Highland Park Neighbors Magazine Articles

Highland Park Community Foundation (HPCF) is honored to welcome two new businesses to our growing list of Corporate Champions: Menoni & Mocogni, Inc. and Scott Byron & Co. HPCF relies on the generosity and community spirit of our Corporate Champions to help further our mission of addressing unmet needs in the Highland Park– Highwood community, as well as funding services and programs that enhance the community as a whole. With their deep-rooted connections to the community that span decades, and in Menoni & Mocogni’s case, over a century, we are thrilled to have the support of both Menoni & Mocogni and Scott Byron & Co.

Menoni & Mocogni is deeply integrated into the fabric of Highland Park and Highwood as one of the oldest family-run businesses in the area. Over the past one hundred years, they have evolved from a horse-and-buggy operation, delivering coal to heat residents’ homes and sand for the Old Elm Country Club golf course, to a full-service landscaping company providing high-quality service and materials to retail businesses and residents, come rain or shine. Menoni & Mocogni has remained a family-owned and operated business since its founding.

Currently, Dan (Flint) Miotti serves as president of the company, with his son Alex by his side, representing the third generation of Miottis at Menoni & Mocogni. Flint recalls riding Mr. Menoni’s horse and buggy throughout his childhood, as well as learning to drive their tractor at a young age. He always knew that he would one day work for the business that his father had partially run for some time. His deep ties in the community have only strengthened his resolve to give back to the place he calls home.

Menoni & Mocogni have been dedicated to supporting organizations that strive to better the community since it first opened its doors a hundred years ago.

“Philanthropically, we are involved with a number of schools as well as various sports programs, and we donate to the Highwood Recreational Center and Highland Park Fire Departments,” Flint said. When reflecting on why he was excited to become an HPCF Corporate Champion, he added, “We felt this would be a great way to ensure that the money we put back into the community impacts as many lives as possible. HPCF supports a wide variety of organizations that provide essential services, and we are proud to help them as well through our partnership with the Foundation.”

Joining Menoni and Mocogni as a new Corporate Champion is Scott Byron & Co., a long-standing landscape design, construction, and maintenance firm whose roots are deeply intertwined with the Highland Park–Highwood community. Founded in 1983 by Scott Byron, a Highland Park resident who raised his family in the community, the company was established with the goal of delivering unmatched service through innovative designs and curating the finest materials. Scott Byron & Co. is known for its culture of quality, creativity, and respect. The company believes in using landscaping as an expression of art in harmony with nature, a philosophy that has allowed it to help property owners bring their dreams to life throughout the Midwest.

Currently owned and presided over by Gordon Held and Kenneth (Ken) Williams, Scott Byron & Co. has a long history of philanthropy in the Highland Park–Highwood community, a legacy the current owners are committed to continuing. “This community is where Scott built his life and his business, and it has been our goal to give back to the place that has given us so much,” Ken shared. Over the past few years, they have invested in the well-being of the community by donating to HPCF as an Annual Sponsor, the HPCF’s Victim Fund, the HP Strong races, and A Safe Place. They’ve also supported broader causes, such as the Boys and Girls Club, Cancer Research at The University of Chicago, and Lurie’s Children’s Hospital. Their generous spirit is also reflected in the work they do with the Chicago Community Gardeners Association, in the trees they plant in lots throughout Chicago, and in the greenhouses that they’ve built in schools.

Scott Byron & Co. has further entrenched themselves in the community by becoming an HPCF Corporate Champion. “I think it’s a privilege to be a part of the HPCF. We’ve been servicing the community for over forty years, and in turn, our community has supported our business and our family for all that time. I believe we have a responsibility not only to provide exceptional service but to also make an impact on the place that has supported us for so long. It’s an honor to support a foundation that continues to enhance support for its own community,” Gordon said, reflecting on the decision to join the Corporate Champion ranks.

HPCF is proud to have the support of our two new Corporate Champions, Menoni & Mocogni and Scott Byron & Co. Their dedication to giving back to the community they serve is essential to helping us fulfill our mission and further strengthen our community. If your business is interested in becoming a Corporate Champion, please contact HPCF’s Director of Philanthropy, Steve Schapiro, at Steve@hpcfil.org.