AN AMBASSADOR FOR VALENCIA

ARTURO VIROSQUE
TALKS TO BOB YAREHAM

Few people in the Valencian world of business have had as distinguished a career as Arturo Virosque, or are as active in as many area of Valencia’s social and cultural life.

It was no surprise therefore when in April of this year he was re-elected President of Valencia’s Chamber of Commerce, a post he has held now since May 1995.

His beginnings however were fairly humble and his profile is that of the archetypal self-made man whose working life began in the difficult years of post-war Spain, the war in question being what he refers to as the “Spanish Uncivil War”.

Arturo was only 15 when his father was paralysed and Arturo and his brother had to take over the family transportation business. At first he worked in the office, learning the ropes, and then spent a few years driving the company’s lorries until called upon to do his National Service.

He recalls the lamentable state of Spanish roads at the time, when a trip to Barcelona or Madrid could take 16 hours, and remembers a time in the late 40s when a convoy of about 12 Italian lorries came to Valencia for rice and how 8 of them turned over on the same day. Nowadays he muses the roads are too good, which means that drivers go too fast.

His company continues to be at the forefront of Spanish road haulage, having recently purchased from Germany the most powerful special, heavy transport lorry in Spain.

Today he sees his role, his hobby as he calls it, as defending Valencian businesses, and he still has a fond spot for the transportation industry. His sons runs his own company today and he is founder and has been President of the National Federation of Transport Agencies since 1981, as well as being a board member of Valencia’s Port Authority.

His passion for transport is only matched by his passion for Valencia, and for him the two passions have a common ground in that Valencia has always been the proving ground for road transport, and has produced the best lorries in Spain for the simple reason that it has always dealt in perishable goods such as foodstuffs, which make fast, efficient transportation essential.

Valencia also has the largest container park in Europe at Silla, and one of Arturo’s main purposes is to lobby and persuade regional and national government, as well as the European Union (and for this reason he travels frequently to Brussels), of the urgent need to complete the Mediterranean Corridor, linking Andalucia with the heart of Europe, through Valencia.

Another key infrastructure in his view is the High Speed Train link to Madrid (AVE), which will make the city of Valencia a viable day out for inhabitants of the capital. He emphasises that Valencia has become a major attraction for visitors with a wide attractive cultural life, so much so that even pleasure cruisers are beginning to make Valencia one of their regular ports of call.

Arturo Virosque has a finger in some of Valencia’s most prestigious pies. He is Vice President of the National Board of Spanish Chambers of Commerce and is helping to organise a convention of European Chambers of Commerce in Valencia next year. He is Vice President of Bancaja Savings Bank, Vice President of Valencia Trade Fair, member of the boards of the Valencia Tourism Agency, Valencia Congress Centre and even the Valencia Ceramic Museum.

Valencia Chamber of Commerce is involved in a wide range of activities and has its own training centre in Paterna. They train businessmen in the art of developing trade relations with China, or train immigrants to function in the world of hostelry. They also help new businesses to get off the ground with a system of “Viveros” (Nurseries), which nurture new companies until they are self-financing.

Arturo Virosque has received a wide range of medals and awards from various associations including one from King Juan Carlos in 2002 for his contribution to business.

But above all Arturo Virosque is an ambassador for Valencia, promoting its attractions and defending its interests and needs, one of which he insists is water, which is essential in order to develop; water, that he points out can arrive here by whichever way the politicians see fit, in glasses and pitchers if needs be, but which must arrive.

As I left his 9th floor office with views of his beloved Valencia, he introduced me to his next visitor, a well-known member of the Spanish Parliament for Valencia, Vicente Martínez Pujalte, who had popped in to pay his respects to his mentor. I had the feeling that there were very few important Valencian people who had not at some time passed through the threshold of Don Arturo’s door.

©2007/2008 Bob Yareham.

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