Where did you grow up and go to school?
I grew up in Norridge. I went to Holy Cross High School, and then Loyola University. I played hockey for Holy Cross, and played hockey for Loyola.
How did you begin working for your dad, who owned Venus Travel Inc.?
I started working for my dad in the late 1970’s after school, coming from Holy Cross. It was wonderful growing up in Norridge, and then working for my dad.
Tell me about Vincenzo Conenna’s story.
He came in 1948 from Bari, Italy. It’s the Puglia region of Italy. He started his career in banking for a company called Mid City National Bank, which eventually became MB Financial. Being an Italian immigrant, he knew a lot of Italians. If a family needed to travel to Italy, he would find an agency to get there. So, he went to open up a small office by himself at night. He would do Italian legal documents for people who were coming from Italy. In 1968, he became the Vice President of the bank. By then, he made a major decision. In 1968, he decided to open up Venus Travel Inc. He decided to leave banking.
How did he open up Venus Travel Inc.?
He was just going to do this on the side. He always wanted his own travel agency. He came home one day and told my mother he was leaving the bank for good. He loved having his own business. I was 8 years old. My mother cried her eyes out. She said, “What if this doesn’t succeed?”
How did you get the name Venus Travel Inc.?
We drew names out of a hat. A friend of the family picked the name Venus.
When did he open up Venus Travel Inc.?
He opened it up Dec. 1, 1968, at 7418 W. Belmont Ave., where I’m sitting right now. We’ve had a 50 year run.
What kind of services does the agency offer?
The agency reinvented itself five or six times. We started out an Italian vacation agency. By the late 70’s, he became a big corporate agency where we going were [helping] big businesses [with their traveling]. At one time, my dad was able to pay five or six families out of his office. By the late 90’s, the travel business changed because the travel business decided they didn’t need us anymore. We went after more the vacation market, such as tours to Italy or Mexico. We reinvented ourselves, but we survived!
What kind of challenges has your business run into?
We survived commission cuts and we survived 9/11. The airports were closed! We went through a lot of things. We did see a lot in the 47 years that we’ve been here.
What does the future hold for the agency?
I’d like to keep it going. I’d love to keep it going for 50 more years. I never thought I’d work anywhere for 38 years, let alone with my dad.
How does being Italian American influence your business and work ethic?
I think it’s huge. My dad was a respected man in Mola di Bari by the community of his people. When I saw that first hand, he taught me a great work ethnic. By working at Venus, I was able to learn Italian. I’m really proud of the Italian heritage and the respect. If I had to describe the two of us, my dad is the legendary one, and in this new modern age, I’m the popular one. I’ve always felt like I lived this business in the shadow of my father, but it’s a great shadow to live through.
What kind of impact has Venus Travel Inc. made on the city of Chicago?
I’ll be at a wedding, a funeral, or a Cubs game, and someone will say to me, “You’re Vincenzo’s son! That place has been there forever on Belmont Ave.! We went there on our honeymoon in 1969, and I went there for my second honeymoon in 1990!”
How had your father influenced you in your life and career?
My dad gave me a life like no other. He gave me the greatest opportunity in the world. He told to be great to people, because they’ll respect you. He gave me a work ethic that I will never forget. He gave me a life that if I had to do it all over again, I’d do it in a New York moment. There are no words to thank my father.
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