chicago Post

Her life is brighter than ever, as are the smiles she makes happen.

Giana Pope, first profiled by the Southwest Chicago Post as a single young businesswoman in 2022, is in 2026 a wife and mother.

Giana Pope

And just as her personal life has thrived, so too has her business—Color Wheel Products. Her signature product, Color Wheel Purple Teeth Whitener, has gone from local to nationwide and even international distribution.

“Being a wife and a mother gives me more purpose. [My business] is now something more than, ‘Oh this is cool,’” she says. “Plus, having a partner to do this with makes the business more exciting.”

Giana, a hair stylist by training, still owns a salon in downtown Elmhurst.

“I’m still there part of the time,” she adds, “but more often I am at home in my pajamas, filling orders [for Color Wheel Purple Teeth Whitener], and that’s nice.”



Original SWCP story from 2022:

By Joan Hadac
Editor and Publisher
Southwest Chicago Post


So, your big day is coming up, and you want to look your absolute best.

Maybe it’s a wedding. Perhaps a family photo shoot. Maybe it’s a prom or quinceañera or some other festive occasion—or perhaps it’s just a first date and you want to make a “Wow!” impression.

You know the importance of a good smile, but perhaps you don’t have the time or the money for a full whitening treatment at a cosmetic dentist’s office. That can often run $1,000 or more.

So, now there’s a solution, thanks to a smart, enterprising young beautician who understands how one color can change the appearance of another.

The Color Wheel Purple Teeth Whitener may be the game-changer so many people have been looking for.

“As a hair stylist by trade, I mix colors every day to give both men and women the desired look and color of their choosing,” says Color Wheel Purple Teeth Whitener inventor Giana Randazzo. “One day, while working at the salon, the idea that hair and teeth are both made up of similar protein popped in my head. My thought was, ‘If I can remove yellow tones while coloring hair using purple or violet shampoos and toners, why can’t I do the same with teeth?’ A few months later, Color Wheel Purple Teeth Whitener was born and the best thing about this product, it works instantly!”

But how can something that’s purple make teeth appear whiter?
Fairly simple. Giana says, if you recall what you learned in science class in your school days. According to the color wheel invented by Sir Isaac Newton, purple “cancels” the color yellow and makes it appear white.

It’s just that easy.

So, when you apply the Color Wheel Purple Teeth Whitener toothpaste to your not-so-white teeth, you get an instant result of icy white teeth.

Using your fingers, simply dab the toothpaste directly onto your teeth and then wipe most of it away.

The whitening effects last for hours.

Color Wheel Purple Teeth Whitener is safe and easy to use. It includes color additives that have been around for years. They are used in commercial food productions and non-food applications such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals--and now, toothpaste. Also, this product is non-abrasive and does not eat away the tooth enamel. It is designed specifically to clean the outer surface of your teeth.

Color Wheel Purple Teeth Whitener is not available in stores. A single 4-ounce tube sells online for just $34. Tubes are also sold in bulk for salons and other businesses.

For details, visit colorwheelproducts.com.


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Friday, May 1, 2026

The Card That’s a Win-Win-Win

Community Savings Card offers value to customers, neighborhood groups, businesses


By Tim Hadac
Southwest Chicago Post

The Community Savings Card, which debuts this month, is a win-win-win for the greater Midway area, according to All Exterior Contractors’ Geno Randazzo, the driving force behind the new initiative.

“I want to do my part to not only encourage people to think about shopping locally, but actually go out and do it on an everyday basis,” Randazzo says. “The Community Savings Card does exactly that.”

How it works:

• Buy a Community Savings Card for $10, which opens the door to literally hundreds of dollars in discounts—good through December 31--at local restaurants, pizzerias, home maintenance and improvement, pet grooming, gift shops, limousine rentals and more.

• Midway-area businesses benefit by seeing new customers.

• Community groups that sell the cards (such as school PTOs, churches, Scout troops, veterans posts, Little Leagues and other youth athletic associations) keep 100% of everything they sell—an almost unheard-of deal for local non-profits.

Randazzo says his lightbulb moment came earlier this year.

“I’ve always supported local fundraisers for neighborhood groups, but I’ve never liked seeing them put forth so much energy to get so little in return,” he says. “Like, they get only 10 cents on the dollar or even less.

“The Community Savings Card changes all that by offering a 100% benefit for schools, churches, veterans’ groups, youth groups and others. These groups deserve a break, and that’s what we’re offering.”

Randazzo adds that the card is a way for the community to keep its dollars circulating right here at home.

“Our local businesses provide jobs for local men, women and teenagers—and they pay taxes,” he says. “Anything I can do to encourage shopping right here at home—rather than elsewhere—I’ll gladly do.”

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Thursday, April 9, 2026

He's a Man to Look Up To

Emiliano Escutia named Daley College salutatorian

Story by Veronica Resa/City Colleges of Chicago
Photo credit: Garcia & Rodriguez/City Colleges of Chicago

Emiliano Escutia never imagined he would be named Richard J. Daley College’s salutatorian.

“I got a call from our college president, and I was super shocked—and excited,” he recalls. Graduation is set for Saturday, May 2.
Emiliano Escutia


Emiliano explains that figuring out how to go to college and what to study didn’t come easy for him because he didn’t have anyone to show him the way.

