Alumni Business SPOTLIGHT

Piccolo Angolo

Pete

Migliorini ’90

Greenwich Village

In the heart of Greenwich Village lies the quaint Piccolo Angolo, a decades-old Italian restaurant founded by the family of Pete Migliorini ’90. Now the owner and head chef, Migliorini runs the restaurant with his sister.

His father, Renato, and uncle, Costanzo, the grandfather of Luca Evans ’23, immigrated to the United States from Italy with extensive restaurant experience. After owning and operating establishments in the Financial District, they opened Piccolo Angolo, fulfilling their lifelong dream of owning a restaurant in Greenwich Village.

The restaurant is known for such mouth-watering dishes as meatballs, lobster cannelloni, trofei al pesto, and chicken francese.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant persevered by shifting to takeout-only service before transitioning to outdoor seating and eventually back to indoor dining. Despite the challenges, the restaurant managed to stay open and continue serving its loyal customers.

After three decades in business, the Italian restaurant continues to thrive—a testament to the family’s passion and dedication to serving the community.

Zozimus

Tom Lee ’92 Boston

Tommy Lee and his partners founded 451 Marketing in 2004, seeking to create a client-centric agency that anticipates and responds to changing consumer behavior. The team recognized the need to stay ahead of the curve and drew inspiration from Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, reflected in their original name.

They later rebranded as Zozimus, inspired by Roald Dahl’s made-up word in The Big Friendly Giant. It’s the stuff dreams are made of.

Zozimus is a data-driven digital marketing agency that blends creative, science and technology in a way that enables the agency to be more efficient and impactful over shorter periods of time, while yielding dramatically higher results for its clients. ensured that their customers had access to the products they needed to keep food on the shelves. Despite a significant downturn in business during the initial days of the pandemic, they managed to retain all of their employees and went above and beyond to keep their ship afloat.

Zozimus helps its clients build brands and campaigns that make people feel something, building loyalty and driving them to action. The team does it with an understanding of how to build a brand, make it stick in people’s minds, and remain relevant so that its clients are there when their audiences need them.

LareDiaz

Dennis Vargas ’84 and Eric Diaz

Philadelphia and New York City

In 1886, brothers Simon Clavin, who owned a livery business of horse drawn carriages, and Michael Clavin, who owned an undertaking business, formed Clavin Funeral Home.

A. Oliveri & Sons, Inc., a multi-generational family business, has been a staple in the food industry since its founding more than a century ago. The DePalma family’s involvement began in 1965, and today they are the sole owners of the business.

A. Oliveri and Sons specializes in the provision of flour and a variety of other ingredients to bakeries, pastry shops, pasta manufacturers, bagel stores, brick oven pizzerias and juice and smoothie locations throughout the Tri-State region, Philadelphia, and Scranton. They take pride in their service to loyal customers of up to 60 years.

The family is heavily involved in the day-to-day running of the business, with Sciancalepore overseeing the operations and logistics and Nick coordinating sales and marketing. Nick’s father, Ignatius, steers the ship from a supervisory position.

As with most family-owned businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic presented its share of obstacles. Despite the challenges, Oliveri & Sons remained operational and

Dennis Vargas ’84 and Eric Diaz ’84 Dennis Vargas and Eric Diaz became friends at Xavier but lost touch after graduating. In 2004, the two reconnected through the Xavier alumni network. Since then, they have been a constant source of support and camaraderie for each other.

Diaz recognized an unmet need in the Latino business community—access to resources and information to start or grow a business, purchase or lease property, and secure financing. In response in 2016, he established LareDiaz—a commercial real estate and finance law firm dedicated to bridging the gap that separates Latino entrepreneurs and small businesses from the information they need to succeed in the Philadelphia and New York City metro areas. Vargas joined the team soon after.

LareDiaz’s practice includes commercial real estate acquisition, disposition, leasing, and debt and equity finance. The company provides direct, practical solutions to accomplish business goals by bringing the experience and a network of professionals Diaz has developed over 20 years to get the deal done.

Together, with the growing LareDiaz team, their vision and mission is to bring fresh ideas informed by decades of experience to the business people they serve through a nationwide network of interconnected law offices to enable them to achieve their business goals.

Matthew Clavin ’04 and Stephen Clavin ’08 carry on the family legacy as the fifth generation of Clavins to run the funeral home in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Their services extend to funeral arrangements held in churches, houses of worship, and within the funeral home itself.

As caretakers of a somber and unpredictable profession, the two are always prepared to lend a helping hand to those in need—especially during the most unprecedented times.

Throughout the pandemic, like most funeral professionals, the Clavins found themselves grappling with the risk of endangering themselves during the limited gatherings they hosted. Despite this, they pushed themselves to their limits as the death toll soared and as they were forced to adapt swiftly to evolving circumstances for eight long months.

With their attention required 24/7, the two recognized they were stronger together. Exhaustion was a great concern, so the two did their best to give each other time off from the funeral home to spend time with family and clear their heads.

The Clavins recognize the emotional toll their work can have on grieving families and make it their priority to stay grounded and focused to provide the most effective support possible. Ultimately, their dedication and presence make a meaningful difference in the lives of those they serve.