Archdiocese to honor 2 ‘outstanding’ business, labor leaders
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, and the Archdiocese of Newark’s Office for Youth & Young Adult Ministry will honor two outstanding leaders at the 30th Annual Business & Labor Recognition Reception on Tuesday, March 7, at The Grove in Cedar Grove, N.J. The honorees this year are Joseph S. Colalillo, chairman of the board and CEO of Wakefern Food Corp. and president of ShopRite of Hunterdon County, and Sam Ferraino, Jr., president of United Food & Commercial Workers Local 360.
The annual event, known as the Cardinal’s Business & Labor Recognition Reception, benefits the Archdiocese of Newark’s Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) and Retreat Center in Kearny, which annually serves more than 35,000 young people of every race, religion, and ethnic background. Since its inception in 1994, the annual gathering of representatives from the business sector and labor unions has raised more than $5 million to benefit the children of the Archdiocese with programs such as CYO Camp, retreats, Scouting, CYO Athletics, and more.
“As well as supporting the efforts of the youth programs, this event enables us to bring together outstanding citizens of the business and labor communities,” Cardinal Tobin said. “We are truly blessed to have two fine men who are outstanding examples of success, distinction, and moral character as our honorees.”
This year’s business honoree, Joseph Colalillo, has served as chairman of the board of Wakefern Food Corp. since 2005. Wakefern is the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the country and one of the largest employers in New Jersey. A second-generation grocer, Colalillo is also president of ShopRite of Hunterdon County, a family-owned business founded in the late 1940s that now owns and operates five ShopRite stores located in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Colalillo serves on the board of directors for the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and is a past chair and member of FMI’s Member Services, Independent Operator, and Strategic Planning committees. A past member of the New Jersey Food Council’s board of directors, he received their Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. A graduate of Villanova University, Colalillo resides in Delaware Township.
This year’s labor honoree, Sam Ferraino, Jr., began his career as a part-time clerk with Acme Markets and later became a full-time night crew clerk and union shop steward. Upon joining the staff of Local 1360, he served as a business agent, servicing director, and secretary-treasurer before he was elected president.
Ferraino is also president of the Southern New Jersey Central Labor Council AFL-CIO, an organization comprised of various labor unions that is dedicated to bettering the quality of life for working people. Additionally, he is a trustee for the Tri-State Health & Welfare and Pension funds.
Ferraino has served on the Woodbury City Council and the Woodbury School Board and is a member of the board of trustees of the United Way of New Jersey, a vice president of the Work Environment Council, and an executive board member of the Industrial Union Council and the Union Organization for Social Service. He resides in Woodbury.
For more information, visit www.newarkoym.com/blr.
Featured image: Joseph S. Colalillo (left) and Sam Ferraino, Jr., (right) will be honored at the 30th Annual Business & Labor Recognition Reception at The Grove in Cedar Grove on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. (Photos courtesy of the Archdiocese of Newark)
