What’s In A Name?
In 1949 my grandpa, Vincent Vitale, started Star Sewer Service. Until his death in 1973, he cleaned residential and commercial sewer drains in Detroit, Michigan. After my grandfather’s second heart attack in the 1950s, my dad quit high school to help him “on the truck.” My dad never earned a diploma or GED, but he didn’t let that stop him. A friendship with a master plumber taught him the trade, and though he never became a master plumber himself, he transformed the business into Star Sewer and Plumbing Service.
In the 1980s I started helping my dad on the truck. I loaded and unloaded equipment and held the flashlight, eventually snaking out the drains myself. It was hard, filthy work—work I knew I didn’t want to do as an adult. But it taught me invaluable lessons: the meaning of hard work, the strength of a family bond, and the quiet dignity of earning respect through effort.
I remember my dad’s business cards said, “Owners: Jim and Sal Vitale.” Jim is what people called my grandpa. This was years after his death. I asked my dad why he kept my grandpa’s name on his card. In a quiet, somber tone he told me he did it out of respect. Nothing bonds a father and son more than working together, and they couldn’t have been closer. My dad was only 29 when my grandpa died. He operated Star Sewer and Plumbing Service until his death in 2020 and my grandpa’s name was always on his cards.
When my father passed away, the Star name ended with him. But its legacy didn’t. When I decided to start my own resume writing business, naming it was easy. “Star Resumes” is a tribute to the two men who worked hard, made sacrifices, and paved the way for me to pursue a career that uses my mind instead of my back. For me, the name “Star” represents respect—respect for their legacy, for the values they instilled in me, and for the opportunities their hard work created. It reminds me daily of where I come from and the shoulders I stand on.
When you choose Star Resumes, you’re not just hiring someone to write your resume. You’re working with someone who understands what it means to honor a legacy, to respect the past, and to build a future full of possibilities.
