Integrity, innovation, and color: Celebrating Antonio Ferretti’s legacy at Estalia Performance Coatings.
“Antonio Ferretti devoted his life to the world of paints and coatings, building a professional career that began at the Gavardo Wool Mill, continued at Reguitti and later at Colorificio Franchi, where he rose from laboratory technician to Managing Director, transforming experience and expertise into an entrepreneurial vision. From that experience came Kim Industrie Vernici, founded together with his lifelong friend, a venture that later led to the merger and the creation of the historic Franchi&Kim, which in time evolved into today's Estalia Performance Coatings Group.
Yet his greatest legacy is not the company he helped build. It is the culture he left behind. He led with integrity, moral authority and an extraordinary ability to face even the most complex situations with calmness, clarity and sound judgment, always seeking dialogue and constructive solutions. He believed that relationships were the foundation of every successful company and often reminded everyone, with the simplicity that distinguished him: "Talk to each other." A message he addressed to all employees during company events, which over the years became one of the most authentic principles of our corporate culture.
He expected rigor, responsibility and mutual respect. He often reminded our sales representatives that behind every effort made by the company there were commitment, resources and trust. In return, he asked everyone to do their part by providing the laboratory with complete and timely information, so that every investment could be transformed into tangible solutions. He constantly emphasized the importance of sharing accurate and timely data, convinced that every product is born not only from listening to the market, but also from the careful transmission of information. He taught his colleagues that every decision had to be sustainable, every investment carefully considered and every achievement pursued without ever losing sight of people.
Rational in his decisions, yet never afraid to look ahead, he firmly supported ambitious investments while always preserving the balance he considered essential: growing with ambition while keeping both feet on the ground, with respect for the company and for the families who contributed to its development every day. Until the final weeks of his life, he remained devoted to his work with the same passion and sense of responsibility that had guided him for decades. Monitoring the company's figures, safeguarding its financial balance and ensuring its long-term strength were never simply his job; they were the way he cared for the company's future. Reserved yet naturally authoritative, a man of few words and remarkable example, Antonio Ferretti taught us that respect is never imposed, but earned day after day through the consistency of one's actions.
His passing leaves a profound void in the hearts of all those who had the privilege of knowing and working alongside him. It leaves an enduring legacy of values that will continue to live on through people, through decisions and through the corporate culture he helped build.
This is the most precious legacy he leaves to Estalia and to all those who will have the privilege of carrying his journey forward in the world of color.”