Informally, referred to as JOEY, I am fourth generation all things Realestate. The family business was started in 1906 by my great-grandfather, an immigrant from Sicily, Italy — the OG JOSEPH CACCIATORE of our family. His first job, in the foreign place he would now call home, was working as a milk man. Utilizing the daily conversations with his customers, he founded a profitable business from scratch — JOS. CACCIATORE & CO. — that would create new opportunities for his family and generations to come.
Fast forward to December 16, 1985 — I became the third Joseph — Joseph Victor Cacciatore — in our family. For as long as my memory serves, I have lived and breathed Realestate. Having the privilege of a front row seat to the trades of the business, I gained firsthand knowledge from the generations before me. It came to no surprise that I would pursue my own career in the same field. The first endeavor in the family business was working as a teller at Lakeside Bank during summer breaks from school.
For over half a century, LAKESIDE Bank — family owned & operated — has grown community-by-community. By nurturing and remaining loyal to the businesses and consumers in our neighborhoods. Beginning in 1966 in the South Loop, we now have ten branches and assets over $2.4 billion. We’ve grown carefully and responsibly, one client, one neighborhood, at a time. I took the same approach, though not in the most traditional sense, when it came time to pursuing my own dreams.
In 2009, I approached my father, Joseph, and grandfather, Victor, with an idea to develop a long-time family owned property located in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. Established in 1897, this expansive 250,000 square-foot property was once the world’s largest macaroni factory. Standing 5 stories tall, composed of Chicago Commons, framed by classical elements and limestone plaques bearing the inscription “Viviano Brothers Macaroni Company / Founded 1900”, it features open spaces with pillars, long hallways, and the birthplace of my first development, LACUNA — an unfilled space.
A decade later, the quarter of a million square feet space, was no longer unfilled. What was once a booming factory, is now a melting pot of office space that feels like anything but an office. Renovated and reimagined with modern amenities, all while maintaining the original structure and character. It currently houses over 100 Chicago businesses rooted in the arts, technology, service and non-profit sectors. Lacuna also serves as a top wedding venue in the city, having hosted thousands of events ranging from concerts, art exhibitions, yearly corporate events for Fortune 500 companies around the world, and production sites for VH1 and other alike entertainment media companies.
In 2019, I successfully sold the development to AMERITUS and resumed the embarkment of building my own legacy that will create the same opportunities for my family, as the men before me have. On October 5, 2021 my wife, Greta, and I welcomed our daughter, Gemma — my proudest creation.
