Four Vallemaggia firms join together in a single holding

Four construction firms in the Vallemaggia have decided to come together under a single ownership. The agreement creating VDM Holding SA was formalised on Friday and will become operational on 1 January 2027.

The new structure brings together Vedova Trasporti SA of Lavizzara, Demartini&Moretti SA of Brontallo, Mignami SA of Cevio and Campana SA of Riveo. The founding partners are Daniele Vedova, Simone Vedova, Marzio Demartini and Alessio Moretti. Together the four companies span more than 250 years of activity and employ around a hundred people, some thirty of them at Mignami alone.

Behind the operation lies a succession problem. Fratelli Campana SA, active for ninety years, had no replacement at its head and faced closure. Daniele Vedova noted that without a solution around fifteen families would have lost their source of income.

Consolidation without erasing the names

The chosen model does not involve merging the brands. Each firm keeps its own name, traditions and values, while the holding company groups the ownership. The formula cuts structural costs without dispersing the commercial relationships built up over the years.

Marzio Demartini described the choice as an act of responsibility towards the region. The mayor of Lavizzara, Gabriele Dazio, spoke of a strong signal for the whole area. The mayor of Maggia, Andrea Sartori, highlighted the preservation of jobs and social continuity in a peripheral area that is losing inhabitants.

The deal concerns a sector that in the valleys depends on local firms able to intervene quickly. Distance from the main centres makes it hard to replace a company that closes with operators from outside.

The case also shows a known weakness in the Ticino economic fabric. Many small family businesses reach the generational handover without a solution prepared in advance, and continuity then depends on the willingness of other entrepreneurs from the same valley.

It remains to be seen how the new structure will handle costs and competition for contracts. Consolidation reduces the number of independent operators in an already narrow market, and the effect on prices will become visible in the coming years.