We celebrated the double anniversary together with the Riello family, collaborators and our national and international sales and service network at Teatro Dal Verme in Milan. It was an evening dedicated to the history of the company, the people who have accompanied its growth and projects for the future.

On Monday 19 October, we celebrated two important anniversaries for Aermec at the Dal Verme Theatre in Milan: the 65th anniversary of its foundation and the centenary of the birth of Giordano Riello, who founded our company in 1961.

The event was attended by senior management, collaborators, sales agents from the Italian network, representatives of the service centres, sales companies and international distributors. It was an opportunity to meet again and share a significant moment in our history.

Alessandro and Raffaella Riello spoke during the evening, retracing the life of their father and the stages of the company, alternating family memories, archive images and projects for the coming years.

Giordano Riello in the memories of Alessandro and Raffaella

On stage, Alessandro and Raffaella also talked about the lesser-known side of Giordano Riello, that of his daily life in the factory and in the family.

He loved to spend time in the workshop, cycling between departments and stopping to talk to the workers. He was very knowledgeable about production and continued to be interested in it even after Aermec had become a company that operated in international markets.

Among the memories shared by the children, there is also an episode that tells of their discreteness. One day Giordano accompanied his wife Gabriella to the grocery store and waited for her in the car. The shopkeeper, not recognising him, mistook him for the new driver. He did not correct him: he got out of the car and loaded the shopping bags.

In addition to his passion for work was his passion for the mountains that he had since he was a boy and that he passed on to his children and grandchildren. Hiking, climbing and the songs of the Alps were part of his life. An alpine choir performed during the evening as a tribute to this passion.

From origins to new investments

One of the decisive moments in our history was also retraced during the event: Giordano Riello’s journey to the United States in 1957.
He left aboard the Cristoforo Colombo and, after eight days of sailing, reached New York to learn about air conditioning technologies, which were still not widespread in Europe at the time. This experience led to the project of Riello Condizionatori, which would later become Aermec.

Today, almost seventy years after that trip, we are also preparing to produce in the United States, with our first American plant in DeKalb, Illinois.

We are also continuing to invest in the Bevilacqua site, where we are building a new test chamber for the development and testing of air conditioning technologies.

Alessandro and Raffaella recalled the importance of accompanying these investments with the training and growth of people. The skills, experience and ability to transmit knowledge to the new generations remain fundamental for the future of Aermec.

An evening of music and entertainment

At Teatro Dal Verme, the speeches by Alessandro and Raffaella alternated with archive films, projections, dance choreographies and light effects that accompanied the public through the 65 years of the company.

The performance by the alpine choir paid tribute to Giordano Riello’s passion for the mountains, while the concert by Amii Stewart concluded the artistic programme.

It was also an opportunity to meet up with agents, distributors and collaborators from different countries again, spending an evening together away from the usual business appointments.

Dinner at Castello Sforzesco

At the end of the performance, the celebration continued at Castello Sforzesco, where the Aermec logo was projected onto one of the towers.

The reception and dinner took place in the illuminated courtyard in conclusion of a day that brought together people connected to our company by different backgrounds and experiences.

The presentation at the Dal Verme Theatre was ended by the words spoken together by Alessandro and Raffaella Riello:

«The story continues”.

A thought that accompanies us even after this anniversary, with the desire to continue building the future of Aermec.