Renzi: Regional businesses must stick together

POWER IN NUMBERS: Beyondus marketeer says answer to economic prosperity is simple.

By Michele DeLuca

michele.deluca@niagara-gazette.com

Youngstown marketer Alesandro Renzi was in the third grade when he moved to America from Italy.

Renzi, owner of Beyondus, Inc. a Youngstown based marketing communication company, was born in Milan. His family moved to Youngstown in 1984 when his father took a job with a company that makes pharmaceutical machinery.

“It was quite the adventure,” he said of his early days in this country, recalling the wonderful nuns at his Catholic school who eagerly spoke Italian to him with a Sicilian dialect he often did not understand.

Renzi has clearly adapted well to life in the U.S.A. Most recently he was honored by the Town of Niagara Business Association as Business Person of the Year for his contributions to the economic climate. Most recently, his contributions included directing the annual Niagara Expo in October at the Conference Center of Niagara.Recently, Renzi took some time to answer a few questions about his professional and volunteer efforts in the region.

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QUESTIONS: OK, I know we’re here to talk business, but one more question about Italy. What’s the most striking difference between the Italian Americans in this country and those in the part of Italy where you came from?

ANSWER: Everything. The first time I had Alfredo Sauce was here in the U.S. I'd never had spaghetti with meatballs. I never thought a meatball would go with spaghetti. We had spaghetti with sauce but not with meatballs. Because we were up north we had a lot of soups ... we didn't necessarily have pasta everyday.

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Q: How did you meet your wife, Karen?

A: We went to high school together, Lewiston-Porter. There is this joke around our house that I thought she was gorgeous but I never wanted to date her in high school because my family likes to vacation in warmer climates and if I ever took her on a vacation she is so fair skinned she would turn into a red light. Spring break she came back completely tan. That just goes to show you ... We were married in 2001.

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Q: I know you both worked for a time in Boston. What brought you back to this region.

A: We had a daughter in 2003, Isabella, and then at that point we realized that we really wanted our daughter to be around her grandparents and aunts and uncles.

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Q: So you brought your company to this area. How’s that been going for you?

A: I would say our core business is online marketing . also the new social market, which they call inbound marketing, such as Facebook and Twitter and all that stuff.

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Q: You’ve also been very active in nurturing the business climate in the region, which is why you got the award. How did that make you feel?

A: It’s one of those things, I didn’t expect it. I just kind of put my head down and go full speed ahead. Someone says, ‘hey, great job,’ and I say, ‘Oh, really?’

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Q: What do you think of business here compared to Boston?

A: The first thing I noticed right off the bat when we moved here is there is this mentality of “my territory.” When the economy is not kind to you, you have to think more regionally. You have to think, ‘how can we work in a bigger group to make things better for all of us?”

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Q: So, how do you do that in your own work?

A: I became a board member of The Lower Niagara River Region, Niagara USA Chamber and a board member of the Town of Niagara Business and Professional Association. The idea was to get in touch with other business owners, to understand the business community and also have a great direct knowledge of the political system in the area.

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Q: So you joined three different business groups?

A: The idea is that we have to work as a region ... If you choose one direction and go together you’re going to go there quicker and be stronger.

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Q: I know you’ve been leading the Niagara Business and Professional Association’s Niagara Expo. How did that go this year?

A: Well, we only had 31 exhibitors. That shows there’s a lot of work left do. (Laughs) But it was definitely the first step. The whole concept is to have a platform where all business in Western New York and Southern Ontario could use the expo to promote their business.

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Q: Kind of a networking thing?

A: I don’t know how many times I hear people telling me things like, ‘I wanted to get this special plaque and I found a store in Pennsylvania to do it for me.’ I want to tell them there are three stores in the area that could have done that.

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Q: Anything else you think people should know about the business climate in the region?

A: The one thing I’ve endlessly been asking the politicians and different organizations is how can New York state create incentive for new business ... not necessarily the large companies ... we should stimulate small businesses and start ups. That’s how we’re going to keep your young generation. They are the ones who will be paying taxes in a few years. I still haven't heard a good answer from anybody.

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Q: So what is the answer?

A: The answer is simple, create tax incentive for people to start up a business here. I actually want to hear from the people who have control to make that happen.

Contact reporter Michele DeLucaat 282-2311, ext. 2263.