Leon Feffer | |
---|---|
Born | November 27, 1902 |
Died | 7 February 1999 (age 96) |
Citizenship | Brazil |
Occupation | Businessman |
Known for | Founder of Suzano Papel e Celulose |
Spouse | Antonietta Teperman |
Children | 2 including Max Feffer |
Parent(s) | Bertha Brandes Feffer Simpson Feffer |
Family | David Feffer (grandson) |
Leon Feffer (1902–1999) was a Brazilian businessman who founded Suzano Papel e Celulose.
Feffer was born on November 27, 1902, to a Ukrainian Jewish family in Rovno, Ukraine [1] (other sources say Kolki, Ukraine), [2] the son of Bertha (née Brandes) and Simpson Feffer. [3] In 1910, concerned about increasing anti-Semitism, his father immigrated to Brazil where he worked as a peddler selling stationery items around São Paulo and Mato Grosso from his ox-drawn cart. [3] In 1920, his father had saved enough money to bring his wife, two sons (Leon and David) and two daughters (Maria and Regina) to Brazil. [3] [1] [4] Leon started his first business manufacturing candles although it was not successful as Sao Paulo already had electricity. [3] On June 15, 1923, [1] he founded a paper distribution business purchasing imported and domestic paper for sale to local retailers. [3] By chance, a large domestic paper factory suffered a fire and he was able to purchase a large quantity of paper rolls (damaged externally but near perfect internally) which enabled him to profit greatly during the Great Depression after Brazil banned imports. [3] He expanded by purchasing a printing press, established a retail store, [2] and constructed an envelope factory (which became one of the largest in the country). [4] In 1939, he sold everything (including his house, his wife's jewelry, and his store) [3] and completed a paper factory in 1941 in the São Paulo neighborhood of Ipiranga. [1] The factory used imported pine pulp to produce its paper. [3] In 1946, the company was named Indústria de Papel Leon Feffer (IPLF). [4] He encouraged his son Max, who was studying at the Juilliard School of Music, to help him find a local substitute for pine fiber. [3] Max, working with biologists at the University of Florida, determined that eucalyptus pulp was a good substitute for pine pulp. [3] In 1946, he purchased Indústria de Papel Euclides Damiani and he gradually mixed eucalyptus fiber into its production. [4] In 1956, he renamed the company Suzano Papel e Celulose. [2] In 1960, he purchased another paper mill, Indústria de Papel Rio Verde. [4] In 1961, he was using 100% eucalyptus as a raw material. [4] The rest of the paper industry adopted the use of eucalyptus and Brazil shifted from a net importer of cellulose to a net exporter of cellulose. [1] Under his tutelege, Suzano became the second largest integrated paper manufacturer in Latin America. [1]
He served as president of Colégio Renascença , a school for the Jewish community [1] from 1939 to 1962. [4] In 1953, [4] he was seminal in founding A Hebraica in São Paulo, then the largest Jewish club in the world. [1] From 1956 to 1964, he served as Israel's consul to São Paulo ( Federação Israelita do Estado de São Paulo ). [1] [4] In 1959, he funded the construction of the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in the Morumbi, São Paulo neighborhood. [1]
Feffer was married to Antonietta Teperman. [4] [5] They had two children, Max (1926–2001) and Fanny (1930–2017). [4] He died on 7 February 1999. [1]
In 1995, Forbes Magazine named him as the fifth richest Brazilian with a net worth of $1.6 billion US dollars. [1]
Leon Feffer | |
---|---|
Born | November 27, 1902 |
Died | 7 February 1999 (age 96) |
Citizenship | Brazil |
Occupation | Businessman |
Known for | Founder of Suzano Papel e Celulose |
Spouse | Antonietta Teperman |
Children | 2 including Max Feffer |
Parent(s) | Bertha Brandes Feffer Simpson Feffer |
Family | David Feffer (grandson) |
Leon Feffer (1902–1999) was a Brazilian businessman who founded Suzano Papel e Celulose.
Feffer was born on November 27, 1902, to a Ukrainian Jewish family in Rovno, Ukraine [1] (other sources say Kolki, Ukraine), [2] the son of Bertha (née Brandes) and Simpson Feffer. [3] In 1910, concerned about increasing anti-Semitism, his father immigrated to Brazil where he worked as a peddler selling stationery items around São Paulo and Mato Grosso from his ox-drawn cart. [3] In 1920, his father had saved enough money to bring his wife, two sons (Leon and David) and two daughters (Maria and Regina) to Brazil. [3] [1] [4] Leon started his first business manufacturing candles although it was not successful as Sao Paulo already had electricity. [3] On June 15, 1923, [1] he founded a paper distribution business purchasing imported and domestic paper for sale to local retailers. [3] By chance, a large domestic paper factory suffered a fire and he was able to purchase a large quantity of paper rolls (damaged externally but near perfect internally) which enabled him to profit greatly during the Great Depression after Brazil banned imports. [3] He expanded by purchasing a printing press, established a retail store, [2] and constructed an envelope factory (which became one of the largest in the country). [4] In 1939, he sold everything (including his house, his wife's jewelry, and his store) [3] and completed a paper factory in 1941 in the São Paulo neighborhood of Ipiranga. [1] The factory used imported pine pulp to produce its paper. [3] In 1946, the company was named Indústria de Papel Leon Feffer (IPLF). [4] He encouraged his son Max, who was studying at the Juilliard School of Music, to help him find a local substitute for pine fiber. [3] Max, working with biologists at the University of Florida, determined that eucalyptus pulp was a good substitute for pine pulp. [3] In 1946, he purchased Indústria de Papel Euclides Damiani and he gradually mixed eucalyptus fiber into its production. [4] In 1956, he renamed the company Suzano Papel e Celulose. [2] In 1960, he purchased another paper mill, Indústria de Papel Rio Verde. [4] In 1961, he was using 100% eucalyptus as a raw material. [4] The rest of the paper industry adopted the use of eucalyptus and Brazil shifted from a net importer of cellulose to a net exporter of cellulose. [1] Under his tutelege, Suzano became the second largest integrated paper manufacturer in Latin America. [1]
He served as president of Colégio Renascença , a school for the Jewish community [1] from 1939 to 1962. [4] In 1953, [4] he was seminal in founding A Hebraica in São Paulo, then the largest Jewish club in the world. [1] From 1956 to 1964, he served as Israel's consul to São Paulo ( Federação Israelita do Estado de São Paulo ). [1] [4] In 1959, he funded the construction of the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in the Morumbi, São Paulo neighborhood. [1]
Feffer was married to Antonietta Teperman. [4] [5] They had two children, Max (1926–2001) and Fanny (1930–2017). [4] He died on 7 February 1999. [1]
In 1995, Forbes Magazine named him as the fifth richest Brazilian with a net worth of $1.6 billion US dollars. [1]