Lucio
Tan In 1970, Tan brought to the country an advanced hog-raising facility from Taiwan and set up Foremost Farms in Tanay, Rizal. The farm now operates on a 146-hectare facility and has an average daily production of 50 metric tons of hogs for the domestic market making it one of the largest hog farms in Southeast Asia. In 1977, Tan acquired from the Philippine government the defunct General Bank and Trust Company which he renamed Allied Bank. In 1978, Tan ventured into building and construction when he bought Riverside Steel Inc. which was renamed Grandspan Development Corporation. To date, Grandspan has been involved in the construction of power plants, high rise buildings, bridges, airport terminal and hangars, and other structures. In 1982, after then President Ferdinand Marcos lifted the ban on the establishment of new beer companies, Tan established Asia Brewery, a beverage company. In 1985, Tan bought Century Park Hotel. Twenty-two years after the establishment of his flagship business venture plus a bank, a hotel, a hog-raising farm, a construction company, and a beverage company, it's time to pay if forward. Tan established the Tan Yan Kee Foundation in 1986 in honor of the late Tan family patriarch. The Foundation's principal projects are in support of education, culture and sports, research, health, and social welfare, and manpower development. In 1988, the Lucio Tan Group of Companies acquired Tanduay Distillery, the oldest maker of rum, from the Elizalde Family. Tan and his group launched a plant modernization and expansion program that increased Tanduay's production by almost 50 times. Realizing that education is the only way to escape poverty, Tan also heavily invested in education. He bought the University of the East in 1990 and he considers this his biggest feat in promoting education in the country. In 1993, the country's national flag carrier, Philippine Airlines joins the list of companies that Lucio Tan controls and manages. In 1995, he founded yet another company in the aviation industry. The Macro Asia Corporation was envisioned to be the leading provider of aviation and logistics services. This vision has become a reality as Macro Asia Corporation is now the provider of technical ground handling, engineering and maintenance services, and catering services to majority of the international airlines. In 2000, Tan has become the majority stockholder of Philippine National Bank. The merger of PNB and Allied Bank is expected to be completed before the end of this year. Although he considers himself a Filipino, Tan credits the deep influence of classical Chinese wisdom for his success in the fierce business world in and outside of the Philippines. He also has a strong faith in the tenets of Confucianism. Hobbies and interests include flying helicopters and reading books. To date, Lucio Tan's Group of Companies provides jobs to 50,000 people. To these employees, Lucio Tan is simply Kapitan. A nickname that is very much appropriate to him as he was able to navigate his vast businesses through rough seas and tough times. Sources:  |
Lucio Tan was born on July 17, 1934 in Fujian, China. His family
migrated to the Philippines when he was barely four years old and
first settled in Naga in the province of Bicol. He studied Chemical
Engineering at the Far Eastern University. He was first employed
as a janitor at a cigarette company then was assigned to buy leaf
tobacco in Ilocos. Perhaps, it was this experience that gave him
the knowledge and confidence to put up his own cigarette company,
the Fortune Tobacco Company in 1966. He was only 32.