The story is worthy of a film and will perhaps one day be made into one. Omri Taha, a Tunisian national who entered Italy in an undocumented manner in the 1990s, is now the general manager of Omi-Fer. The company specializes in the construction and assembly of metal support structures and raked in a revenue of €25 million this year.

The entrepreneur, who sponsored the 17th edition of the documentary festival "SalinaDocFest" held on the Aeolian island of the same name between September 13-17, spoke to ANSA about his rise to the top.

Difficulties and help received, now repaid

"I was not born poor but I wanted to improve my living conditions and --following the guiding principles imparted to me by my father - I supported myself alone, even when I was studying," the entrepreneur said.

"I was curious about the world. I got my high school diploma in Damascus. Then I returned to Tunisia where I got my degree in Physics and Chemistry, then I departed for what was then Czechoslovakia. I went to Vienna and then Innsbruck for a Master's degree. However, they wanted 8,000 schillings at the time for the stay permit and there was no work. So I went to Italy, which I had previously visited when I was a student. I had cousins in Saleron who were working in the construction sector. I went with them to Caserta [near Naples] to work in the tobacco sector, then to San Ferdinando di Puglia to harvest grapes and tomatoes. I earned 1,000 liras (equivalent to 50 cents) per crate," he told ANSA.

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His life took a different direction when he decided to move to Brescia, but at the beginning, things were difficult. "I was staying with a friend who however at a certain point could no longer host me. I was having problems and --like many people-- to eat, drink, wash myself, and find clothes I went to the Chiesa di Chiari, where there was also Father Andrea Gallo [an activist priest] .He gave us 5,000 lira to pay for the transportation that brought us back, to sleep wherever we could," he said.

Out of gratitude for that support, years later Taha sponsored a Mozart concert in a church on Lake Garda after two priests that are his friends asked for this. "I did this in remembrance of Father Gallo. I brought with me an old 5,000-lira banknote, noting that thanks in part to this I now have almost 500 employees. There were about 300 people. many came to hug me and it was very emotional for me," he said.

Driving forward

The memory of the help he received and conversations with people of many different faiths are driving forces for the entrepreneur. "I have employees of all ethnic groups and religions. When in 2016 I inaugurated the first shed in 2016, I invited imams and priests. In December I will inaugurate four more," he said.

At a certain point in his life in Brescia, Taha married an Italian woman and began working with his father-in-law, learning to weld and work as a carpenter. After he got his papers in order and divorced the woman, he set up his own small business in 2009. "There was a crisis and I was investing. Everyone told me that I was digging my own grave but I know that day always comes after the night," he said.

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And he was right: from €700,000 in annual revenue initially, the company is now making up to €25 million. Omi-Fer sets great store by its female workers. "Women are the pillars of my company. I have 13 at the head of the departments --they are more responsible and better at multitasking. This was part of the reason why I sponsored SalinaDocFest, the spirit of which is the meeting of cultures. I dedicated this year's edition to the theme of women across borders," he said.

Recruiting migrants

The entrepreneur also takes young migrants off the street to train them as workers. "Like I recruit in this positive manner, there are those that recruit in a negative way. Those coming from Africa due to hunger fall into delinquency due to a lack of opportunity," he noted.

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On Tunisia and migration he has very clear ideas. Taha seems skeptical that the latest agreements can really change the situation. "It is expected that one country alone, and one suffering a very serious economic crisis, should try and do what all of Europe combined could not do. And Tunisia is only one gateway [to Europe], like Libya. Migrants will find other ways because it is the desperation of hunger that makes them leave," he stressed.

While waiting for a film on his life, which Taha himself hinted at, the businessman has resumed his studies and next year he expects to get his degree in Political Science. "When I need only two more exams, I will write my thesis in Constitutional Law," he announced.There is little doubt he will achieve this goal as well.