Business Leader Antônio Roso Receives the Medalha do Mérito Farroupilha

Published on May 17, 2018

Late on Wednesday afternoon (the 15th), the Legislative Assembly presented the Medalha do Mérito Farroupilha to business leader Antônio Roso, at the proposal of state representative Vilmar Zanchin (MDB). Representative Juliano Roso (PCdoB), 1st vice president of the Assembly, represented President Marlon Santos (PDT) at the ceremony, held in the Júlio de Castilhos hall. Among the authorities attending the event was the Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, Odacir Klein, representing Governor José Ivo Sartori. Representative Sérgio Turra (PP) was also present.

In his remarks, Representative Zanchin recalled that, over the course of a legislative term, each member may nominate only one person to receive the honor. “It is therefore a unique moment of the utmost importance. And precisely because it is a special tribute, I looked to my own region, close to home. Hence the choice of someone who could receive this honor, with great meaning for the community,” he explained, addressing the honoree.

He continued: “It is an honor to know a figure who serves as a model for business leaders and an example of altruism through the social work he does, dear Antônio Roso. You were born in Linha 18 Roso, in the deep countryside of Rio Grande do Sul, into a large family of Italian descent, people for whom a love of work is in their DNA. This honor, dear Roso, is bestowed on you by the people of Rio Grande do Sul, represented in this House. I am very happy to be here on behalf of my homeland and our region and to propose this distinction,” the MDB representative emphasized.

Career

Tracing the business leader's path, he recalled that from a very young age, “Antoninho (as he was affectionately called) already stood out. At 17, he moved to Porto Alegre to study and work. Later, back in Marau, he invested in a snack bar and a movie theater and went back to school, earning a law degree from the University of Passo Fundo. But that boy who was growing up and dreaming big was only taking the first steps toward a challenging and equally promising future. At the end of 1975, together with other entrepreneurs, he founded the Arcovila metalworks, the predecessor of the great Metasa S/A,” he said.

From then on, the path of business leader Antônio Roso was one of many challenges and great victories. “How many entrepreneurs look to Antônio Roso's way of working as a model? Anyone from Marau and Passo Fundo knows what I mean. A bold, daring man, focused on results-driven strategies,” he summarized. However, for Zanchin, the business leader should also be remembered for his social engagement: vice president of CIERGS/FIERGS, member of the CNI and of Rio Grande do Sul's PGQP; president of the Marau Commercial and Industrial Association; chairman of the Board of Directors; founder of Unisaúde; and largely responsible for bringing SENAI and the SESI school to Marau. In addition, he is the founder and current chairman of the Deliberative Council of Hospital Cristo Redentor in Marau.

“It goes without saying, but it is important to mention, how much the HCR's services and physical facilities have improved since Antônio Roso began leading this healthcare institution,” he stressed.

According to Vilmar Zanchin, the honor carries a feeling that expresses what the people of Marau and the region feel for the honoree: gratitude. “Yes, this word expresses the deepest recognition of a man who began his life on the farm, dreamed, worked very hard, faced the obstacles inherent to the market, and overcame the trials life presented to him. No barrier in his personal life or the business world was greater than his determination, courage, discipline and dedication to work,” the representative praised.

In closing, Zanchin emphasized that the tribute represented “a small part of the thanks and gratitude we owe to you and your life story, which inspires us all. The tribute is more than deserved.”

A Medal for God

Business leader Antônio Roso said he was honored by the distinction, the most important award of the State Legislature, which bears the name Farroupilha, a term used on occasions of distinction. “Such an honor comes at the initiative of a great representative. To him, Vilmar Zanchin, my esteem and gratitude.”

He noted that the tribute takes on special meaning “since, throughout my career, even in the face of challenges and difficulties, I have maintained an optimistic and consistent attitude. I have always believed in and invested in the state and, despite the most difficult years we have been through, I continue to believe strongly in the capacity of our people, the people of Rio Grande do Sul, to overcome. Surely, [better] years are ahead,” he said.

He also thanked the companies and organizations he belongs to, with which “I share this moment, as well as with friends, employees and partners working on many fronts.” He noted, however, that despite the many achievements, “there is still much to be done in such an unequal society. We have to do our part and believe in a better country,” he stressed.

