Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/101703
Nina & Bob BUILDING A GOURMET EMPIRE Mariano THE GREENGROCERS: BOB MARIANO, chairman, CEO and president of Roundy's Supermarkets and founder of Mariano's Fresh Market, tells a good story about how he met his wife, Nina, considered one of the city's most fashionable women: "I was going through a divorce and having dinner with an old business associate at Gene & Georgetti. As the night progressed, I asked if he knew anyone to fix me up with, and after a few seconds he said, 'You should meet my daughter,' (who was divorced with a young son) and he wrote down her number." Bob admits he didn't call. Three weeks later, Nina, who was then working with the mayor's office, called Bob to ask about his involvement in the "Milan Garden" project. Bob said, "I'm very interested... and here's what I'm going to do... but now that business is done—Let's have dinner!" Their date at NoMI on August 5, 2005, marked Bob's and Nina's new lease on life (even their license plate reads: 0805). They "closed down the restaurant," fell in love, and never looked back. With five kids between them (his four, her one, ranging in ages from 18 to 32), the Marianos pride themselves on being a tight-knit Italian family who work hard to balance family, career, and charitable work. In their beautiful home in the Northwest suburbs, Nina wears workout attire (FYI: she has a figure to die for), and Bob is equally casual. Upon entering, a guest is immediately enveloped in their warmth. Cookies, treats, and drinks (not to mention pies, which they sent home with this reporter) set the tone and reflect who they really are—givers—inside and out. Bob heads a $4 billion grocery chain of 165 stores in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota with 20,000 employees (of which, quips Nina, "19,900 absolutely love him!"). His affordable gourmet grocery concept, Mariano's Fresh Market (the eighth 65,000-square-foot location opened in Greektown in October, with five more on the way this year), represents a "culmination of 40 years of experience in food retailing." Bob maintains it's not just a food business; it's about "community building." And that's where Nina's expertise comes in. She heads his community relations, ensuring that Mariano's meets each community's needs. The Marianos' business philosophy seems to mirror the ease of their marriage: "It's not work," Bob says. "It's pleasure." Bob describes Nina as the "ultimate balancing act artist," who is intensely devoted to her family and to her charities, most notably Bear Necessities, which benefits children with pediatric cancer. Nina will cochair with Tracy Scurto the 20th Anniversary Bear Tie Ball on March 9. "The organization is very dear to my heart," she says. "Bob and I are blessed with healthy children, and [we're] close friends with the woman who founded the organization and lost her son to the disease." Nina is involved with Folds of Honor, an organization that benefits the families of Fallen Soldiers, and the Ronald McDonald House. She will also serve as cochair of the Service Club of Chicago's annual gala on November 1, 2013, at the Four Seasons. Bob heads the Roundy's Foundation, which provides food assistance to families in crisis, addressing hunger relief, domestic abuse, and literacy. This duo not only combine forces to make a better world, particularly for children, but also balance each other and treasure their "down time." They travel, hike, dine, shop ("Aren't I lucky he likes to shop!" Nina says with a laugh), and they "never fight." "We empower each other, and we both feel so loved," Nina says. "Every day is a learning experience. I see Bob constantly growing and evolving. He is never satisfied with the status quo—watching his drive is infectious and he pushes me to be my best." Bob wraps his arm around his wife. "Most of all, I trust Nina with everything. We always have each other's backs." MA 98 "I see Bob constantly growing and evolving. He is never satisfied with the status quo. Watching his drive is infectious, and he pushes me to be my best." — MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM 092-099_MA_FEAT_Portrait_Winter13.indd 98 1/2/13 12:07 PM