2007: Carmen DiGiovine

More than forty years ago, a young man with a degree in Accountancy fromNorthernIllinoisUniversityin hand moved toNaperville. Neither Carmen DiGiovine nor the community has been the same since – each has nurtured, supported and loved the other.

He used to take the train fromNapervilledaily to a job with a CPA firm in downtownChicago. On those rides, Carmen and his friend Frank Hnilo used to share their dream of opening their own firm inNaperville. It took four years, but they realized that dream, and DiGiovine Hnilo Jordan + Johnson Ltd. came to life in November of 1974.

Carmen is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner, but the most important numbers of his life aren’t on spreadsheets or ledgers – they’re these: 39:  the number of years he and his wife, Jane, have been married. Four: the number of children they’ve raised. Seven: wonderful grandchildren they’ve been blessed with. And a number we can’t quantify, but which must be in the thousands: the number of people in our area who have benefited from Carmen’s devotion to giving back to the community.

The list of causes to which he has lent his time and talents is a long one and includes the Naperville Noon Lions, the Naperville Jaycees, SS. Peter and Paul Catholic Church Parish Council, the Naperville Education Foundation,School District203, the Naperville Rotary Sunrise Club and St. Patrick’s Residence for the Aged and Infirmed. He worked to relocate St. Patrick’s to Naperville, has assisted the homeless at DuPage PADS, and works, along with his good friend Ray Jones, on the SS. Peter and Paul “Light the Way” annual fundraiser to benefit local families in need.

Lending proof to the notion that you never stop learning, Carmen recently became a designated Certified Senior Advisor. He has continued to build on his experience and business acumen through Membership in the Chamber for more than thirty years, and professional memberships in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Illinois CPA Society, the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, the Financial Planning Association and the Society of Certified Senior Advisers.

He has been inducted into Beta Alpha Psi – the National Accounting Fraternity – is a recipient of the Order of Croagh Patrick-Carmelite Sisters Award, and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants 1995 Public Service Award.

The firm he and Frank Hnilo began nearly 33 years ago has grown from a two-person outfit to a two-office company with more than 55 professionals. Through the years and the challenges he has faced personally and professionally, Carmen has lived the values his firm places above all others:  Faith, Family, Excellent Client Service and Respect for One Another.

For a career well-spent and a life well-lived, we are so very proud to bestow the Lifetime Achievement Award on my dear friend and business partner, Carmen S. DiGiovine.