Salvador Vassallo
Encyclopedia
Salvador V. Vassallo, a.k.a. "Chiry", (March 24, 1942-January 21, 2007) was the president
and CEO of Vassallo Industries
, headquartered
in Ponce, Puerto Rico
. The company produces PVC
injection moulded and extruded goods, and markets them worldwise.
in the late 19th century and settled in the town of Yauco
. Vassallo and his brothers were born in Yauco
and raised in the City of Ponce
where their father, Salvador Vassallo Sr., opened a hardware store
. Vassallo's father knew how important a good education was and made sure that his children got one. After school hours, Vassallo and his brothers, Efraín, Víctor, Félix, and Marcos, would work in the family business. Salvador Vassallo Sr. founded Vassallo Industries, Inc., a company which initially made only windows and cement blocks.
.
In 1989, Efrain David sold his interest in Vassallo Industries and all his patents to his brothers, and joined son Efrain David Jr., in the development of the Puerto Rican marble industry. Vassallo Industries, Inc., named Salvador as its president, and the company grew to become a global leader in the manufacture of PVC. Today, it has strong brand recognition in the United States
and Latin-America. In the 1980s Vassallo opened a distribution Center in Miami, Florida
, to speed up order fulfillment and cut costs.
and Wal-Mart
. The company added a research and development division to its growing empire, with emphasis on quality control. The company now has over forty patent
s for different PVC products. In January 2000, Efrain Vassallo (who is the only Puerto Rican ever named National Small Businessman of the Year (1996)) rejoined his brother in Vassallo Industries Inc as a consultant. In 2003, Vassallo Industries Inc. invested $15 million in the expansion of its facility in Ponce, in an effort to produce Polyvinyl Chloride pellets for distribution in the U.S., Caribbean
and Latin-America. In 2004, Vassallo Industries Inc. acquired Syroco Inc., a plastics manufacturer, adding manufacturing operations in California
, New York
, and Arkansas
. Syroco is one of the most prominent manufacturers of plastic furniture and wall decor in the United States. By acquiring Syroco, Vassallo Industries Inc. added Target
, Sam's Club
, Lowes and Walgreens
to its clientel.
Among the many products manufactured by the company founded by Salvador Vassallo are the following: fittings, flexible conduit, flower pots, leaf rakes, step stones, water tanks, pipes, PVC cement, kayaks and water floats. The company produces plastic furniture under the brand Signature Series Line.
. Vassallo's nephew, Jesse Vassallo
(Victor's son) is considered to be the greatest swimmer in Puerto Rican sports history and has continued the family tradition by establishing "Vassallo Unlimited".
On January 21, 2007, Salvador "Chiry" Vassallo died in the Hospital San Cristóbal in Ponce from a heart attack
. He was buried in Las Mercedes Cemetery. He is survived by his wife Olga and two children Rafael and Viviana. The Mayor
of Ponce, the Honorable Francisco Zayas Seijo
, declared three days of mourning and ordered the flags at Ponce's City Hall to be flown at half mast.
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
and CEO of Vassallo Industries
Industrias Vassallo
Industrias Vassallo, Inc. is a worldwide leader in the production of PVC injection moulded and extruded goods, and manufacturer and distributor of PVC pipes and accessories, related plastics products, and resin furniture. The company is located in Barrio Coto Laurel in Ponce, Puerto Rico. In...
, headquartered
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
in Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
. The company produces PVC
Polyvinyl chloride
Polyvinyl chloride, commonly abbreviated PVC, is a thermoplastic polymer. It is a vinyl polymer constructed of repeating vinyl groups having one hydrogen replaced by chloride. Polyvinyl chloride is the third most widely produced plastic, after polyethylene and polypropylene. PVC is widely used in...
injection moulded and extruded goods, and markets them worldwise.
Early years
Vassallo's (birth name: Salvador V. Vassallo Ruiz) grandparents migrated from ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in the late 19th century and settled in the town of Yauco
Yauco, Puerto Rico
Yauco is a city and municipality in southwestern Puerto Rico located in the southern coast of the island by the Caribbean, south of Maricao, Lares and Adjuntas; east of Sabana Grande and Guánica; and west of Guayanilla. Yauco is spread over 20 wards and Yauco Pueblo...
. Vassallo and his brothers were born in Yauco
Yauco, Puerto Rico
Yauco is a city and municipality in southwestern Puerto Rico located in the southern coast of the island by the Caribbean, south of Maricao, Lares and Adjuntas; east of Sabana Grande and Guánica; and west of Guayanilla. Yauco is spread over 20 wards and Yauco Pueblo...
and raised in the City of Ponce
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
where their father, Salvador Vassallo Sr., opened a hardware store
Hardware store
Hardware stores, sometimes known as DIY stores, sell household hardware including: fasteners, hand tools, power tools, keys, locks, hinges, chains, plumbing supplies, electrical supplies, cleaning products, housewares, tools, utensils, paint, and lawn and garden products directly to consumers for...
