At such a young age, Joseph Calata, the CEO of one of the Philippine’s biggest corporations, has already fulfilled his dreams because of his business. The million-peso revenue worth industry started out as a small industry of feeds, fertilizers, and agricultural products distribution in Plaridel, Bulacan.
Climbing to the top was never easy for this young millionaire as he worked his way up a step at a time. He then worked as a clerk for their business, which was named J. Melvin. After proving his worth in 2004, he took control of the company. His background in financial management worked to his advantage, after he expanded the distribution of goods to the whole of Central Luzon and Pangasinan, increasing revenues to P508 million that year, making it to the list of Philippine’s top performing corporations.
By assimilating technology and research in agriculture, Joseph Calata led the company to much broader heights. Before the company’s revenues rose to P1.6 billion in 2008, it has already grown to P806 million and P1.08 billion by 2007. In 2009, the company has reached P1.8 billion in revenues, which made him, who was just 29 years old then, the country’s youngest CEO, and was featured in BizNews Asia and Business World’s Top 1000 Corporations. The company decided to broaden their perspective and ventured in other industries like high-efficiency poultry farming, private airplane leasing, and trucking. The corporation, at present, prides itself with 200 workers.
During his interview with the People Asia Magazine in March 2011, he has been very vocal that making an investment in the agricultural sector is a great way to empower one of the deprived sectors of the Philippines. “While it may not be the most alluring of sectors for businessmen, I believe agriculture holds great potential to boost the Philippine economy,” he said, who has always shown enthusiasm in every venture he makes for the development of agricultural sector of the Philippines.
The seemingly smooth-sailing life and business of Joseph Calata went on the rocks after controversies following his appointment at a government post. Controversies came after critics pointed out his incompetency for the position. Controversies ended after he was relieved from the post during President Benigno Aquino III’s presidency.
Joseph Calata boasts its rapid increase of revenues since 2004. This is all because of the hardwork and persistence of the young CEO of Calata Corporation, the biggest distributor of agro-chemical products, fertilizers, feeds, in the Philippines.
– Alison Ward