| The history |
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THE HISTORY OF THE VERA BRIANZA ASSOCIATION Visonary Ideas and Great Men It was the principles espoused by Gianni Cervetti that became the inspiration for the association which would later be founded under his leadership. Timeless principles which, to this day, constitute the basis of the association's statute. Above politics, and above all party-politics, the non-profit organisation was officially presented by Cervetti, its first president, on October 1, 1990 at the Ca' Bianca restaurant in Oggiono. Born and bred in Milan, he moved to Colle Brianza, the historical capital of Brianza distinguished by its ancient Campanone, in 1986. A man of great culture, an editor and author with vast experience in national and international politics, he enjoyed direct relationships with the leadership of the Soviet Union starting in 1956, as well as with Italian and European parliamentary leaders. He was the right hand man of Enrico Berlinguer during the historical time of the ‘great compromise’. The inspiration of the founding principles -Safeguarding the environment – The culture of hard work - Rich in history (take Leonardo da Vinci, for example) and imbued with a culture of hard work recognised the world over (the term brianzoli stands for Japanese-type Italians), Brianza plays a major role in the economic well-being – one in every thirteen inhabitants has their own company – of an un-defined area that encompasses Lecco, Como and Milan. Brianza, however, lacked a separate individual presence on an institutional, political and associative level, even though it was, and still is, the richest part of Lombardy. It was the desire for recognition of this very productive area that inspired and united men and women of great intellect and entrepreneurship, of national and international prestige, artisans and hard-working citizens to come together to find a common identity in the programmes proposed by the Association. Each member is called upon to promote and participate in the civic initiatives, exhibitions, conventions for the development of the parks and natural reserves in the Brianza area. They all lend a hand in organising ‘ecology days’ that involved three regional parks, twenty cities and a myriad of associations. The Giornata Ecologica di Vera Brianza was the forerunner to the launch of the regional law which then saw the institution of the Giornata Ecologica in all of Lombardy. – Pioneers of the Eastern Market – Companies are encouraged to become involved in emerging markets. In just a few months time, 180 companies – the most important industrial firms and artisanal companies of Brianza - sign up: Fontana, Valli&Valli, Rovagnati, Beretta, Fumagalli Edilizia and Arialdo Villa, as well as such cultural icons as Fiume, Sassu, Maggioni, Pier Carlo Pirovano (the internationally famous historian who is responsible for the Cervetti inspired triskele logo, symbol of the Celts) and Lucio Moscardin (the father of the logo inscribed on the victor’s cup awarded to the winners of the World Soccer Championships in 1990). Each of the members of the Board of Directors was personally involved in promotion, in particular Dario Magni and Cesare Scaccabarozzi (Missaglia), Enrico Fumagalli (Casatenovo),Vincenzo Zappoli (the great agricultural leader) and Riccarda Borgonovo (Filo d’Arianna). The Association’s logo may be used by member companies, but only after having been authorised to do so. Under the leadership of President Guerino Perego an all-encompassing export consortium is founded aimed at increasing export business with Russia and the other markets of Eastern Europe. Amilcare Celati, will be called upon to act as its President, the well-known co-drafter and translator of the FIAT contracts with the Soviet Union for the construction of Togliattigrad. In 1995 the consortium acquires a representational office in the Lombardy Building in Pudong, a then barren outskirt of Shanghai, joining the other major institutions and governmental organs of the Lombardy Region. The Lombardy Region government officials soon invited Vera Brianza to participate in the opening of the Region’s new official offices in Moscow. Perego and the then Lombardy Councilman Alberto Guglielmo signed a Memorandum of Intent in the presence of the Italian Ambassador. On January 5, 1993, Cervetti’s successor since June 1962, Giangiacomo Corno, led a delegation of Vera Brianza entrepreneurs to Moscow, where they were received by the then Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Anatoly Adamichin. Corno was the head of the CIS di Valmadrera (Lecco), an international business education centre which collaborates with Columbus University and fifteen other prestigious foreign universities. It is under his presidency that Guido Galardi, a regional councilman for Industrial Affairs, inaugurated the Association’s official headquarters at Monticello. The very first Vera Brianza trade fair took place at the Kremlin Stables in Moscow from 21 to 27 June of 2003. There were 150 companies present, some of which were well-known national firms. The fair was inaugurated