2015 Dinner Honoree

De La Salle Collegiate High School is pleased to announce the selection of Mr. Thom Lipari as the Honoree for the 34th Annual Christian Brothers’ Dinner. In naming Lipari as the Christian Brothers’ Dinner Honoree, DLS President Br. Tom Lackey said, “Thom showed tremendous leadership on the Board of Trustees. He and his wife Connie have been outstanding supporters of Catholic education.” Thom got involved with De La Salle after his sons - Jimmy (‘01), Chris (‘02), and Matt (‘05) - had graduated because of his belief in parochial education. “The big difference seems to be the character building in parochial schools. When the boys come out of De La Salle they have learned things you don’t learn from textbooks. To me that’s the big value. As corny as ‘Builders of Boys, Makers of Men’ may be to some people, it really says it to me. When you go out into the workforce, it’s amazing how many successful people have had a parochial education.” Thom is a 1968 graduate of Harper Woods Notre Dame High School. Because of the uncertainty about Notre Dame’s future in the late 90’s, Thom and his wife Connie decided to send their sons to De La Salle. (Notre Dame closed in 2005). Thom was invited to join the DLS Board of Trustees in 2007, and served two, three-year terms, before going off the Board in 2013. While on the Board, Thom served on the Finance and Properties Committees.

Building a Successful Business

After high school, Thom attended Oakland University, pursuing engineering studies, and some business classes. “But I decided I didn’t want to be in an office. I talked my dad into letting me come into the business he had started in 1963.” As just the fourth employee, in 1971, Thom joined a limited operation that made and delivered barbecue sauce. His grandfather would make five gallons of barbecue sauce at a time, and “put together maybe five or six cases a day.” Thom drove an old station wagon to make deliveries - a car that represented the entire “fleet.”

Brother Tom presents Thom Lipari with his award.

Thom says his father Jim wanted to be in the food manufacturing business, and had acquired various pieces of equipment, including a big hundred-gallon tank. Thom thought, “I can’t sit here all day long, and so I took the tank, and hooked it up with some tubing, and was able to put together 200 cases in one week.” During the 1970’s, Tom’s father bought a 3,000 square foot building on 9 Mile, near Jefferson, that included coolers. “That made a difference. At the time, we didn’t sell anything that had to be refrigerated. But a couple years later, we started buying hams and cheeses and got into the deli business.” Today, Thom is President and CEO of Lipari Foods, with nine divisions. Over the years, he worked in every department in order to learn all aspects of the company’s operations. Lipari Foods has nearly 900 employees, and carries 12,000 products; with two recent acquisitions, in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, Lipari will have 1,000 employees and nearly 16,000 products that range from food to packaging materials. The company’s headquarters is in Warren, just over

Mr. Thomas Lipari

a Category Sales Manager in Chicago. Thom’s married daughters, who are Regina graduates with young families, work part-time. Laura is in Marketing, while Lisa is in Human Resources.

“My goal is to get them (his children) a good solid resume, whether they stay or go.” The family gets together frequently. “We’re able Lisa and James Lipari, daughter Laura Liras, Tom and Connie Lipari, Matt Lipari and to spend quality time his fiancee Casey Cottrell, and daughter Lisa Vandevord and her husband Jason. together because we’re a mile south of De La Salle. The other eight hours a day. Most family 550,000 square foot site includes a “My hope is that businesses are tough. Growing up, that’s huge warehouse. Each day, 170 salespeople all over the Midwest meet face-to-face with store owners, and send orders to De La Salle will be there for decades, continuing to serve all that we talked about at the dinner table. Connie and I made the deliberate decision to keep the business and family separate.” Lipari’s main office. Lipari trucks the community The Value of De La Salle travel through the night, makand continuing to Thom’s vision for the school is to “keep ing next day deliveries. “What is make a difference offering to the next generation what my ordered today gets delivered tomor row,” Thom says. “This is really a in people’s lives.” boys were able to gain from De La Salle. If it isn’t for people doing stuff today, logistics business. We operate in a people ten to fifteen years from now are tight window.” not going to benefit. My hope is to make the school Thom says the centralized 24/5 operation is “a financially sound.” business model that works for us. It’s difficult to Because of their strong belief in parochial educamaintain several brick and mortar warehouses and tion, a few years ago Thom and Connie began fundhave all those items in every place. You can’t keep ing scholarships at both De La Salle and Regina. it fresh.” “The school has to help kids who can’t pay the Putting Family First Thom’s five children work at Lipari Foods. He says tuition. When they’re older, they can help the next generation.” they all asked to come into the business. “None He says, “De La Salle offers some real value to boys of them report to me. They report to my Vicefortunate enough to attend the school. My hope is Presidents.” Matt is in Accounting, while Jimmy is that the school will be there for decades, continuing in the Deli Division, meeting with manufacturers to serve the community and continuing to make a and vendors, and evaluating new items. Chris is difference in people’s lives.” not working with each