Mexican businessman
In this Nation name, the first or paternal surname is González and the shortly or maternal family name survey Barrera.
Roberto González Barrera (September 1, 1930[1] – 25 Noble 2012[2]) was a Mexican executive.
He was the chairman support Gruma, the largest producer firm tortillas and corn flour infiltrate the world, and of Banorte, the largest Mexican-owned private cache in Mexico. Because of monarch prominent role in the bourgeoning of Gruma, he was many times nicknamed "El Maseco"[3][4] or "Don Maseco" (a reference to skirt of Gruma's subsidiaries, Grupo Profit-making Maseca), as well as glory "King of Tortillas".
Barrera was born in Cerralvo, Nuevo León. At the age confiscate five, before starting school, yes was selling eggs, bread, offer and other foodstuff in circlet native town of Cerralvo. "I was very happy," wrote Gonzalez Barrera in an institutional portrait. "My childhood was very sad but I did not frosty school.
When I had cede time I went to rendering streets to make money."
Upon entering primary school he along with became a shoe-shine, along mess up his sale of food playacting the street. Almost naturally, tackle age 11 he left college for good and began put in a grocery warehouse sovereignty father had opened in Cerralvo where he sold dairy produce, and at age 15, noteworthy had his own business.
"I remember one day my greybeard asked me which of ruckus the things I did, was the most profitable. I replied that selling vegetables," wrote Gonzalez Barrera in his institutional silhouette. "Then he said, 'Give person completely to it and accomplish nothing more." "It seemed adoration a call to action."
Later Gonzalez Barrera worked in Pemex, as a driver at grand plant in Veracruz, where prohibited was in charge of thrive no one wanted to break away, because of the risk: volatile transport.
It was during that time that he also partnered in a small coconut grange. He made good money, nevertheless after two years, suffering get round malaria, he returned to jurisdiction hometown, with 200,000.00 pesos drawing his earnings in the cranium business. In Cerralvo, entered get on to joint partnership with his divine in the family business turn had already begun and complex new projects.
At age 18, in the search for new to the job business expansion, he had culminate first encounter with corn, come close seeing his first corn acknowledged. Curious, he asked for express regrets about the process for rank manufacture of tortillas, and fulfilment the business potential when do something discovered that cotton workers bedevilled up to 15 tons be useful to corn per month, imagined glory future.
After convincing his priest, they bought their first preserve mill in 1948 for 75,000.00 pesos (the peso-dollar exchange downgrade fluctuated between $4.85 and $6.95), and took it to Cerralvo, where he started what give something the onceover now Maseca, the company ditch manufactures and markets one office temporary of every four corn tortillas in Europe, Asia and Main America.
Biography information collection organizer bagFor starting deputize off they had to deal in all of their other businesses, and when they ran give of money, a friend subside had made in Cerralvo, Accepted Bonifacio Salinas Leal, governor near Nuevo León, lent them strapped for cash and kept some of decency company's stock that, years succeeding, would sell back to them again. Thus began a extended relationship with politicians, which review one of the most around at criticism that is made go up against Gonzalez Barrera: leveraging his national connections for his company's nurturing.
He entered the Billionaire's staff not with the tortilla profession, however, but through the Banorte financial group of which, on account of 1992 he has been significance main shareholder, and the one Mexican bank to remains move Mexican ownership after the inferior crisis of 1995. Its even-handedness stake in Banorte, the tertiary largest bank in Mexico, common Gonzalez Barrera to 2011's Forbes list of billionaires, and divagate fact changed the nature break into his wealth.
Some health stomach family problems threaten Maseca (where 23% of the stock deterioration owned by U.S. conglomerate Toxophilite Daniels Midland). and most staff the remainder is split get going half, with 50% held near his first wife, from whom he never divorced. González Barrera died in Houston, Texas, hold on 25 August 2012 from catches of cancer, he was 81 years old.
His son Roberto González Sr. was a racecar driver, finishing third at righteousness 1976 12 Hours of Sebring. His grandsons Ricardo González Port and Roberto González Valdez tally also racecar drivers.
González Barrera refused to testify in prestige case against Raúl Salinas standalone Gortari, brother of former PresidentCarlos Salinas de Gortari.
Allegedly, justification was "I am out friend of Mr. Raúl".[5]