by the then President of the Lombardy Region, Fiorella Ghilardotti. Thanks to the fine relationships founding President Cervetti had always had with the Soviet Union, the then General Secretary, Mikhail Gorbachev, also visited the fair. Mr Gorbachev and his wife, Raissa, were accorded an unexpectedly enthusiastic welcome when they visited Brianza in 1993. The car carrying the illustrious guests, he the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, visited many areas of Brianza travelling over streets lined by cheering crowds. Thousands of people awaited them along the avenue leading to the crowded main square in Casa Vinicola Caldirola when they visited Missaglia. He returned to Brianza again in November of 2004. From 1994 to 2003 the association was under the leadership of Nando Caldirola, who continued the promotion of export activities by founding various other consortia. Five more “Made in Italy” fairs were organised in Moscow and numerous trade-incentivising missions went to the capitals of many other eastern European countries. Even before the turn of the century, however, Vera Brianza’s efforts to retain its momentum in Eastern markets became more arduous. The new markets demanded products of ever increasing technological innovation and more investments with reliable local partners. The predictable consequences included the cessation of many activities and the reduction of public, both national and regional, funding, as well as a decline in the number of individual and important corporate memberships. The inevitable result was the recent liquidation of the export consortia, then under the guidance of Fausto Panzeri (Panama), Giovanni Mussi (Russia), Angelo Somaschini, now deceased, and Alberto Zennaro (Romania). All of this notwithstanding, positive results have been obtained by the export convention held at Lecco every year since 1999, as well as the cycle-tourism events organised by GS Lomaniga. Franco Spreafico’s presidency of the Association in 2003 coincided with the inauguration of the new prestigious Headquarters in the historical centre of Merate. The need for renewal became clear and the entire organisation underwent a radical transformation. On January 15, 2007, the Board of Directors gave the reigns of day to day operations to Giuseppe Mutti who proposed changes in management and launched a very focused and innovative campaign to bring back the values and the positive experiences of the association’s founders, moving them into the third millennium. After having returned order to the association’s finances and revolutionised the entire Board of Directors and the Board of Auditors, in December of 2008 he became President of the Association following Franco Spreafico’s resignation. Mr Speafico remained on the team as a member of the Board. Mutti will certainly be remembered in the future as our “Communications President”. An overview of the Association three years from the time he took office means drawing a picture of a reality which is still finding its footing, looking for its real identity and identifying results which allow us to assess the strategies adopted by Mutti. If on the one hand one cannot be but satisfied by the reality Vera Brianza represents, an association of considerable global and economic value, on the other hand, based on the assessments and comments hitherto gathered, a clear picture emerges of how much must still be done to be able to fully achieve the goals that Mutti proposes and intends to develop during the course of his mandate, which has certainly not been aided by the current global economic situation whose sting has also been felt in the Brianza area. Nonetheless, in order to look ahead with optimism, beyond the “invigorating internal changes” (even the statute has been revised to reflect again the principles of the one drafted by the founding fathers in 1990), a new team spirit has emerged with a new mentality and fresh enthusiasm which are in complete agreement with principles of shared responsibility and duty. The communications sent out constantly by Mutti have increased our collective sense of belonging, because giving visibility means receiving trust. Being aware of the state of our Association and its growth is vital because it lets us all know how much Mutti is doing for its members, and, in the same way, it also is of crucial importance for us to hear from you, our members, and your successes and activities – all of which will be duly registered in our ‘Captain’s log’ Increasing our sense of belonging means, above all, sharing your stories with all of our members and anyone else interested in our progress. We therefore enthusiastically invite all of you to participate in the events planned and look forward to your suggestions and advice, all of which will be warmly welcomed, listened to and taken into consideration in order to improve our mission and reach our goals. We would also like to ask you to get involved in another effort – that of inviting a ‘new friend’ to join the Association and help give power to Vera Brianza, to continue its growth and make us all stronger, especially in these trying times. |
