The Quiet Giver

By Jennifer McGuffin

Mae Calamos is a very pleasant paradox, one that is unfortunately uncommon in an age where many do-gooders place themselves squarely in the public eye, wanting to credit for their contributions to the world.  Fortunately for our community, Calamos is one of those souls who gives because it makes her feel good and because she feels a responsibility to add value by sharing her time and resources with others.

Calamos is – among many other things- the managing director and founder of Primacy Business Center in Warrenville, a company that provides turnkey office suites for small businesses so the sole-proprietors or owners can concentrate on doing what they do best. Many of her clients include retired CEOs who need office space to continue their work on boards of directors or for non-profits, or financial advisors who need a space to meet with clients.  The business (www.pbcsuites.com) coordinates office space, technological needs, secretarial staff and other corporate must-haves. “We tell people, ‘bring your computer and you’re ready to go,’” she says.

This business evolved eleven years ago from her husband John Calamos’ then-fledgling business Calamos Investments, and now has grown to fill the office building formerly occupied by the investment firm.  Calamos Investments, of course, is now an international fiduciary force, and the anchor tenant of the CityGate Centre office complex at Interstate 88 and Route 59.

But Mae Calamos is more than just a successful business owner and wife of a local corporate magnate. She’s also the visionary behind the new CityGate Grille (www.citygategrille.com) restaurant located at 2020 Calamos Court in CityGate Centre.  The space was formerly occupied by Riva, which she describes as a lovely “white table cloth restaurant, a corporate and special occasion place.”  The new restaurant, which opened last November, has taken a different direction, removing those  starched tablecloths to unveil the warm wooden tones of the tables and introducing a new earth tone color palate and a Mediterranean-inspired menu to attract both business people and families, alike.

“We wanted to create a great meeting place where children are comfortable, too,” says Calamos, revealing her life’s true passion: her family.  The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Friday, and dinner Saturday night. There is live music Friday and Saturday nights, as well.

Ironically, this down-to-earth leader is “not afraid to bus tables” at the restaurant if things get busy, much to the surprise and delight of her staff.  She treats the staff there like they are family members, as well. “Chef David Sapp and all of the wonderful people who give their heart and soul to the restaurant are like my children. I’ve adopted them all,” she says.

Calamos herself is statuesque and soft-spoken, intelligent yet humble. A member of the Native American Pima tribe, she was raised in Arizona in a large family with eight children.  Many of her relatives are still in the Southwest. “I was raised in a very closely-knit family. My parents felt very strongly that family was the most important thing. For me it is still all about family,” she says.

Mae and John Calamos have four children and seven grandchildren, most of whom live in the Chicago area. They spend a great deal of time enjoying and experiencing life with their growing family.  The active pair met on a tennis court, but now spends more free time golfing, instead.

But despite her active personal and community life, Mae Calamos is very private, not wanting to attract any attention for her contributions of time, talent and resources. She says she enjoys working on projects like Toys for Tots, gathering hundreds of gifts of underprivileged children because it “just makes you feel good.”

“We simply believe in Naperville and lend as much support as we can to the Chamber, NCO, the DuPage Children’s Museum and other organizations, that are all doing great things for the community,” Calamos says.  And thankfully, for Naperville, so is she.