Windy City Motorcycle Company Staff

Anthony G. (Ozzie) Giglio is CEO/Dealer Principal of Windy City- Fox Motorsports (WC-F). Mr. Giglio founded the Company with his wife Jill in 2000. WC-F is currently comprised of eighteen locations throughout Chicagoland and Southern Wisconsin, including ten full-line Harley-Davidson® dealerships, two Triumph and BMW Motorcycle dealerships and other retail locations. WC-F employs approximately 400 people. The operating business was started with the acquisition of one dealership in March 2001. WC-F is now among Crain’s list of Chicago’s largest privately held businesses. Mr. Giglio’s responsibilities include overall strategic and operational oversight for all aspects of the businesses. Mr. Giglio also serves as the CEO of the Windy City Real Estate Group, which owns and controls real estate throughout Chicagoland and Milwaukee, including the properties upon which the WC-F operating companies are situated.

Prior to creating WC-F, Mr. Giglio was employed by Equity Group Investments and related entities, a Sam Zell Organization. While with the Zell organization, Mr. Giglio participated in numerous transactions and acquisitions, including those involving multiple real estate holdings, Schwinn Bicycles, The Executive Life Portfolio, National Water & Power, COMCAST, AT&T and others. Mr. Giglio also participated in the formation of three Zell-originated Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT) to include Manufactured Housing Communities, (NYSE-MHC), Equity Residential Properties Trust (NYSE-EQR) and Equity Office Properties (NYSE-EOP). Upon its creation, Mr. Giglio became Senior Vice President-Business Development for EQR. Mr. Giglio’s overall responsibility was in generating revenue from sources other than rent. Mr. Giglio and EQR were both pioneers and ultimately leaders in the “Ancillary Revenue” industry, which mushroomed out of the multi-family market. At the time of his departure from EQR, the Company had over a $9B market cap and ancillary revenue was contributing more than four cents a share.

Prior to joining the Zell organization, Mr. Giglio practiced Corporate Law with Jones Day, one the nation’s largest and most prestigious law firms, where he concentrated on all aspects of Corporate Law.

Mr. Giglio’s civilian education includes: Bachelor of Arts with High Distinction and Honor in Philosophy and Criminal Justice from Valparaiso University, a JD with Honor from DePaul University of College of Law and Fenwick High School, Oak Park, IL. Mr. Giglio is licensed to Practice Law in Illinois and Texas.

Mr. Giglio sits on the Board of Directors for INCENTCO, a real estate support business, The Darley Industries, Defense Advisory Board, a 115 year-old privately held company in the Fire, Emergency and Defense Industries, Radiant 1, a Chicago-based Marketing firm and Good Sports, a Boston based charity that provides sporting equipment to children throughout U.S. cities, and an Advisory Board at Columbia University Medical Center.  Mr. Giglio is a former member of the Harley-Davidson® Financial Services Advisory Board, and he is a member and former President of the Harley-Davidson Dealer Advisory Council.  Mr. Giglio also has multiple Executive Producer credits in connection with movies and documentaries. 

Mr. Giglio is also a retired United States Navy Captain. CAPT Giglio served as a Naval Intelligence Officer and Naval Parachutist, specializing in Humane Intelligence (HUMINT), Joint Special Operations and Navy Special Warfare. CAPT Giglio forward deployed on multiple occasions with Joint Special Operations Task Forces throughout the Middle East, including in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), and to variety of other theaters throughout the Globe.

Mr. Giglio was born in Oak Park, IL and is married to the Former Ms. Jill S. Palleson of Naperville, IL. They reside in Hinsdale, IL with their two children, Ronin and Jorie. Mr. Giglio is an avid motorcycle rider, enjoys Golf and former Volunteer Fire Fighter.

As avid motorcycle enthusiasts, Jill and Ozzie Giglio were so consistently disappointed with the level of service they received from their local Harley-Davidson® dealership that they decided to open their own - and vowed to do it better. In 2001 they opened Wild Fire Harley-Davidson® of Villa Park. Jill coined the name “Wild Fire” with the fervent belief that, properly operated, the new dealership’s reputation would spread like wildfire. It did! Jill and Ozzie ran the dealership themselves - Jill overseeing Parts and Accessories, Motorclothes, and guiding the dealership’s marketing efforts; while Ozzie applied his steady hand to Motorcycle sales and F&I.