Finally, he dedicated the medal to God, “who placed me here, on this land, with the ability to build businesses and, in some way, contribute to improving society.” He emphasized that the current crisis is political, not economic. “In the next elections, we must choose those who want to move forward, pulling the state and the country out of their current lethargy,” he urged.

Mayors, city council members, family members and friends of the honoree also attended the ceremony.

Board of the Assembly

On behalf of the Assembly's Board, Representative Juliano Roso congratulated Representative Zanchin on the initiative, “a fine and well-deserved tribute to entrepreneur Antônio Roso. Each representative, dear Roso, is entitled to only one medal every four years. And I am sure that my colleague Zanchin's choice comes from the heart, for everything you, Mr. Roso, have done for Rio Grande do Sul,” he said. The state, Juliano Roso continued, “thanks you for believing in Rio Grande do Sul and in our potential, for what you have done and continue to do, for believing, and for creating jobs and income, generating opportunities and development. Just like the community of Marau, on behalf of Passo Fundo I thank you for your work in our community,” he noted.

Biography

The son of Mário Roso and Amábile Cristhan Roso, Antônio Roso was born on February 9, 1947, in the Linha 18 Roso community, then part of Guaporé and today Vila Maria, in Rio Grande do Sul. Of Italian descent, he was the eighth child in a family of ten siblings. Family ties are his strongest values. He holds a law degree from UPF.

Entrepreneurship is in Roso's DNA: from market vendor at age 17, he became one of the most respected business leaders in Rio Grande do Sul and in Brazil. On December 30, 1975, in the city of Marau, he and a group of entrepreneurs founded the Arcovila Ltda metalworks, which in 1986 was renamed Metasa s/a Indústria Metalúrgica.

Today the company is one of the largest in Brazil, a pioneer in developing engineering, fabrication and erection solutions in steel structures for the construction, infrastructure, mining, oil and gas, and pulp and paper segments, as well as the petrochemical and steel industries. It meets its clients' needs through distinctive and innovative solutions.

Now 42 years old, the company operates in accordance with the sector's health, safety, social and environmental responsibility standards and procedures. Its installed capacity is approximately 3,500 metric tons per month, and its workforce includes more than 600 employees. Antônio Roso is currently CEO of Metasa, which has manufacturing units in Marau and Charqueadas.

Exactly thirty years after founding Metasa, in 2005 Roso created Bsbios – Energia Renovável, with plants in Passo Fundo, RS, and Marialva, Paraná. Bsbios was founded for the specific purpose of producing biodiesel. It has a modern fuel production plant with the capacity to produce more than 100 million liters per year, using soybeans, canola, castor beans and sunflower as raw materials. It generates more than 350 direct jobs and a growing number of indirect jobs.

In addition to boosting the local economy, the company drives regional development by engaging and strengthening family farming. More than 40% of the raw materials it uses come from around 15,000 small producers.

Today, business leader Antônio Roso's main challenge is diversifying his range of activities. This year, Passo Fundo Shopping will open, a venture in which he also has a stake.

Roso is also very active on the political and business scene as a member of several organizations, where he promotes the development of the industrial sector in Rio Grande do Sul. He is a member of the committee of the Rio Grande do Sul Quality Program (PGQP); a board member of the National Confederation of Industry (CNI), representing Fiergs; and was regional vice president of the Center of Industries of RS (Ciergs) under the administrations of Heitor José Muller, Paulo Tigre, Renan Proença and Dagoberto Lima Godoi.

The Medal

The Medalha do Mérito Farroupilha is the highest honor of the Rio Grande do Sul State Legislature. It was established by Board Resolution No. 381 of December 13, 1995, to honor Brazilian or foreign citizens who, for significant reasons, have earned the recognition of the Legislative Assembly of RS.

News story: Celso Luiz Bender - MTE 5771 | News Agency - 7:10 p.m. - 05/16/2018 - Editing: Sheyla Scardoelli - MTE 6727 - Photo: Marcelo Bertani

Published at:

http://www2.al.rs.gov.br/noticias/ExibeNoticia/tabid/5374/IdOrigem/1/IdMateria/314036/language/pt-BR/Default.aspx