. Vassallo's father knew how important a good education was and made sure that his children got one. After school hours, Vassallo and his brothers, Efraín, Víctor, Félix, and Marcos, would work in the family business. Salvador Vassallo Sr. founded Vassallo Industries, Inc., a company which initially made only windows and cement blocks.
Salvador joins family business
After Vassallo graduated from college, he went to work in as a salesman for his father's business. Traveling throughout Puerto Rico taking orders from established customers, he made new contacts with potential customers. These skills would serve him well when Vassallo and his brothers inherited the business. In the 1950s, Vassallo's brother Efrain David, an engineer and the oldest of the Vassallo brothers, saw the potential in plasticPlastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
.
Vassallo Industries Inc.
As a consequence of Efrain's vision, in 1962 Vassallo Industries Inc. pioneered the manufacture and distribution of plastic pipe and fittings for sanitary and electrical applications. In 1972, Salvador Vassallo Sr. died and the company was inherited by his sons. Efrain David was President and Chief Executive Officer of Vassallo Industries Inc. from 1978 to 1989. During those 11 years the firm had a net profit of over $25 million, as audited by Deloitte, Haskins & Sells, 1978-89.In 1989, Efrain David sold his interest in Vassallo Industries and all his patents to his brothers, and joined son Efrain David Jr., in the development of the Puerto Rican marble industry. Vassallo Industries, Inc., named Salvador as its president, and the company grew to become a global leader in the manufacture of PVC. Today, it has strong brand recognition in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Latin-America. In the 1980s Vassallo opened a distribution Center in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, to speed up order fulfillment and cut costs.
Vassallo Molding Company and other ventures
In 1989 Salvador bought out his brothers and became president and chairman, assuming the CEO post in 2002. In the 1990s Vassallo founded Vassallo Molding Company for the manufacture of plastic furniture and household goods. In 1997, Home Depot became a client in addition to KmartKmart
Kmart, sometimes styled as "K-Mart," is a chain of discount department stores. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation. The company was founded in 1962 and is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and...
and Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
. The company added a research and development division to its growing empire, with emphasis on quality control. The company now has over forty patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s for different PVC products. In January 2000, Efrain Vassallo (who is the only Puerto Rican ever named National Small Businessman of the Year (1996)) rejoined his brother in Vassallo Industries Inc as a consultant. In 2003, Vassallo Industries Inc. invested $15 million in the expansion of its facility in Ponce, in an effort to produce Polyvinyl Chloride pellets for distribution in the U.S., Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and Latin-America. In 2004, Vassallo Industries Inc. acquired Syroco Inc., a plastics manufacturer, adding manufacturing operations in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. Syroco is one of the most prominent manufacturers of plastic furniture and wall decor in the United States. By acquiring Syroco, Vassallo Industries Inc. added Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
, Sam's Club
Sam's Club
Sam's Club is a chain of membership-only retail warehouse clubs owned and operated by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., founded in 1983 and named after Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. , the Sam's Club chain serves more than 47 million U.S. members...
, Lowes and Walgreens
Walgreens
Walgreen Co. , doing business as Walgreens , is the largest drugstore chain in the United States of America. As of August 31st, the company operates 8,210 locations across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1901, and has since expanded...
to its clientel.
Among the many products manufactured by the company founded by Salvador Vassallo are the following: fittings, flexible conduit, flower pots, leaf rakes, step stones, water tanks, pipes, PVC cement, kayaks and water floats. The company produces plastic furniture under the brand Signature Series Line.
Later years
Salvador Vassallo's son, Rafael Vassallo, was named the president of Vassallo Industries Inc. and executive vice president of Syroco Inc. Salvador Vassallo continued to be the CEO of the company and president of the Export Council of Puerto RicoPuerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. Vassallo's nephew, Jesse Vassallo
Jesse Vassallo
Jesse Vassallo , is a Puerto Rican Olympic and World Record holding swimmer. He swam in international competitions for the United States and qualified for two-Olympic teams: 1980 and 1984. In 1997, he became the first Puerto Rican to be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame...
(Victor's son) is considered to be the greatest swimmer in Puerto Rican sports history and has continued the family tradition by establishing "Vassallo Unlimited".
On January 21, 2007, Salvador "Chiry" Vassallo died in the Hospital San Cristóbal in Ponce from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
. He was buried in Las Mercedes Cemetery. He is survived by his wife Olga and two children Rafael and Viviana. The Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Ponce, the Honorable Francisco Zayas Seijo
Francisco Zayas Seijo
Dr. Francisco R. Zayas Seijo, D.V.M., also known as Ico , is a former member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives and mayor of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico...
, declared three days of mourning and ordered the flags at Ponce's City Hall to be flown at half mast.