This Head of Security Wears High Heels

My name is Rose Catalano, and I do business in the Greater Toronto area and surrounding cities. My early childhood was very sheltered; I grew up on a farm in Italy with very traditional parents. My father was always the boss and the breadwinner, and my mother took care of our home, deferring to my father for all decisions. We immigrated to Canada from Italy when I was a very young girl, and while my father attempted to learn enough of the English language for his work in construction, we spoke very limited English at home. My mother worked in a factory until she suffered a heart attack at the age of fifty-five. She did not need to speak English for her work, and so she was not much interested in improving her knowledge of the language.

My parents were old fashioned when it came to education, and they did not see the necessity for girls to spend many years attending school, so I was never encouraged in my studies. However, ever since I was a child, I have been interested in numbers, and in high school I attained a perfect 100 percent score in my mathematics exam. While I was still in my teens, I saved my money and invested in some property in Arizona so, some years later, it was not a huge leap for me over to my own business.

I have two siblings; one could not realize his dream due to a work injury, and my youngest brother, through his own drive and ambition, is now associate psychiatrist-in-chief at Toronto’s Sick Children’s Hospital. My parents do not have a clear understanding of his profession and therefore cannot share much interest in his work. As far as my own business is concerned, few of the family understand why I am here; but I am happy, and I love the life I have chosen for myself.

A series of unexpected events headed me toward the security business, and that was the beginning of my unconventional life and my accomplishments in this unconventional business.

My mother still looks on in bewilderment and often reminds me that I take after my grandmother. I remember she was a spirited woman who made her own decisions and was very involved in many different activities during her lifetime.