Mape

About Mape

In 1937, on the outskirts of Milan, Rodolfo Squinzi, with the support of his wife Elsa and a team of seven, founded a small building materials business. He called it Mapei, an acronym for Auxiliary Materials for Building and Industry. Initially a producer of paints and masonry products, the company found its first major opportunity by specializing in adhesives, particularly for the burgeoning linoleum market. The second generation, led by son Giorgio Squinzi from 1984, ignited the company's global expansion. The playbook was simple but effective: internationalize to be closer to regional markets and keep transport costs down. A pivotal moment came in 1974 when Mapei supplied the materials for the athletics tracks at the Montreal Olympics, putting the company on the world stage. This event marked the beginning of a strategy focused on four pillars: Internationalization, Research & Development, Specialization, and Sustainability. Today, Mapei remains a private company, controlled by the Squinzi family for three generations. After Giorgio's passing in 2019, his children, Veronica and Marco Squinzi, took over as joint CEOs, with his sister Laura Squinzi as Chairman of the Board. The company has never had an IPO, instead fueling its growth through strategic acquisitions and reinvesting 5% of revenue back into R&D. This long-term vision has allowed Mapei to become a global leader in chemical products for the building industry, with its materials used in everything from the Guggenheim Museum to the Panama Canal.