On June 24, five Santa Catarina businessmen will be awarded the Santa Catarina Order of Merit for Industry. Among them is businessman Antonio Deoclesio Pavei, founder of Construtora Pavei, a company in Crisium, in the south of the state.

Entrepreneur starts construction in Crisium Photo: Daniel Bourigault/Fapesc/Reproduction/ND

The award will be presented at the headquarters of the Federation of Industry in Florianopolis. The SC Order of Industrial Merit was established by the FIESC in 2000 to recognize individuals and organizations that contribute to Santa Catarina’s industry. No more than five awards are given per year.

Entrepreneur Cesar Gomes Jr. of the Portobello group from Tijucas receives the Order of Industrial Merit from the National Confederation of Industry, CNI. The CNI Order of Merit was established in 1958 and has been awarded to 30 industrialists from Santa Catarina to date.

Meet the Knights of the Order of Industrial Merit of Santa Catarina:

Antonio Deoclesio Pavei is the founder of Construtora Pavei. Born in Ararangua, Antonio worked with his parents and eight brothers on the family farm as a young man. He entered the civil engineering sector 50 years ago as a mason’s servant and is currently responsible for over a hundred residential and commercial properties in Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. Five of his children work for a construction company and will be his successors. Linked to work in the countryside, the businessman also maintains a soybean farm in Bahia while also running agribusiness. Actively advocating for the industry through Sinduscon, Pavey spearheaded one of the union’s largest social projects in partnership with Bairro da Juventude. An institution that helps vulnerable young people has started offering vocational training. Construtora Pavei currently employs 400 professionals and is one of the biggest supporters of Bairro da Juventude, offering financial and volunteer support across several areas of the project. Daniela Tombini, a businesswoman from Cásadora, started her professional life by making handmade slippers at home. In 1993, she founded the company that bears her name. The company was the first in Brazil to produce slippers with non-slip soles that can be machine washed. Currently, in addition to terry slippers, the industry produces bathrobes, pajamas, intimate wear, casual wear, fitness wear under the motto “dress women 24 hours a day” with the production of 900 items in each collection. The company employs more than 300 direct employees and sells its products throughout the country through a network of representatives. The brand also has six concept stores in the south of the country. According to the Great Place to Work survey, it is considered one of the best companies to work for. Daniela Tombini has achieved recognition in public social projects. At the beginning of the pandemic, she mobilized a group of volunteers to make personal protective equipment. In total, more than 10,000 gowns and 40,000 masks were donated to organizations in Hunter and the region. Eduardo Ernesto Zortea – civil engineer, graduated from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC). Eduardo was born in Capinzale and is one of the eight children of Ernesto and Alice Zortea. His father was a builder, he invested in a building materials store, crops and in the creation of warehouses for receiving grain. Following in the footsteps of his father, Eduardo took up the challenge and strengthened his position in the field of metal port construction with the creation of the Estrutural Zortéa. At present, the company has more than 370 employees in an industrial park with a built-up area of ​​14,000 square meters. The modern industrial park of metal structures has a production capacity of up to 700 tons per month. The company has a patent for a system for loading floating piers onto barges. Eduardo has also developed the Genius planter, the only one on the market that allows continuous seeding and adapts to all soils and is also available for winter crops. The family is always involved in local activities. Eduardo was the President of the Lions Club of Campos Novos and considers it important to contribute to the various organizations of the city, but always anonymously. Felipe Hansen – Born in Joinville and grandson of João Hansen Jr., founder of Tigre, Felipe Hansen currently chairs Tigre’s board of directors. The company is present in about 30 countries and employs more than 5,000 people. During his tenure, the company gained recognition for its corporate governance model and also experienced a new growth phase with important changes: the creation of Juntos Somos Mais, partnerships with Votorantim and Gerdau in 2019; acquisition in 2021 of major US player Dura Plastic; and capitalization of the company with a debt issuance in November 2021, in addition to the strategic move, the sale of 25% of the shares in February 2022. As President of CRH, the holding company that controls Grupo Tigre, leads the construction of Cidade das Águas, a smart neighborhood in Joinville, in partnership with Grupo Pedra Branca (Palhoça), in addition to projects in Campinas, Gaspare, Campo Alegre and a commercial condominium located on BR 101 in Joinville, with a total area of ​​2 million square meters in projects. Hansen leads Instituto Carlos Roberto Hansen, the social arm of Grupo Tigre, which has invested 65 million reais in more than 7,000 social projects that have benefited 5.5 million children and adolescents. Walter Osley Kerich. Born in San Jose in 1934, Walter is one of 11 children of Eugenio Raulino Querija, one of Santa Catarina’s most traditional and adventurous families. The family business started in 1955 in the “dry and wet food” segment, followed by a ham shop and soon supermarkets, retail stores (Koerich Gente Nossa, Kilar and Dular), the first Volkswagen dealership in Florianopolis (Coesa), Honda Dealership the Duas Rodas Center (Kimoto), the Koerich Consortium, as well as the construction companies Zita and Koerich Imóveis and other companies such as Macedo Koerich and Kobrasol. In 1993, the year Beiramar Shopping opened, the Kerich family split the company when Mr. Walter begins to focus on the civil engineering segment. In 2009, together with brothers Orlando and Antonio, Walter founded WOA Empreendimentos Imobiliários. In 2016, the company underwent an image restructuring and was renamed WKoerich, and most recently, in 2020 and 2021, respectively, the LK Design Hotel and K-Platz Hotel were opened, and today WKoerich has 700 employees. One of Walter Kerich’s latest projects was Mocotó Cor – Beleza Transforming Lives in partnership with Instituto Vilson Groh, which saw over 100 homes painted, in addition to revitalizing stairs, creating a street art gallery, installing playgrounds and trash cans. WKerich owns 29 public spaces in Florianopolis and San Jose. CNI INDUSTRIAL ORDER OF MERIT César Gomes Jr. – born in Florianopolis, graduated in Business Administration from the University of Santa Catarina (ESAG) and Harvard University. The businessman chairs the board of directors of Portobello S/A, a company founded by his father. Junior started his professional career when the family business was in the sugar industry. When moving into the ceramic segment, the entrepreneur started working for the company with the aim of internationalizing the company. Tijucas has over 3,400 employees, produces 30 million square meters of ceramics annually, and has a gross income of 1.4 billion reais. According to the company, 99.9% of the waste generated during the manufacturing process is recycled or recycled, contributing to the development of a closed and responsible economy. In 2020, the industry introduced the Solidarity Collective in the Portobello chain stores with social actions such as the Warm Clothes Campaign, Children’s Day, Voluntary Christmas and Blood Donation.