LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Super Casuals upon the occasion of being
named Business of the Year by the Geneva Chamber of Commerce

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to honor those busi-
nesses within the State of New York which distinguish themselves through
outstanding professional behavior, corporate innovation, and enduring
commitment to the community; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor
Super Casuals upon the occasion of being named Business of the Year by
the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, to be celebrated on January 28, 2011, at
Club 86; and
WHEREAS, Super Casuals is celebrating its 60th year in business; it
has earned the honor of Business of the Year due to its long and stable
presence in Geneva, and the long and generous involvement of its owners
and employees in the affairs of the area and its people; and
WHEREAS, Super Casuals and the Super Army & Navy Store have been
anchor stores in downtown Geneva for 60 years; Josephine Fragnoli has
been there since its inception, Lou Tandle since 1957, Bob Corcoran
since 1975, Joe Fragnoli since 1978, and Steve Fragnoli since 1992; and
WHEREAS, Most of the store's 10 employees are full-time, have many
years with the company, and are well known to many Genevans; truly a
jewel of downtown, this familiarity and loyalty has made the store an
informal hang-out and stop for many to discuss the issues of the day and
catch up with old friends; and
WHEREAS, Super Casuals was founded by Vito Fragnoli in 1950; he worked
in a clothing store in Cortland, New York, during high school, and when
he finished serving in the Navy after World War II, he came to Geneva
and was captivated by all the activity generated by the Sampson military
base; and
WHEREAS, Vito Fragnoli then talked the owner of the Cortland store
into opening a store in Geneva with him, and in 1950 they opened the
Geneva Super Army & Navy Store on the east side of Exchange Street; in
1951, Vito Fragnoli bought out his partner to become the sole owner of
the business; and
WHEREAS, Vito Fragnoli needed more room to expand his line of goods,
and in 1957, he purchased a building on the west side of Exchange
Street, and old Market Basket, tripling the size of his store; his sons,
Joe, Mark and Steve, still own that building today; and
WHEREAS, In 1970, at the age of 42, Vito Fragnoli died unexpectedly,
leaving his wife, Josephine, and three sons, then aged 15, 13 and three;
although Josephine had no experience managing the store, she went to
work with the help of Lou Tandle, who had been working at the store with
Vito since 1957; Vito's son Joe was also working after school at the
store, and they managed to prosper; and
WHEREAS, Joe went off to college and began a career with the Armstrong
Company, but in 1978 his mother, Josephine, called to tell him of an
opportunity she had in purchasing a building for the store on Seneca
Street; she offered to do it if Joe was interested in returning to Gene-
va to manage it, and he obviously accepted, and 52 Seneca Street was
purchased moving the store into that location; and
WHEREAS, In the 1970s, the Fragnoli's business was moving away from
traditional Army Navy store goods and into a more casual line, and, to
better reflect this and update its image, in 1981, the name was changed
to Super Casuals; these particular times were when department stores
left downtown areas for area malls and suburbs, and it was a struggle
for a store like Super Casuals to remain and prosper, but it did; and

WHEREAS, In 1992, Josephine and Vito Fragnoli's other son Steve, who
had been working for IBM after graduating from college, decided it was
his turn to return home to the family business, bringing his talents and
young ideas to the store; in 1995, Casey & Sons men's store, which had
rented about a third of the building since the Fragnoli's first move had
now closed; the Fragnoli's took down the wall separating the two store-
fronts and expanded Super Casuals throughout the entire building; and
WHEREAS, Staying with the trends and needing to expand its market
share, Super Casuals went into internet sales in 2001, and in 2003, the
youngest Fragnoli son, Mark, based in Boston, began working full time
for the company; he manages its website and the technical aspect of the
internet sales business, which is a large growing part of the organiza-
tion; and
WHEREAS, It is with great pleasure that this Legislative Body acknowl-
edges Super Casuals' success, recognizes its contributions to the local
and State economies, and extends its highest commendation to the corpo-
ration and its employees, fully confident that, in its future, it will
enjoy the same success which has so characterized its past; now, there-
fore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Super Casuals upon the occasion of being named Business of the
Year by the Geneva Chamber of Commerce; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Super Casuals.