Alfredo Fortabat
Encyclopedia
Alfredo Fortabat was a prominent Argentine industrialist.
, a small city in Buenos Aires Province
, in 1894; his parents, Helen Pourtal and Lucien Fortabat, were recently-arrived French Argentine
s. Lucien Fortabat was named Director of Azul's important French language school and later Director of the Banco Comercial, which enabled his son, Alfredo, to attend the Sorbonne
. The elder Fortabat died in 1921, however, and upon Alfredo's return in 1924, local cement kiln
owners encouraged him to invest in the growing industry.
The 1926 discovery of large limestone
deposits at the San Jacinto Estancia inherited from his father led Fortabat to open a cement factory in the nearby pampas hamlet of Loma Negra (south of Olavarría
); the choice of location prompted him to christen the company Loma Negra
("Black Mound"). The cement plant was built in 1927, and Fortabat protected his venture in its early years partly by buying voting shares in competitors' boards.
Fortabat, whose marriage to Magdalena Corti Maderna ended in divorce, met a young Buenos Aires
heiress, Amalia Lacroze
, during a 1941 Teatro Colón function, and the two began a relationship. Planning to wed, they were impeded by Argentina's then-conservative nuptial laws, which precluded separated couples from remarrying. The marriage, which ultimately took place in neighboring Uruguay
, became recognized in Argentina following a reform signed into law by President Juan Perón
, in 1951. Mrs. Fortabat's gregariousness and knowledge of four foreign languages helped create a close business partnership as well as marriage, though it later suffered from a number of publicly-reported infidelities.
Loma Negra grew alongside the Argentine economy; by the early 1950s, the company produced 500,000 tons of cement annually and accounted for 70% of the cement sold to the Ministry of Public Works, for instance (his prominence as a building materials supplier during the Perón years triggered investigations against Loma Negra following the populist leader's 1955 overthrow, though charges were later dropped). New facilities in the Andes
-range cities of San Juan
and Zapala
, opened during the 1960s, made Loma Negra the leader in cement and concrete production nationally.
The industrialist invested generously in employee housing and in 1930, established a largely self-contained community adjacent the cement works ("Villa Alfredo Fortabat"). The proprietor of 160,000 hectares (400,000 acres) of prime pampas land in his later years, he established the charitable Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat Foundation, in 1971.
Alfredo Fortabat died in Buenos Aires on January 19, 1976, upon which his widow became the President and nearly sole owner of Loma Negra
.
Life and times
Alfredo Fortabat was born in AzulAzul, Buenos Aires
Azul is the head city of the Azul Partido, located at the center of the Buenos Aires Province in Argentina, 300 km south of Buenos Aires. It has 63,000 inhabitants as per the ....
, a small city in Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
, in 1894; his parents, Helen Pourtal and Lucien Fortabat, were recently-arrived French Argentine
French Argentine
A French Argentine is an Argentine citizen of full or partial French ancestry. French Argentines form the third or fourth largest ancestry group after Italian Argentines, Spanish Argentines, and perhaps German Argentines...
s. Lucien Fortabat was named Director of Azul's important French language school and later Director of the Banco Comercial, which enabled his son, Alfredo, to attend the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
. The elder Fortabat died in 1921, however, and upon Alfredo's return in 1924, local cement kiln
Cement kiln
Cement kilns are used for the pyroprocessing stage of manufacture of Portland and other types of hydraulic cement, in which calcium carbonate reacts with silica-bearing minerals to form a mixture of calcium silicates...
owners encouraged him to invest in the growing industry.
The 1926 discovery of large limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
deposits at the San Jacinto Estancia inherited from his father led Fortabat to open a cement factory in the nearby pampas hamlet of Loma Negra (south of Olavarría
Olavarría
Olavarría is a city in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, located. It is the capital of the Olavarría Partido and has over 111,320 inhabitants, per the ....
); the choice of location prompted him to christen the company Loma Negra
Loma Negra
Loma Negra Companía Industrial Argentina S.A. is an Argentine manufacturer and the country's leading maker of cement, concrete, and lime.-History:...
("Black Mound"). The cement plant was built in 1927, and Fortabat protected his venture in its early years partly by buying voting shares in competitors' boards.
Fortabat, whose marriage to Magdalena Corti Maderna ended in divorce, met a young Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
heiress, Amalia Lacroze
María Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat
María Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat is a prominent Argentine executive and philanthropist.-Life and times:María Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat was born in 1921 to a prominent Argentine family; a grandfather, Federico Lacroze, developed Buenos Aires' first tramway line, in the 1880s...
, during a 1941 Teatro Colón function, and the two began a relationship. Planning to wed, they were impeded by Argentina's then-conservative nuptial laws, which precluded separated couples from remarrying. The marriage, which ultimately took place in neighboring Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, became recognized in Argentina following a reform signed into law by President Juan Perón
Juan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer, and politician. Perón was three times elected as President of Argentina though he only managed to serve one full term, after serving in several government positions, including the Secretary of Labor and the Vice Presidency...
, in 1951. Mrs. Fortabat's gregariousness and knowledge of four foreign languages helped create a close business partnership as well as marriage, though it later suffered from a number of publicly-reported infidelities.
Loma Negra grew alongside the Argentine economy; by the early 1950s, the company produced 500,000 tons of cement annually and accounted for 70% of the cement sold to the Ministry of Public Works, for instance (his prominence as a building materials supplier during the Perón years triggered investigations against Loma Negra following the populist leader's 1955 overthrow, though charges were later dropped). New facilities in the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
-range cities of San Juan
San Juan, Argentina
San Juan is the capital city of the Argentine province of San Juan in the Cuyo region, located in the Tulúm Valley, west of the San Juan River, at above mean sea level, with a population of around 112,000 as per the ....
and Zapala
Zapala
Zapala is a city in the Patagonian province of Neuquén, Argentina with about 32,000 inhabitants according to the .The city is located at the geographic center of the province at the confluence of national and provincial roads, on a route to the Andes and Chile...
, opened during the 1960s, made Loma Negra the leader in cement and concrete production nationally.
The industrialist invested generously in employee housing and in 1930, established a largely self-contained community adjacent the cement works ("Villa Alfredo Fortabat"). The proprietor of 160,000 hectares (400,000 acres) of prime pampas land in his later years, he established the charitable Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat Foundation, in 1971.
Alfredo Fortabat died in Buenos Aires on January 19, 1976, upon which his widow became the President and nearly sole owner of Loma Negra
Loma Negra
Loma Negra Companía Industrial Argentina S.A. is an Argentine manufacturer and the country's leading maker of cement, concrete, and lime.-History:...
.