In 2005, they opened a retail store in Terminal 3 of O’Hare International Airport. Windy City Harley-Davidson®, as it was named, was an immediate hit providing domestic and international travelers a convenient opportunity to purchase Genuine H-D Motorclothes apparel and memorabilia. In 2006 Jill & Ozzie purchased Suburban Harley-Davidson® of Palatine. In 2007 they renamed the dealership City Limits Harley-Davidson® and in 2009 built an entirely new, state-of-the-art facility.

In 2010 the Harley-Davidson® Motor Company asked Jill & Ozzie to acquire and consolidate the H-D dealerships in Berwyn and Oak Lawn. Illinois H-D was born and relocated to Southwest suburban Countryside. 2012 witnessed a major renovation of the dealership. In 2011, again at H-D Motor Company’s urging, the Giglio’s purchased Zylstra Harley-Davidson® of St. Charles, renaming it Fox River Harley Davidson. In 2013, Windy City Triumph was added within the same building, and the Moto Guzzi, Vespa, Aprilia and Piaggio brands were subsequently added.

In late 2015, Jill and Ozzie acquired Starved Rock Harley-Davidson® in Ottawa, a popular destination dealership for Chicago Metropolitan Market riders. Now named the Windy City Motorcycle Group, Jill & Ozzie’s “little project” has grown into one of the most dynamic motorcycle dealer groups in America and is poised to continue on an aggressive growth trajectory. The good news is that this creates a golden opportunity for motivated individuals! Jill attended the University of Illinois, Chicago Circle Campus where she was a Dean’s List graduate with a major in Political Science and a minor in Criminal Justice. Upon graduation she accepted a position as a marketing assistant for a direct-response marketing company serving the financial services industry. She worked her way up to Partner when, in 2001, she (and Ozzie) purchased Wild Fire H-D.

Ozzie completed his undergraduate studies at Valparaiso University, earned a law degree from De Paul University and graduated Naval Officer Training School in Pensacola, Florida. His business career began as a member of (Fortune 500 billionaire) Sam Zell’s legal team assisting with business and real estate acquisitions. Ozzie was soon promoted to Senior Vice President- Business Development at Equity Residential Properties Trust (NYSE - EQR) and traveled the world buying properties and structuring deals. Simultaneously, Ozzie was a U.S. Navy Special Warfare reservist and served tours of duty in Panama, and other hostile environments. After 9/11 he was deployed on numerous missions to the Middle East. In 2011 he spent an entire year at the Pentagon. As Jill says about the challenges of running a growing business with her partner actively serving in the military, “He called the shots from the battlefield while I executed the orders at the dealerships. It worked!”

Matt is an innovative and entrepreneurial leader with a passion for creating profitable and sustainable business growth. He is a lifelong motorcycle enthusiast having spent most of his life riding, wrenching, racing, designing, marketing, and selling motorcycles.

He has been fortunate to work with two of the most notable entrepreneurs in the motorcycle industry over the last 15 years, leading platform engineering for Erik Buell at Buell Motorcycle Company and leading commercial operations in North America for John Bloor at Triumph Motorcycles.

A former engineer, mechanic, and 11-time CCS Road Racing Champion, Matt holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering and a Master of Business Administration degree with a Marketing Specialization from Marquette University. 

In his role as Vice President and General Counsel for the Company, Josh provides strategic guidance in all areas of law impacting the business, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, regulatory and compliance, contract drafting and review, labor and employment and litigation. Josh also manages the Company's real estate interests and is responsible for all acquisitions, dispositions and leasing.

Prior to joining the Company, Josh was in private practice for 15 years and was a partner in a downtown Chicago law firm. His clients included firms in a wide variety of industries and ranged in size from fledgling start-ups to publicly traded companies.

Josh graduated from DePauw University in 2001 with a degree in history, received his J.D. from the Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2006 and is a member of the Illinois bar. He lives in the Chicago suburbs with his wife Colleen and their two children (Eddie and Lucy).