Glenview Chamber Celebrates Family Businesses

The following story was provided by the Glenview Chamber of Commerce

Harry Omartian would head out at all hours of the day and night to open locks that let Glenview residents into their houses and cars.

“I was always on emergency call,” he recalled of the locksmith business he started 42 years ago. 

Today Omartian’s son, Darren, runs AAA Lock and Key, which has been located at 1232 Waukegan Road since 1975.

The father-and-son Omartians are among the more than 30 multi-generational family businesses that will be honored December 6, when the Glenview Chamber of Commerce recognizes them together as a category as 2012 Business of the Year.

Siblings, parents and children for two, three and even four generations have been the driving forces behind businesses throughout Glenview.

Landscape contractor Tracy Bertog started his business as a teenager. “I bought our first dump truck four days before I turned 16 and picked it up on my 16th birthday after I passed my drivers exam,” he said.

He was later joined in the Bertog Landscape Company by his brothers, Steve and Bob, his wife, Laura, and son, RJ.

Daughter Rosa Aiello works with her mother, Cenzina, at Cenzina’s Bridal and Boutique. The third generation of the Doetsch family helps run the real estate business.

Other families behind businesses that are participating include: the Masterson/Hebson/Blair families of Hackney’s restaurants; the Carlsons at Carlson Heating Cooling and Electric; the Jennings family that operate Chevrolet and Volkswagen dealerships; and the Abts, owners of retail giant Abt Electronics.

Attendees of the Chamber’s December 6 “Family Affair” celebration and Holiday Party will receive a book that features the families’ business histories and pictures. A video created by Glenbrook South High School about the family businesses will be shown.

The Holiday Party takes place December 6 at Valley Lo Club, 2200 Tanglewood Drive, with dinner at 6 p.m. followed by the awards ceremony at 7 p.m. Tickets are $60 per person.

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About the Glenview Chamber of Commerce 

Founded in 1923, we are a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to enhancing the interest of businesses, providing opportunities for networking and access to valuable resources. We are an advocate in promoting and maintaining a strong sense of support and pride in our community. For more information, visit www.GlenviewChamber.com or call (847) 724-0900.