front entrance of Huff Hall

Faculty Profile

Carmen Rossi

Carmen Rossi

carmena.rossi@gmail.com

Lawyer and entrepreneur Carmen Rossi founded 8 Hospitality Group, a restaurant, hospitality-development, and management company that specializes in food and beverage marketing, branding, promotions, public relations, and operations. Carmen’s practice in commercial law focuses on contracts and appellate court drafting. He owns several restaurants in the Chicago area and recently became a partner with Champaign bar owner Scott Cochrane in the purchase of KAM’s, a fixture on the campustown bar scene. A member of the board of the Illinois Restaurant Association, Carmen was appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel to serve on the Commission on Chicago Landmarks. He also is a member of the board of INTERSECT Illinois, a onestop resource for doing business in Illinois. Carmen’s generous lead gift established the Chicago Knight Life Charities Scholarship in the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism, from which he received a master’s degree.