Mapei in North America: hard work and determination

This year Mapei is celebrating 80 years in business. Mapei arrived in the North American market in the 1970s, first opening up in Canada and then in the United States. You were part of this business venture. What was it like?

Entering the North American market was a real adventure, an exciting discovery of a new world that was a far cry from my own life and my previous experiences. Until I began working with Giorgio Squinzi I had never even wondered how you install tiles! They were just there and that was that! This business venture gave me the chance to enter unknown territory and I had to adapt, change my perspective, study all the products and begin from scratch, because nothing I had done in the past is comparable to what I did, experienced and learned at Mapei.

What were the most important factors in Mapei Inc.’s growth in Canada?

The most important factor in Mapei’s growth and expansion was most definitely… all the Italians in the country.

There is a large Italian community in Canada, which is extremely prosperous, thanks to its proud determination to show people what they can do. Lots of Italians found jobs in the building industry in Canada. They had to overcome the mistrust of the people who welcomed them but saw them as different and strange. They and their families went through some really hard times, but they managed to integrate perfectly. These people represent the very best of Italy: they are hard-working and know that you have to be willing to roll up your sleeves and make real sacrifices if you want to overcome people’s prejudices.

Giorgio Squinzi showed this same spirit of adventure and tenacity when he was invited over to Canada in 1976 by a distributor for the Montréal Olympics. Together we have always kept the promises we made to our customers: to provide the best product possible at a competitive price and also the best service possible. In a nutshell, the very best of Italian skill and expertise. The respect and trust of our customers were a direct consequence of our constant effort and determination to improve.

You are Italo-Canadian: was it a strategic decision to choose Québec as a starting point rather than other regions of the country?

There was no strategy and no planning in the decision to choose Québec. It just seemed to be the right launchpad for making our dream take off and fly high: determination, hard work and confidence in our own ability.

For years, you were in charge of the Mapei Corp. in the United States. What are the most important factors in the associate company’s growth that is still continuing today?

Mapei is growing all the time and that is the way it should be, because our standards are extremely high and our hard work is the best guarantee we can offer our customers Mapei is not just a business, it is a philosophy of life that encompasses everything that once made Italy’s history, culture and genius so incomparable.

I know I am repeating myself when I say that excellence can only be attained by making sacrifices, working hard, gaining people’s trust and showing bravery and plenty of heart. That is why Mapei has always been seriously involved in social projects. All this is part of a world vision that involves investment in the community. Growing also means helping others grow, drawing on your own resources for the common good. Solidarity is a key value that  is only too familiar to Italian immigrants. It  is based in their deep sense of belonging to their own community and the Italian spirit.

Expanding the United States was more difficult than in Canada. Mapei had to make a name for itself in a much bigger market. In the beginning, we only operated in Arizona, but then things changed when we took over L&M, North American Adhesives and the West Chicago plant in 1996. Our strategy was to grow through acquisition. Results prove that we took the right approach.

Your role is different nowadays: you are now the honorary chairman of Mapei Corp. and also in charge of real estate development. Why is this such a strategic business?

Our strategy was to grow organically through additional sales and to also grow by acquiring existing manufacturing facilities; so my aim was, first and foremost, to find good acquisitions. Real estate is simply a consequence of our growth over the few years.

For some years now you have been in charge of Polyglass USA: what do you think of Polyglass’s operations in North America?

Polyglass is another successful Mapei project that is part of our growth strategy through acquisitions. Initial investment in modernising the plants, adapting the sales strategies and developing new products provided the input for interesting structural growth, which was also helped along by excellent management work.

Another challenge successfully overcome and further visible proof of a winning approach in North America.

What were and what are the factors that contributed - and still contribute – to Polyglass’s growth in the United States?

Polyglass’s constant and, hopefully, unstoppable growth is something Mapei is extremely proud of. The quality of the products and sales/marketing strategies are, and remain, a magical, winning formula.

Mapei means integration, cooperation and synergic growth: the team is the same and if one person wins, we all win. We must constantly strive to do better. If we want to call this being competitive, then healthy competition is welcome. Italian people living outside their home country have always had to work doubly hard to prove just half of what they are capable of, but we are always focused on achieving excellence: that is our ultimate target.

It is an immense pleasure to work with both Polyglass and Mapei and achieve increasingly rewarding results.