PPB June 2015

CLOSE UP

T’S HARD NOT TO NOTICE how quickly time can

pass when your company produces image-personal-

ized calendars for the promotional products industry.

But despite the page-turning reminder, Frank Defino, Jr.

manages to keep his work and his life in balance, making

sure he makes time for family—the father of three young

women believes time together can leave a lasting

impression as much as any personalized calendar.

“When you’re running a business, it’s hard to find

time to take a vacation, but we do find the time,” says

Defino, who serves as vice president and partner for

supplier Tukaiz, LLC (UPIC: Tukaiz) in Franklin Park,

Illinois. “I think it’s important because the kids will

always remember the vacations they took. To me that’s

the most memorable and meaningful.”

The sometime songwriter and band member who

lives in Carol Stream, Illinois, shares a love of music with

his wife, Chris; and daughters Jess, 23; Maddie, 21; and

Lily, 18. “Our family is very musical, so we like to attend

musical events or sometimes we’ll go to movies and

shows that express our love for the arts,” he says.

What was your first job, and what lessons did you learn?

first job was playing in lounges with a band when I was 16

years old. I had a band and we were together for our teens and

early twenties; it was called the Second Generation, and we

used to go to school during

the day and play at night. We

would play five nights a week

at a club, do our homework on

breaks, then go back onstage

and entertain the audience,

and do it all over again the

next night and the next.

Doing that and growing up at

that age taught me a lot of

discipline and perseverance. I

was doing something I loved;

we were making music and

people were getting enjoyment

in it. I still play to this day, with a group of guys.

What was your first job in promotional products?

We began

making these amazing image-personalized calendars [at

Tukaiz]. The funny story is, we’re now in business 52 years, but

when we saw the technology (in Europe) we helped work on it

and develop it for use in the U.S. We first sent it to our cus-

tomers as a Christmas gift, but we started getting calls from

people asking if they could purchase them. So we decided to

create a division that sells just to distributors to broaden our

reach. We were the first ones to introduce image-personalized

calendars into the promotional products industry.

What motivates you in business and in life?

As far as in business

goes, it would have to be absolutely loving what I do and uphold-

ing the reputation of our company, and making sure that we’re

pleasing others. In life, it’s very similar. Being a good father, being

a good husband, being a contributor is something I feel is really

important; once you reach a certain age in your life, things con-

tinually change. Where I’m at now, it’s really all about family.

What is your greatest professional accomplishment?

I would

say owning my business with my partners, who are also my fam-

ily. We own our own business but it’s a five-way partnership—I

own it with my father, brothers and brother-in-law. Having what

we have is really special because many corporations are looking

for companies that are big enough to get the job done but small

enough to give people the customer service they deserve, which

is what you might expect from a family-owned business.

What advice would you give to an industry newcomer?

would tell them to be a sponge, to be patient and to listen. So

many people who come into the business are usually very

young. These days you’re told you have to go to a great school

so you can get a great degree so you can get a great job. Right

away they come out of college and want to make gobs and

gobs of money because they think they deserve it, because

that’s what they’ve been told. But those who will truly succeed

are those who are patient, who listen, and who work hard first.

If you work hard first, the money will follow.

86 •

PPB

• JUNE 2015

CONNECT

Frank Defino, Jr.

Rhythm Of Life

WHETHER IT’S IN THE FAMILY BUSINESS OR THE BUSINESS OF FAMILY, FRANK DEFINO, JR.

KEEPS PERFECT TIME.

BY JEN ALEXANDER