CMB has celebrated its first 110 years focusing on the future challenges
A unanimous appeal for investments to relaunch the market which has been hard hit by the crisis.
On Friday 30 November, in the splendid setting of the Municipal Theatre of Carpi, CMB celebrated its first 110 years
with an afternoon of meetings that focused its attention on a depressed market and the ability of the Carpi cooperative to keep its finances always in the black thanks to the know-how, the ability to extend its expertise into services and a quality of works recognised also abroad.
The event, which ended with a concert by the flautist Andrea Griminelli, brought together figures from the financial, institutional and administrative world such as the Mayor of Carpi Alberto Bellelli, the Mayor of Modena Gian Carlo Muzzarelli and the governor of the Emilia-Romagna Region Stefano Bonaccini, politicians and figures from the cooperative world such as the national President Legacoop Mauro Lusetti, the professor of economic history Giulio Sapelli, the general manager of Bpm Domenico de Angelis and the CEO of Unipol Carlo Cimbri, besides the bishop, clients and members, the real soul of the cooperative.
The journalist Ettore Tazzioli introduced and coordinated the two sessions of addresses, the first dedicated to the works completed, from the skyscrapers of Citylife which have changed the Milan skyline, to hospitals in Italy and Denmark, and then the shopping centres and large infrastructures such as the A1 Mortorway Deviation (Variante di Valico) and the Salerno Reggio-Calabria motorway. It was a way of telling CMB’s story with the voice of its key players: the working members, the engineers and technicians on the job every day. The programme was supported by audio-visuals that progressively introduced CMB’s specialisations.
Attention was then focused on the future with a round table that sought to outline the scenarios and prospects for the development of the building industry, but not only. Professor Sapelli, a friend of CMB for many years, took part in the writing of a book published for the one hundred and tenth anniversary (Centodieci), and highlighted the need to relaunch investments, a process that had been hindered by “an excess of regulation” blocking the market.
The governor of the Emilia-Romagna Region launched from the stage of the Municipal Theatre an appeal to the government to give the go-ahead to important infrastructure projects considered fundamental for the two Emilia-Romagna industrial districts, the biomedical one and the ceramic one: the Campogalliano-Sassuolo link road and the Cispadana road. Mauro Lusetti then took the floor and, referring to the crisis in the construction sector, underlined how CMB had been able to produce Made in Italy quality also in the building market, making use of technologies and new skills.
The concluding remarks were assigned to the president of CMB, Carlo Zini who, as customary, chose to celebrate the many members, people, women and men that, in the past and still in the present, have made and make the cooperative strong in a difficult market. “For a cooperative the only real asset are the people” he said. “And CMB has a secret: that of managing to do great things, to stay on the market while also having excellent relationships with its clients. We don’t like arguing, but resolving problems and seeking to obtain a correct remuneration for our work. Thanks to this, we have had 110 years of financial statements showing a profit and are able, therefore, to send out a strong message of optimism before the toast and a see you again in ten years”.