Steve Natoli offers a telling story about the early days of his Secaucus deli shop – a story that may be useful to young people struggling to find work in a tough economy.
In 1977 Natoli, then a student at William Paterson University, needed a summer job but couldn’t find one. So, like many entrepreneurs, he made a way out of no way, and created his own.
He rented a storefront on Clarendon Street from Louie Huber and opened what would eventually become Natoli’s Deli & Pizzeria, one of the town’s oldest and most loved family-run businesses.
“I had no lease, just a handshake,” Natoli said recently of Huber, who, he added, “treated me like a son…I opened the store with $500 worth of candy and some groceries. There was no cash register, just a cigar box and an adding machine. That’s how I started.”
“You go through life with your hands open, not with your fists closed.” – Steve Natoli
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“I have an interest in young people because when I was young, I was given a lot of mentoring and chances by older people that owned businesses where I grew up in Union City,” he said. “Back in those days it was the norm. Unfortunately, we’ve gotten away from that. But I still like to hold those old values. Not only with the hiring of the kids, but the running of the business. I try to give them a lot more than just a job.”
In the three decades since he opened Natoli’s Deli & Pizzeria, he estimates that more than 300 young people have worked in the shop at some point. Many begin when they are high school freshmen and stay all the way through college.
For his work with local teens, and his frequent willingness to make in-kind donations to local fundraisers and community events, the Secaucus chapter of UNICO named him as the 2010 Citizen of the Year, one of the highest honors given in the community. (UNICO – which stands for Unity, Neighborliness, Integrity, Charity, and Opportunity – is an Italian American civic organization that raises money for various charities and scholarships.)
“The UNICO motto is service above self,” said Joseph Morano, president of the organization’s Secaucus chapter. “And Steve always puts service above self. Anytime a family has a tragedy or an emergency Steve is right there. He’s always there for the schools. Anyone that ever goes to Steve and asks him for anything he never says no. He always comes through, from the simplest thing to the most difficult thing. And he has been a mentor to the youth in town. He hires them, teaches them what it means to have a work ethic. He’s a really good role model.”
An open hand
“I believe we shouldn’t hold onto everything we have,” said Natoli. “You go through life with your hands open, not with your fists closed. I guess my parents brought me up that way. You give. And you never know, someday you might be in need.”
It’s lesson he tries to teach to his employees.
Noting that people in “the core communities of Secaucus tend to stick together,” Natoli said, “A lot of kids just need somebody to talk to. So I’ll talk to them about social problems, problems they’re having in school, or problems they’re having at home. It’s very rewarding when you see people get through their hard time. I just think it’s the way it’s supposed to be.”
(Ironically, Natoli lives in Hillsdale, not Secaucus, but said, “I tell everybody I do because I’m here more than I’m there.”)
In addition to being a sounding board, Natoli also metes out vocational advice to kids trying to figure out what to do after high school.
“I always tell the boys here you need an education. At least graduate high school. At that point, if you feel you’re more of an academic, go on to college. If you feel you can work with your hands and you don’t want to be in an office, you might consider a trade. I always encourage them towards carpentry or plumbing or being an electrician. There are so many people going to college that [vocational] jobs are probably available, and you can make a healthy living being an electrician, plumber, locksmith.”
And then, of course, there’s the food business.
After attending college and working for other employers for a few years, Natoli’s eldest son Nicholas, 26, has returned to the family business and could take over for his father one day. Natoli’s younger son Steven, 24, does not currently work at the deli.
His wife, Lisette, runs the office and oversees the catering side of the business.
“The food business is a hard business. But I wake up every morning and I can’t wait to get here,” he said. “It is a marathon business; it’s not a 100-yard dash. It’s a lot of nickels; it’s not one quarter. If you’re willing to bang out the nickels, you can provide for your family and be a happy guy…They have that saying, ‘Nice guys finish last.’ But don’t believe that. I change that. I tell all my boys, if they go forward doing the right thing, good things will fly over their shoulders.”
E-mail E. Assata Wright at awright@hudsonreporter.com.