Chairman and CEO
Palermo Villa Inc. | Milwaukee
Giacomo Fallucca grew up in the pizza business, starting with the family restaurant, Palermo Villa on Milwaukee’s East side, at age 15 and later joined the frozen pizza business at age 18. Today, he is the second-generation family leader of Palermo’s Pizza, one of the largest independent frozen pizza brands in the U.S. Palermo’s makes nearly 300 million pizzas annually at two production facilities in Milwaukee and Jefferson and employs over 1,200 people. Fallucca is executive chair of FaB, Wisconsin’s food and beverage business network, serves on the board of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee and mentors young entrepreneurs with the Milwaukee Venture Mentoring Service. He is also a member of the Greater Milwaukee Committee and the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce board of directors. He is also a minority owner of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Favorite part of the workday: “Any time of the day I get to spend with people and pizza.”
What would you do if you could choose another career: “I would be a doctor because I would want to make a positive impact on people’s lives.”
If you could time travel: “Rome. I’d like to be able to travel there and back in a day.”
Advice for first-time leaders: “Remember that ‘a leader needs to do the right thing’ while those within the company ‘are doing those things right.’”
2022 Wisconsin 275 Profile
Manufacturing | Food & Beverage
Chairman and CEO
Palermo Villa Inc. | Milwaukee
Giacomo Fallucca is chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Milwaukee-based Palermo Villa Inc., one of the largest independent frozen pizza brands in the U.S. Fallucca represents the second generation of family leadership for the Palermo group of brands, which includes Palermo’s Primo Thin, King Cheese, Screamin’ Sicilian, Urban Pie Pizza and Connie’s Pizza.
Palermo’s has had an impact on Milwaukee’s Menomonee Valley, opening its plant and headquarters there in 2006, pioneering the trend of manufacturers and businesses to set up operations in the Valley since then. The company has since expanded its plant multiple times.
Fallucca is executive chair for Food and Beverage Wisconsin and a member of Vistage. He is also a board member of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce and MKE United. He has been involved with the Sherman Phoenix entrepreneurial hub and marketplace in Milwaukee from the project’s beginning, both as a donor and mentor for new business development. Earlier this year, Palermo Villa acquired a majority interest in Sherman Phoenix business Funky Fresh Spring Rolls. Fallucca has also served as president of the board of Operation Dream, a peer-mentoring program for at-risk youth. He is a part owner of the Milwaukee Bucks.
