By Dr. Piergiorgio Recalcati – On Wednesday, 28 May 2014, Gianmario Beretta was killed in lightweight aircraft crash in Northern Italy. Mr. Beretta was the founder of TENAX Group, one of the world’s widest-reaching geosynthetics manufacturing companies, and served at the company’s helm for several decades.
Gianmario Beretta was an outstanding pioneer in the plastic production sector. He developed innovative geosynthetics for use in civil engineering projects and in soil and environmental protection. His initial ideas led to the issuing of huge amounts of patents, and his management helped the company to become an international group, with branches and production plants in Europe, China and America.
In recent years, Gianmario had taken a deeper interest in lightweight aircraft. Aviation and, in particular, gliding had long been a passion of his—so much so that he founded a company (Alisport) that specializes in the production of high-quality aircraft, some of which were even designed by Gianmario himself.
His exceptional business nous, combined with perseverance and the ability to handle any technical or productive aspect of the company with a brilliant sense of eclecticism, were the key to his extraordinary career and Tenax’s growth. Gianmario devoted himself to all his activities with boundless passion and enthusiasm.
Partners, employees and even competitors will always have a special memory of Gianmario Beretta: the lasting memory of a sober and elegant man, bashful, with little desire to stick to the mundane, always ready to accept any challenge, at times impulsive, a quality typically found in those who are capable of producing real “strokes of genius.”
Dr. Piergiorgio Recalcati is with TENAX SpA. Geosynthetica would also like to thank Daniele Cazzuffi (CESI SpA) for his assistance with and contributions to this obituary.
