The Yonkers Police Athletic League honored Teamster 456 President Lou Picani, and Vanessa Osso, owner of Hair Dimensions Salon, at its annual dinner gala May 19at the Castle Royal.
Vanessa Osso is originally from the Bronx, where she graduated from Fordham University with a bachelor of science degree in political science. She has worked for former New York City Mayors Dinkins and Giuliani in the Voluntary Action Center.
In 2003, Osso became partners with her father, Franco Osso, and bought Hair Dimension Salon on Tuckahoe Road in Yonkers. Having little experience in the beauty industry – but years of experience in the business world – she quickly learned to adjust to the fast-paced, high-energy business. The staff welcomed her visions and together with her dad and staff created Hair Dimensions.
Hair Dimensions has been voted “Best Salon in Yonkers” by the Chamber of Commerce more than eight times and has received the Entrepreneur Award in 2010 by the Women in Business of the Yonkers Chamber of Commerce. The salon was also inducted into the Yonkers Business Hall of Fame in 2017.
Osso began to realize how many people visit the salon each week and realized that she could use the salon as a platform to give back to those in need in the Yonkers community. She began to network with local businesses and now sponsors several fundraising events. Today, the salon donates to the American Heart Association, Autism Speaks, American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, and local animal shelters. Osso also volunteers her time by participating in walks, runs and fundraisers, and provide hair extensions for school fundraising.
Osso also helped kick-start the Girls in Sports Program for the Yonkers PAL, collects and donates food to local food pantries and churches, donated backpacks filled with school supplies for “Friends of Karen,” donated more than 200 pajamas for “The Pajama Program,” and has hosted Christmas parties, providing food and gifts. She also fundraised with Yonkers Middle/High School students, raising money for pancreatic cancer awareness by shaving more than 60 heads.
She has answered more than 200 letters to Santa, helping to give underprivileged children a special Christmas; and collected toys and books, and distributed them throughout various charities in Yonkers. She hosted a Christmas party for children with developmental disabilities as part of the Sail program at Ferncliff Manor, and also collected winter coats and volunteered at soup kitchens and afterschool reading programs through the New York Cares Organization.
Louis Picani has been a dedicated Union member since he joined Teamsters Local 456 more than 30 years ago. His natural leadership ability quickly emerged and enabled him to be appointed shop steward for the City of Yonkers Department of Public Works in 1992.
In 1994, Picani became a trustee of the Teamsters Health and Welfare Fund. He was elected as a Teamsters Local 456 trustee and appointed as a Teamsters Local 456 business agent in 2005. For many years, Picani has been a member of Joint Council 16’s New York Teamsters Political Action Committee. He is also a licensed drug and alcohol counselor. In 2016, he was elected president and principal officer of Teamsters Local 456. He also serves as vice president of the Westchester Putnam Central Labor Body.
Picani has spent his entire career as a visionary, fighting for workers’ rights, fair wages and benefits, workplace safety, and the right to organize. In 2017, his efforts were recognized and he was elected grand marshal for the annual City of Yonkers Columbus Day Parade, in recognition of honoring Italian-American heritage.
Picani said he is honored, and would like to thank all the men and women who have given him the opportunity to continue to represent Teamsters members and all the labor organizations who serve the workforce so proudly.
