Tomás Garrido, the mentor who pushed for the creation of AENIB
The Association of Nautical Companies in the Balearic Islands (AENIB) celebrates its 35th anniversary this year. As big celebrations are currently not allowed due to health concerns, the association would like to commemorate the milestone by telling the story of how the association came into existence, way back in the 80´s. One of the key people behind the founding of AENIB was Tomás Garrido.
Energetic entrepreneur in the aeronautical, electronic and computing sectors and unwavering spokesman for associations, he was the founder and president of entities like Pimem, Unió de Comerç, ATA Baleares and Fundació Deixalles, as well as vice president of the Mallorca Chamber of Commerce. It was in that role he got to know the young Margarita Dahlberg and immediately recognized her leadership qualities. Garrido explains how he convinced her to take the reins of AENIB, an association which over time has become a reference point in the nautical sector.
“We had regular meetings related to different sectors. I got to know Margarita Dahlberg in the meetings concerning the nautical sector, where she immediately demonstrated her capacity for leadership. In the meetings both Spanish and international representatives of big shipyards and large brokerages debated and exchanged ideas. And there, among the big players, sat Margarita, a young girl with clear ideas who provided a very down to earth vision of the nautical industry. While the other participants talked about global issues and juggled big numbers, she defended another perspective; truer and more Majorcan, with a realistic view on the nautical issues and the problems facing the sector. She saw the future of the sector and wanted to influence it, for the benefit of Mallorca. She imposed her personality and her knowledge of the issues, and despite debating with very important entrepreneurs, her voice and her proposals gained acceptance. I remember thinking that it was a shame leaving all this work paralyzed until the next meeting, which led to the idea of creating an association”, he narrates.
“I encouraged and supported her from the very beginning, because I saw a true leader in her. She was the right person to unite the sector, since nobody at the Chamber of Commerce knew anything about nautical issues. For this reason, I insisted that she should lead the association, instilling in her the importance of joining forces as an association for the sake of the future”, Garrido continues.
“In the beginning, the association was supported by Pimem, which provided the infrastructure and premises for the meetings. Margarita fitted in well and ended up being a member of the board of Pimem. That way she familiarized herself with association work in general, while setting up the new association”, he explains.
“In those days the nautical sector, consisting mostly of boat maintenance, was simpler”, he reminisces. “The yacht clubs had their technicians who were in charge of the maintenance. With time, the technical aspects of the boats became more sophisticated, which paved way for the entry of international competition. In fact, 70% of the 220 companies exhibiting at 1997 boat show were international. Besides, the boat and equipment manufacturers used to send their own technicians and operators from the country of origin. This didn´t benefit the unification of the sector, as the international workers came just to do their jobs and didn´t have any interest in associating themselves”, he explains. “Margarita managed to turn the tide so that the work force in the sector would increasingly be part of the island infrastructure rather than visiting workers sent by foreign companies”, he emphasizes.
The first boat shows
The founding of AENIB was accompanied by another great success of the nautical sector in the recent decades: the boat show, currently known as the Palma International Boat Show. “The first boat show took place in 1984, as it started to dawn on everybody how important the shows were for boosting the economy”, he recalls. “The first shows were located in Porto Pi, until the event was moved to Moll Vell. The change was impressive and definitely for the better. However, the Town Hall and the local fishermen had to be convinced first. The fishermen resisted the idea, as they worked in the area and spread their nets to dry on the ground there. Second or third year an agreement was finally reached with the fishermen, and they removed the nets from the area for the duration of the show. There was also some difficulty rearranging the space so that the boats could reach the area”, he reminisces.
“It is not enough to organise a show, it has to be sold as well. Luckily, a good team of people who knew the market well were involved. They used the strategy of selling the show in other nautical events, for example in the Barcelona Boat Show. This was accompanied with the idea of not selling only entries to the show, but also to sell a vacation on the island. In other words: to sell Mallorca”, he concludes.
It was precisely during the last boat show in Porto Pi when Garrido encouraged Dahlberg to join the board of AENIB as a vice president, consequently moving on to preside the association after the resignation of the then president, Gori Morell. Three decades later, AENIB is the benchmark association in the Balearic nautical sector while the Balearic Islands have turned into one of the epicentres of international yachting.
About Tomás Garrido
Born in 1936, during his long career Tomás Garrido has founded and presided numerous associations, like Pimem, Unió Comerç, ATA Baleares and Fundació Deixalles, apart from being advisor to EnsPúblic de Radiotelevisió de les Illes Balears (IB3) and Foment del Turisme de Mallorca, among the many other positions that he has combined as an entrepreneur in the aeronautical, electronic and computing sectors.
He is also a university professor in industrial electronics, specialist aeronautical technician, technical engineer and yacht master from the Merchant Marine, and has worked as a public servant in the Specialist Technical Team of the Aeronautical Specialists. His other roles include audit manager at the Centre of Air Traffic Control of Palma de Mallorca, section manager at the Control Tower and Aviation Assistance at the Air Traffic Control of Palma de Mallorca, as well as section manager for the Provisional Affiliation at the Demarcation of Coasts in the Balearics.