3 minute read
HELPING OTHERS Joseph Petralia
JOSEPH R. PETRALIA
BY DARA RENNART
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Integrity. Intellect. Dedication. The characteristics that direct Joe in every aspect of life. Born to loving parents in Gates, he has spent his life in the Greater Rochester region. After graduating Gates-Chili High School, he attended Monroe Community College and transitioned to Saint John Fisher, where he earned a Master of Business Administration, with a concentration in Finance. His knack for numbers often leads to “ Joe vs. Calculator” speed games, at which technology is put to shame.
Fueled by a passion for helping people, Joe has chosen a career where he is in a position to help hundreds of families per year obtain their dream of homeownership. As a senior loan officer at Genesee Regional Bank, Joe takes pride in educating all clients on their loan options and provides a detailed evaluation for each scenario. Joes’ attention to detail has earned him a reputation for being an expert with first time buyers, and he ranked #1 in New York State for helping first time buyers obtain state grants in 2019. Joe has just completed his seventh year at GRB and looks forward to many more years at the bank.
Through a successful career in mortgage lending, Joe has found avenues to fire up his entrepreneurial spirit. In 2017, the opportunity to purchase Rita’s Italian Ice and Custard presented itself and Joe jumped. His philosophy was “It’s Italian ice and I’m Italian, so it’s got to be a good match!” Joe purchased a distressed business, that with the injection of love and attention, has become a successful business that employs 14 people and once again become an integral part of the community. Known for being an establishment that offers a variety of frozen treats that often meet the dietary restrictions
of many allergies. Rita’s is notorious for community donations and often hosts charitable fundraising nights in the store. With every year under his ownership, Rita’s has become more engrossed in the community and has grown new corporate relationships. Within the store, Joe’s specialty are the custard cookies. While revamping Rita’s, Joe simultaneously started a healthy vending business called Petralia Vending. It is a family run business with machines located in various children’s’ centers, office buildings and fitness centers. One thing is for sure, Joe is always interested in growing his business portfolio. There’s something new on the horizon, but he can’t share the details yet!
Over the last 8 years of mortgage lending, Joe has helped hundreds of people navigate a complicated lending process. His heart and compassion are evident in every conversation. Joe’s heart has also enabled him to make generous donations to local charities, both with a donation of time and money.
Joe began his charitable donation of time in 2013 with a 500 bike ride (old school bicycle, no motor) to Boston in order to fundraise for the Golisano Children’s Hospital.
The following year, he rode for the same cause to Cincinnati, and then to Washington DC. Today,
Joe sits on the board of directors for Farley’s Friends, where the organization fundraises for a variety of causes and organizations that span worldwide.
Joe is also a huge animal lover and has fostered many dogs over the years. Some of the fostering has led to a fostering fail, resulting in the adoption of 2 dogs. Penny, a redbone coonhound, is the true love of Joe’s life. She’s a feisty 5 year old that is known by neighbors as the escape
artist. Marco, a 3 year old yellow lab, is the proverbial little brother and takes joy in annoying Penny on an hourly basis. Both pups are spoiled with love and treats. and traveling. These are actual hobbies, not a dating site description. Joe has been in a long term relationship with his girlfriend, Dara, and has promised an engagement sometime prior to 2042. On a serious note, Joe feels blessed to have a best friend and partner in crime by his side. He may consider bumping-up the engagement by a decade.