As the eldest of three children in his family—with a nine-year-old sister looking up to him—he carried that reality every day. Now graduating with an Associate Degree in General Studies, Emiliano reflects, “I’m building a path for my siblings. I want to be an example for them and prove to myself that I can move forward.”
 
Staying close to home while going to college mattered, too. Emiliano is an alumnus of both Hancock College Prep and Hurley Elementary School.


“Location was important. I have family responsibilities.”

Like many of his friends, he chose a college that made sense financially and had the courses he needed to explore his career options. “I would recommend [Richard J. Daley College] for affordability. And there, you have more time to figure out what you want to do.”
 
But what stood out most to him while at Daley wasn’t just the classes, it was the people. “I really love my advisor and transfer team. They made the process easy and crystal clear for me.”
Emiliano Escutia


That guidance has helped him begin planning his next step: transferring to a university like Illinois Tech and U of I Chicago. He plans to pursue a four-year degree in computer science.
 
Emiliano is working toward a future and a four-year degree in Computer Science, with a strong interest in areas like data analytics.

While earning his associate degree and through an add-on educational program with Discovery Partners Institute (DPI), a City Colleges partner, he was able to stay focused and aligned with his STEM career goals. The experience strengthened the mindset he carries forward today: “Keep on going,” he says firmly. “Yes, it will be difficult at times, but just keep at it.”

 
 
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Friday, March 20, 2026

Small-Town Support for a Sweet Little Girl in Need

St. Sym’s Girl Scouts Sell Cookies to Neighbors Hungry to Help Estelle

Opinion
By Tim Hadac
Southwest Chicago Post


When people smile and describe Southwest Side neighborhoods as small towns in a big city, they may be thinking about a sweet little girl named Estelle.

Estelle at a GS cookie sale.
Six-year-old Estelle is a student at Dore Elementary School. She is one of just six girls in Daisy Troop 25597, a new Girl Scout troop in Clearing, where Estelle lives with her mom and dad, Bettie and Steven. The troop is led by Bettie, along with Melinda Tomasewski, mother of Estelle’s friend, Penny.

Daises are the youngest of all Girl Scouts—so Estelle and the others were excitedly looking forward to selling Girl Scout cookies for the first time through their new troop.

They were hoping to sell hundreds of boxes of Thin Mints, Samoas, Do-si-dos, Trefoils and other varieties (including Estelle’s favorite, Lemon-Ups), which would entitle them to go on a lakefront boat cruise this summer.

But for a tiny troop of Daisies, selling hundreds of boxes of cookies was a tall order, if not an impossibility.

That is, until their big sisters stepped up and stepped in.

Girl Scout Troop 26186, based out of St. Symphorosa School, is almost nine times larger than Daisy Troop 25597. The St. Sym’s unit includes girls from kindergarten through freshman year of high school. It’s a strong, active troop with good adult leadership.

Here’s where the Clearing neighborhood showed its small-town character.

When the St. Sym’s troop and its leaders heard that Estelle has been fighting Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia since last November, they swung into action, no questions asked.

They decided they’d donate 100% of the credit from their Sunday, March 1 cookie sale (held outside Fair Share Finer Foods, 63rd and Narragansett) to Estelle and Daisy Troop 25597.

They predicted they’d sell a couple hundred boxes, which could be added to Estelle’s total—hopefully bringing her close to the 500-box sales goal she’d need to hit to earn a Cookie Cruise ticket.

Turns out the St. Sym’s girls were a bit modest in their prediction. Business was brisk, with men, women and children (including firefighters from the CFD house at 56th and Narragansett) hungry to help.

By afternoon’s end, they sold 596 boxes—far more than what Estelle needs. The remainder will be credited to Daisy Troop 25597 in the hope that at least one other girl can enjoy the Cookie Cruise with Estelle.

“[Selling Girl Scout cookies on behalf of Estelle] was an easy decision,” GS Troop 26186 leader Karen Kielbasa says. “This was a good thing for our girls to do, to live the Girl Scout Law.
Daisy Scouts Sofia, Estelle and Penny


“Our troop has been so lucky to have the support of this neighborhood in recent years,” she adds. “It’s a privilege for us to support others in need.”

Those who missed the March 1 sale at Fair Share, but who still want to buy Girl Scout cookies to help Estelle and her troop are advised to click this link and order/pay online: https://digitalcookie.girlscouts.org/scout/troop25597c430?fpkp=1.

The good deed the St. Sym’s Girl Scouts have done is part of a larger and “awesome” amount of support the community has shown for Estelle, Bettie says—everyone from family, friends, neighbors and the staff at Lurie Children’s Hospital, as well as Estelle’s classmates and teachers—one of whom, Samantha Villa, even shaved her head as Estelle’s was, in a touching show of solidarity and love.
Estelle and teacher Samantha Villa.


“We continue to ask for prayers and all the love and healing vibes from everyone, it’s working!” Bettie wrote in a recent Facebook post. “We are so thankful for all the love and support so many shower on us all, especially Estelle.”

Folks who may not want to buy cookies but who want to help Bettie and Steven with the inevitable mountain of medical bills are advised to click this GoFundMe link: https://gofund.me/ec3da702d.


Estelle and her mom, Bettie.






















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