Joxe Mari Korta award for company trajectory
María Luisa Galardi, founder of the furniture company Ondarreta
María Luisa Galardi (Oiartzun,1964), founder of the furniture company Ondarreta, received the Joxe María Korta Award in honour of the professional trajectory last 22 November, “for great values of sacrifice and work.” This acknowledgment, granted by the Basque Government, coincides with the company’s 40th anniversary after its establishment in 1975. Its facilities lie in Oiartzun (Gipuzkoa, Spain). Its establishment and relaunch took shape over a foundation of “sustainable development,” applying “extra design and quality” to its products (tables and chairs, mainly). ■
María Luisa Galardi Aduriz, nominated by the company association ADEGI, received the Joxe Mari Korta 2016 Award from the Basque Government. The award ceremony took place last 22 November, in Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spain).
This award, in recognition of María Luisa Galardi’s company trajectory (Marilis), is in relation to the company Ondarreta, which she founded in 1975, when she was scarcely 21 years old.
“Measured” growth
Ondarreta’s management prioritises sustainable growth (“measured”), trust in the company’s staff and teams, along with the work of close providers (“small shops”), all under the principle of “creating value” in the local environment, with parts “Made in Basque Country” and “components almost straight from the source.”
After the crisis beginning in 2008, which they overcame thanks to effort and sacrifice, Ondarreta firmly hedged its bets on the quality and design of its furniture parts (mainly: tables and counters, chairs and benches). As of 2013, their commercial sights honed in on the market abroad. Currently, over 40% of their production is for the international market: Europe, USA, Japan, Australia, etc.
Internally, this company’s generational turnover fell to her daughters, in charge of Commercial, Production and Creativity and Design departments. Moreover, the specific Design team is led by Nadia Arratibel Galardi, academically trained at the Architectural Association School of Architecture of London, and at the Higher Technical School of Architecture of the University of Navarre. ■