Rubens Menin, president of MRV Engineering, founder of CNN Brasil and Banco Inter, is a businessman with exemplary success trajectory. Minas Gerais from Belo Horizonte and great-grandson of Italians, it symbolizes very well the work ethic of Italian-Brazilians.
Born in Belo Horizonte on March 12, 1956, Rubens Menin Teixeira de Souza is the youngest child in a family of four children. Geraldo Teixeira de Souza e Maura Menin.
The Menin family represents with praise the engineer profession, a tradition started by his paternal grandfather, an engineer specialized in hydrology, who built more than 30 small hydroelectric plants.
This passion for engineering was followed by his parents, Geraldo and Maura, and perpetuated by Rubens Menin and his brothers Sérgio and Ângela, as well as his children and nephews.
Example of mother
His mother, Maura Menin, was the fourth engineer graduated from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and one of the first to hold a management position in the area.
Pioneer in the use of engineering knowledge in the area of water resources, to improve and preserve water, Maura was marked by her work in this field since the 1940s.
For her contribution to engineering, Maura Menin lends her name to an award presented annually by Mining Society of Engineers (SME). The event is held every March 8th, International Women's Day, to the outstanding female engineers of the period.
With this family vocation, the natural path for Menin was the civil engineering course, which he completed at Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG)In 1978.
However, his experience in the area began earlier, at the age of 18, when he began an internship as a construction supervisor in poorest areas of the Belo Horizonte metropolitan region.
Rubens Menin founds MRV
His work supervising works on the outskirts of the capital of Minas Gerais was the seed for MRV, founded in 1979 by him, his cousin Mário Lúcio Pinheiro Menin and company representatives Vega Engenharia Ltda. Two years later, the first masonry houses were delivered in the Vila Clóris neighborhood, in Belo Horizonte.
At the end of the 1990s, the construction company began its expansion in other regions besides Minas Gerais, such as the interior of São Paulo and the South region.
Thanks to government programs such as My home, my life, MRV became the largest developer in Latin America and one of the largest in the world. Since its inauguration, more than 300 thousand homes in 21 states and the Federal District.
In 2014, Menin announced that he would leave the company's management to dedicate himself exclusively to the board of directors. The presidency is shared between his son, Rafael Menin, and his nephew, Eduardo Fischer.
It is worth highlighting that MRV's success is intrinsically linked to the success of several areas of the Brazilian economy, as civil construction is crucial for the country.
Rubens Menin and Banco Inter
In addition to MRV, Rubens Menin is the founder of Banco Inter. The institution was launched in 1994 as Intermedium, limited to a regional operation and with appeal in the real estate market, such as offering loans secured by properties.
The expansion began with a series of regulatory changes made by the Central Bank, which stimulated the emergence of digital banks and led to a change in strategy.
The name change to Banco Inter came in 2017 and today the market value of the institution is around R$13 billion. The institution's president is João Vitor Menin, another son of MRV's founder.
other business
In addition to MRV and Inter, the businessman has other businesses, such as Log Commercial Properties, created in 2008, with a market value of approximately $ 3 billion.
The company was created to operate in the areas of incorporation, construction e location of commercial properties, such as warehouses and logistics condominiums.
The experience acquired at MRV also led to the emergence of Urbamais, in 2012, a urban subdivisions. While MRV builds projects, the subdivision company divides the areas into lots and implements the necessary infrastructure.
Most of the luck by Rubens Menin, estimated at around 15,8 billion reais, is due to the participation of 32,63% of shares in the construction company MRV Engenharia e Participações SA, in addition to 30,22% of the shares of Banco Inter SA and 30% of Log Commercial Properties.
Atlético Mineiro and CNN
In June 2018, Rubens Menin won the Ernst & Young (EY) global award best entrepreneur. In sport, he is part of a group of businesspeople who help the Club Atlético Mineiro, his favorite team, and has also been a sponsor of Bruno senna of Formula 1.
In 2012, Rubens Menin announced the purchase of 100% of Rádio Itatiaia, the most traditional radio in sports coverage in Minas Gerais.
Among its other businesses is Menin Douro Estates, company part of the group Menin Wine Company from April 2021, which operates in the production sector of wines in the Douro region, in Portugal.
Rubens Menin was also responsible, alongside the journalist Douglas Tavolaro, for bringing CNN to Brazil. The new 24-hour news channel, which is called CNN Brazil, was released in 2019.
Rubens Menin and philanthropic actions
Married with Beatriz Menin, in addition to his sons Rafael and João Vitor, he has a daughter Maria Fernanda, who was once the legal director of MRV and currently serves on the boards of the construction company and Banco Inter.
Rubens Menin is also known for philanthropy actions which he executes personally and through his companies. One of the ways to coordinate these actions is the MRV Institute, supported by the donation of 1% of the company's annual net profit, which can reach around R$6 million.
This money is invested in improvements in nurseries e formation of professors for public schools, among other purposes.
The surname Menin
The surname Menin is derived from the names Menico e minico, diminutives of the personal name Domenico, from Latin Dominicum. It can refer to children “Born on Sunday” (diem dominicam), or derive directly from Dominum, "Sir", and assume the meaning of “the Lord’s own”.
This surname indicates genealogical descent, but may also be linked to the cult of Saint Domenico.
Its main variants are Menegale, Menico, Menoni, Menecali, Menegali, Menicali, Menon, Menone, Menega, Menegalli, Menis and Menotti.
According to the Cognomix website, there are approximately 980 Menin families in Italy, with more occurrences in the following regions: Veneto (720), Lombardy (84) and Piedmont (65).
The Menin surname is 335th in popularity in the Veneto region, 241st in province of Venice and the 6th most popular in the city of Minerbe, located in the province of Verona, in Veneto.
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