Franklin Square funeral home manager is Businessperson of the Year

As a nearly 18-year veteran of the funeral home business, Krauss Funeral Home manager, Joseph Camolli, has been known to treat the grieving families and individuals who pass through its doors with the utmost kindness, professionalism and sympathy.

Krauss has been in business for 108 years, and in addition to helping run the venerable establishment, Camolli is a big presence in the Franklin Square community. He is an active member of its chamber of commerce, historical society, Knights of Columbus, Lions Club and many more civic groups, so much so that this year, the Franklin Square Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2718 selected him as its Memorial Day Parade grand marshal.

It was for these reasons and more that Camolli was honored by his peers in Franklin Square business community on Oct. 19 as the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce 2018 Businessperson of the Year for Franklin Square.

“His heart’s in it,” said Lisa Dellipizzi, first vice president of the Franklin Square Chamber of Commerce of her reasoning behind selecting him as the 2018 honoree. “It’s not about [making] money, it’s about him being kind and him being a gentleman.”

As the 2017 Businessperson of the Year, Dellipizzi was one in a five-person committee within the Franklin Square chamber tasked with choosing the recipient for this year’s award. The group, which is comprised of previous years’ honorees, selected Camolli from a number of candidates based on criteria handed down by the NCCC. They include being an active member of their local chamber, the owner or manager of a business and, most importantly, that they have made meaningful and important contribution to the welfare of the local community.

“We had several bios of other people that are involved in the community and in business in the community,” Dellipizzi said, “but not as long as Joe’s been a part of the community.”

Camolli moved to Franklin Square in 1989 and had spent 28 years in sales and customer service before he began working at Krauss in 2001, and was made manager of the establishment in 2014. In addition to being involved in various local clubs, he is also active member of the St. Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church where he serves as Eucharistic minister. He is married to his wife Linda and the couple has two sons together, Joe III and Paul.

Dellipizzi said that what struck her about Camolli was how much of a behind-the-scenes type of person he is, not seeking recognition for the work that he does.

“He’s not on social media, his face is not in the media, he’s not that kind of guy,” she said. “ … He’s a low-key guy who gets the job done.”