On Tuesday, December 2, IMEX opened its doors to local students for PMI DAY 2025, an initiative organized by Confindustria Bergamo that each year allows young people to learn about the world of business through direct, hands-on experience, thanks to constructive dialogue between young people and entrepreneurs.
The arrival of the students, accompanied by their three teachers, marked the start of the day. After welcoming them, we moved to our sample room, where we shared some slides to explain who we are and how we work, ending with a question that was deliberately left open: “And you, what choice will you make?”
Company figures and skills of the future
During the visit to our operational spaces, we explained to the students that a company is never made up of a single profession, but rather a network of roles that collaborate and complement each other. An ecosystem made up of technical, organizational, and interpersonal skills, in which soft skills and hard skills intertwine every day.
Before visiting the woodworking departments, where the frame mouldings we ship all over the world are made, we suggested a little game to the students: during the tour, they had to identify some of the roles presented in the room. This was a more interactive way to encourage them to observe what they were seeing with fresh eyes.
Face to face with factory processes: wood, questions, and curiosities
The factory tour was one of the most enriching and meaningful moments of the morning. The students asked many questions, especially about wood, its characteristics, and the market it serves. We talked about types, origins, transformations, and how each material tells a story: a journey that begins with raw wood and ends with a product ready to begin a new story.
Back in the office, we organized a practical activity: a wood recognition game. On the table were various wood samples from different climate zones. It was an opportunity to understand and experience firsthand how climate, growth, and territory influence the color, density, flexibility, workability, and final use of each type of wood.
Meeting Mauro Ghidini: nature, art, and responsibility
One of the most significant moments of the students’ visit to the company was their conversation with Mauro Ghidini, founder and president of Imex, who shared his thoughts on a wide range of topics: from the value of wood as a renewable resource to the difference between the various forms of forest use, to the responsibility of those who work with and produce this material. From the fine line between industry, craftsmanship, and creativity to the deep connection between frames, art, and photography, and finally to the importance of being able to express oneself without fear, both at work and in one’s personal life.
It was an opportunity for open discussion, offering the young people a broader perspective on what it means to work while respecting nature and one’s own identity.
Choice: one word, many possibilities
In conclusion, we asked the students to associate a word with the theme of choice, discovering how surprisingly broad and profound this concept can be at their age. The words that emerged speak of values, the future, responsibility, and the desire to grow:
A vocabulary that says more than any slide: it conveys their perspective, their point of view.
The morning ended with a discussion dedicated to three areas that are crucial for the future of young people, regardless of their field or sector: school, training, and work. We approached these topics not as alternatives, but as paths that can and must interact, intertwining and opening up to ever-new possibilities.
Photogallery of the event
