Although he grew up watching movies like Wall Street and with the majority of his family being entrepreneurs, Carl Santagata never thought he would be going into the family business. I grew up with the fact that my whole family immigrated from Italy and they ve all been entrepreneurs, said Santagata, who is one of three owners and a third-generation operator and owner alongside his cousin, Anthony Verdone, at La-Vera Party Center in Willoughby Hills. We grew up knowing at some point we were going to have our own business. That s how we were bred.
Santagata s grandparents, Larry and Vera Gaudio, founded La-Vera s in 1956 after purchasing the building in 1952. One question that still arises is, How do you do it, Santagata said.