Loredana Sciortino, President & CEO of The Connex Pro
The CIAP Friday Member Spotlight celebrates professionals, entrepreneurs, and community leaders who strengthen Chicagoland’s Italian-American business community. Every story brings a different path, perspective, and way of contributing, and we’re pleased to introduce Loredana Sciortino, President & CEO of The Connex Pro.
Loredana’s story connects her Sicilian roots with a career that has taken her from a construction business to consulting in Italy and, later, to the United States. Along the way, she has built a professional path across several fields. We’re happy to share a little about her journey, the traditions she carries with her, and the advice she offers in her own words.
Sicilian roots: Palermo and Bagheria
Loredana was born in Palermo and raised in Bagheria, Sicily. These places are an important part of her story: the starting point of a journey that would eventually include professional chapters in both Italy and the United States.
Her background is not just a detail in a biography. It is also present in the foods and traditions she cherishes. For many people, heritage lives in familiar routines and shared dishes. The things that return year after year and connect generations. Loredana’s favorite Italian food and her family’s Sicilian cookie traditions offer a warm glimpse of that connection.
A career journey across countries and fields
Loredana began her career journey in 2003, when she started a construction business. From there, she moved into consulting work in Italy. Later, she moved to the United States, carrying forward a path shaped by initiative, change, and experience in more than one professional setting.
Today, Loredana is President & CEO of The Connex Pro. Her professional roles also include licensed financial services professional, Certified Human Rights Consultant, and tax preparer. These are distinct areas of work, and together they reflect a career that has developed across different fields over time.
A career rarely has to follow one straight line to be meaningful. Loredana’s journey (from starting a business in 2003, to consulting in Italy, to building her professional life in the United States) shows how a path can evolve from one chapter to the next. For anyone considering a new direction, there can be value in recognizing the experience you have gained and the possibilities ahead.
CIAP is proud to spotlight members whose work and stories add to the strength of our professional community. Through our Friday series, we get to introduce you to people with a range of backgrounds and career experiences, and invite you to start a conversation.
What being Sicilian and Italian means to her
Food is one of the ways Loredana keeps close to her Italian roots. Her favorite Italian food is Brocculu Affucatu, a Sicilian broccoli dish. Even its name carries the sound of a specific place and tradition. It’s a reminder that the foods people love can be more than what’s on the table; they can hold a sense of home, memory, and belonging.
Loredana also shared a lovely detail about Sicilian cookies: they are part of her traditions throughout the year, not just for one occasion. Different cookies mark different moments on the calendar:
- Pupa cu l’uova at Easter
- Pasta ri miali for the Day of the Dead
- Cuccidati at Christmas
It’s a thoughtful picture of tradition in motion: familiar customs returning through the seasons, each with its own place in the year. Some readers may recognize a version of these traditions from their own families; others may discover something new. Either way, it’s a welcome invitation to share the foods and customs that make your own heritage feel close.
Her advice, in her own words
When asked for advice, Loredana offered a short message that makes room for health, love, and a life that is meant to be lived, not simply planned for someday:
“Find your true self. Be healthy-wealthy-loved. Live it.”
There is a lot packed into those few words. Find your true self. Make space for well-being, prosperity, and love. And remember to live your life along the way. It’s direct advice, and an encouraging reminder to keep the person behind the professional goals in view.
Thank you, Loredana, for sharing your story and traditions with the CIAP community. We’re proud to feature your journey and grateful for the opportunity to introduce you to our readers.
Connect with Chicagoland’s Italian-American community
At CIAP, professional connection begins with people: meeting one another, sharing experience, and building relationships over time. If you’re looking for an Italian American Chicago community where professional life and cultural connection can come together, we invite you to explore what CIAP offers. And if you’ve been searching for a Chicago Italian American club with a professional networking focus, we’d be happy to welcome you.
Explore CIAP membership options, browse the Business Directory, or take a look at upcoming events. Membership and directory visibility are welcoming ways to become more connected and help others discover your business or organization.
Have a question, or interested in getting involved? Reach out to Salvatore at salvatore@chicagolanditalians.com. We’d be glad to hear from you. Reserve time to connect, explore the community, and stay in touch with CIAP.