It was not a celebration-or at least not only! The party that Paso offered to partners, suppliers, and employees on the occasion of its 50th birthday had the flavor of sharing: as per the words of Antonio Faccioni, CEO of Paso since the owner family of FBT decided to take it over in 2012, the company wanted to thank all those who have directly or indirectly contributed to its growth. The way Paso chose to do this was a journey: into nature, to remember Paso’s vocation for sustainability, into the environment, territory and culture that have “nurtured” the company’s history. And Paso’s clientele being international, so too was the group of people who were given an appointment last May 25 for a rich itinerary in one of the most beautiful areas of Lombardy: Lake Maggiore.
A journey to celebrate Paso
Despite a very unstable spring weather, the day was full of sunshine: fortunately, because rain would have spoiled a beautiful program designed mainly to be spent outdoors. First stop, the Alpinia Garden in Stresa, which brings together more than a thousand botanical species from the alpine and subalpine belts, and which offers from its slopes on Mount Mottarone a breathtaking view of the entire Lake and the surrounding mountains.
Back in the valley, the route continued by water: after skirting the shores of the lake we landed in Angera, on the southeastern shores of the lake: with a short walk we reached the Rocca, owned by the Borromeo family since the mid-1500s, from which the entire southern shore is dominated.
The guests were gathered in the large frescoed hall where Antonio Faccioni, interviewed by Monica Bertolo – Director of the newspaper S News – traced the history of the company from its origins under the historic Geloso brand – of which Paso still owns the intellectual property – to the establishment of Paso in 1973; a company that has always been able to renew itself while remaining an interpreter of the most straightforward Made in Italy, cultivated through in-house design and production.
Looking to the future more than to the past, as Faccioni encouraged us to do in his speech, the 50th year was also the time of a momentous announcement by Paso: its entry into the world of distribution, choosing the field of fire detection, in harmony with its historical business. As a result, since May Paso has been the exclusive distributor for Italy of Honeywell Morley: “This allows us to offer our customers direct access to a complete range of advanced safety and security solutions: Honeywell Morley products are internationally known for their quality, reliability and outstanding performance.”
Later, during a brief direct interview, Faccioni explained, “Honeywell Morley’s fire proposals complement Paso’s historical one related to EVAC; initially we will focus on Italy but, considering Paso’s international vocation, we count on a possible expansion abroad. Our staff is already expanding: initially with a contact person from the new distribution, and soon a technical and a commercial profile will be added, to constitute a real, new BU.”
The evening and greetings
The evening ended with dinner in a magical place: the large terrace overlooking Lake Maggiore and a vibrant sunset, and then moved on to the courtyard, where a video mapping show took place on the castle walls with images of Paso’s history to the present day.
The cutting of the cake was followed by testimonies from Paso’s collaborators and employees, from historic Technical Director Lorenzo Moioli now retired, to Hasna Nahdi, who has given a major boost to internationalization in recent years, to Sales Director, Roberto Megazzini who, visibly moved, recalled 25 years of work in a company that is both family-owned and has an international profile, “where we celebrate baptisms or birthdays together, and at the same time work with large clients in Asia or the Middle East.”
Monica Bertolo, of course, also invited Mauro Tanoni, President of FBT and Paso’s main shareholder, for a comment: “When we set out on this new adventure, which was not always easy, we knew that we would quickly return to being an international player. We reach these goals thanks to the contribution of everyone, from clients to employees, but in particular I would like to thank Antonio Faccioni, an indispensable shoulder to build what we are celebrating today.”
Thanks to Paso for involving us in this important event, during which we also felt we were partners with this important company that helped make the history of Systems Integration in Italy…and beyond.
