Raul Anselmo Randon

Raul Randon was born on the 6^th of August 1929 in Tangará, a mountainous village in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, to a family of Italians who had emigrated towards the end of the 1800s. His father, Abramo, was one of the 18 children of his grandfather Cristoforo, who had arrived in Brazil in 1888.

At the request of his mother, Elisabetta Zanotto, Raul returned to Caxias do Sul and, at the age of 14, began working in his father's small workshop producing farming tools. After doing his compulsory military service, in 1949 he and his brother Hercilio set up a mechanical workshop, but the building burnt down in 1951. With the help of lots of other people, the pair resumed operations in another workshop, where they began designing state-of-the-art air brakes and increasingly functional and high-performance trailers.

In 1970, Randon returned to Europe for two trade fairs that showed him the potential that road transport could have throughout South America. Upon returning to Brazil, he convinced his brother to build a new factory.

The Randon enterprises were at the forefront in the production of truck trailers and railway carriages and they exported their products to about a hundred countries, creating many jobs.

Raul Randon was also known for his agri-food company located in Vicaria, which produced and marketed fine cheeses, apples, wines, oil and charcuterie.

He won various awards, acknowledgements and honours in Brazil and abroad over the years. In Italy, in 2005 he was awarded the title of Commendatore dell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic) and, in 2010, honorary citizenship and the keys to his grandfather's hometown, Cornedo Vicentino.

In 2017, he received an honorary degree in Management Engineering for his outstanding managerial skills.

He died in 2018.

Story collected in collaboration with the Centro Studi Grandi Migrazioni.