Carlo Paladino Inducted in Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame
MOTORCYCLING LEGENDS AND CHAMPIONS TO BE HONOURED AT ELEVENTH ANNUAL CANADIAN MOTORCYCLE HALL OF FAME INDUCTION BANQUET AND REUNION
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Toronto ON – The Board of Directors of the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame is pleased to announce the third member of the Class of 2016. Carlo Paladino will be honoured at the 11th annual Induction Banquet and Reunion which takes place February 25, 2017 at the Sheraton Montreal Airport Hotel in Montreal, Quebec.
Carlo Paladino charged onto Canadian shores in the summer of 1963 like a blast of wind from across the Mediterranean. What brought him here is a love story. His sweetheart emigrated in 1961 but Carlo was bound by two years of military service. He finally arrived in 1963 and he and Maria were married shortly after.
Carlo had a dream of owning his own business and envisaged a national operation. Starting from scratch, and with a bank loan guaranteed by the equity in his home, he kept stock in his basement and delivered goods in a rusty old truck, keeping up a brutal schedule, starting early and working late. Today Motovan operates out of Quebec, Edmonton and London and employs 200 people across Canada as well as facilities in the U.S.A.
Since the beginning Motovan has been a generous supporter of motorcycle sport in Canada with financial contributions, donation of product and linkage of riders with product suppliers worldwide. Carlo helped sponsor Yvon, Mario and Miguel Duhamel in both motocross and road racing since the early 1980s and contributed clothing and helmets to Jean-Sebastien Roy since the days JSR was a junior rider. Others include Marco Dubé, Guy Giroux, Steve Crevier, Pascal Picotte and Jordan Szoke. In the past 15 years alone Motovan has contributed more than $5 million worth of product at wholesale value to amateur and pro racers well as $2 million toward race series and other organized events.
“Carlo Paladino’s activities in the motorcycle community make him a perfect candidate for the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame. His legendary enthusiasm for sponsoring racers, events, and virtually anything to do with motorcycles will not be forgotten. The Chair of the Board and the Directors are pleased and honoured to welcome Carlo to the Class of 2016”.
Tickets for the Eleventh Annual Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Banquet and Reunion are available at www.canmoto.ca.
Founded by Bar and Hedy Hodgson in 1999, the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame preserves and promotes Canadian motorcycle history for the benefit of the motorcycling community and public. Sponsored in part by the Motorcyclists Confederation of Canada (MCC), the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame is a non-profit association with charitable status. It is governed by an independent board of volunteer directors representing every region of the country. Since the first induction banquet in Toronto in 2006, over 100 distinguished motorcyclists and organizations have been inducted into the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame.