In 2025, Catania Oils is celebrating 125 years of family, resilience, and remarkable growth. To honor this legacy, we’re launching a blog series that explores the lives and leadership of the people who shaped our company from 1900 to today. Each post will spotlight a different chapter in our story and feature our 125th anniversary video: a short documentary blending interviews with the Basile family, footage from our current plant, and over a century of family and company photos brought to life with AI animation. It’s a celebration of where we’ve been, and where we’re headed.
Joseph Basile’s education in the oil business didn’t start in a boardroom; it started on the factory floor. From a young age, he was a fixture at Catania, going to work with his dad. As a teenager, his first jobs were the unglamorous but essential tasks that keep a plant running: sweeping floors, changing trash barrels, and cleaning conveyor belt rollers. One early job stands out: after the company bought several loads of olive oil packed in five-liter tins, Joseph and his brother Stephen opened and emptied the thousands of cans by hand. It was tough work, but essential to the business. And Joseph continued working in the plant through high school and college, experiencing every aspect of the business, from warehousing the production.
These experiences gave Joseph a deep and lasting respect for every role within the company. He understands that while today’s operation is more automated and complex, the core process remains the same. This ground-level perspective has been foundational to his leadership, reinforcing his belief in the importance of every single employee. "Somebody sweeping a floor, or unloading a railcar, or loading a truck... those are all parts of the chain. So if something goes wrong, something doesn't happen, it impacts the entire business."
Joseph often returns to a favorite line from his grandfather and namesake, Joseph O. Basile: “I don’t like cobwebs.” The meaning is direct. Do not let things sit. Do not accept “this is how we have always done it.” Keep moving, keep improving.
This “no cobwebs” philosophy directly informs his leadership style. Joseph surrounds himself with experienced people who bring fresh thinking and new approaches. He asks leaders to test assumptions, adopt better processes, and bring forward ideas that make the work safer, faster, and more consistent. By empowering his team to bring new ideas and efficiencies to the table, he ensures the company is always adapting for the future.
One of the most difficult challenges Joseph faced as a leader was evolving the company’s structure to support its rapid growth. As Catania expanded, Joseph led the buildout of a formal executive team and stronger governance. Those changes helped the company scale while protecting the culture of family.
Adhering to the principle that “what got you here will not get you there,” he made tough decisions necessary for the company’s future. He understands that placing people in roles where they can’t succeed is a disservice to both them and the business. The human cost of these decisions weighs heavily on him. It’s one thing to make a strategic change on paper; it’s another when it affects people you have close relationships with. “It's very damaging to them relative to their self-confidence,” he reflects. “Now they're in an environment where they just can't be successful, they're failing.” Joseph’s empathy reveals the ethical calculus required to lead a business where colleagues are also family and friends. He keeps a principle from his father close at hand: “The company is here for the masses, not for the individual.”
Joseph has been a key driver of technological adoption at Catania for over two decades. When he first came to work full-time after college, he found himself introducing basic computer skills like word processing and spreadsheets to a generation that had little exposure to them. Today, he is driving investments in automation, AI, and data to help the company operate more efficiently, make smarter decisions, and deliver consistently at scale. Joseph knows that staying at the forefront of emerging technologies is a competitive necessity.
His forward-thinking approach is shaped in part by his biggest professional regret: not gaining external work experience before joining Catania. He learned leadership by leading, a process that, he admits, meant he made mistakes along the way. Reflection on that experience led him to set a new standard for the fifth generation. Family members must complete their education, then work elsewhere for three to five years before they can consider a role at Catania. “I want them to discover what they love and bring back fresh skills if they choose to return,” he says. The policy gives future leaders the space to grow and, if they join the company, confidence in their decision.
If asked what he is most proud of, Joseph points to two key accomplishments. The first is building a formal executive leadership team and establishing a corporate structure that can guide the company into the future, while preserving the "we are family" culture that defines Catania. The second is overseeing a successful leadership transition from the third to the fourth generation. He made it possible for the prior generation to step back while giving them the peace of mind that comes from knowing the business is in good hands.
Ultimately, the legacy Joseph wants to leave behind is one of stability. His goal is to build an organization that is so strong, structured, and deep in talent that it is not reliant on any one or two individuals. The weight of this responsibility is palpable and deeply personal. He wants to ensure that Catania endures even after the current leaders eventually retire.
Joseph Basile’s leadership is a masterclass in modernizing a legacy. He skillfully balances honoring the core values and work ethic that built Catania Oils with the courage to steer it decisively toward the future through structural, technological, and philosophical change. His tenure proves that the best way to honor the past is not to remain in it, but to build a future worthy of its foundation.
From a burlap sack to a global operation, the story of Catania Oils is one of relentless adaptation grounded in enduring family values. For 125 years, the Basile family has proven that longevity isn’t about standing still - it’s about knowing when to evolve. The secret ingredient has never been just the oil. It’s the people, the principles, and the drive to keep the cobwebs away as we build what comes next.