"Family businesses are the root to continue maintaining rural areas and avoid the emptying of Spain". This was stated by Iñaki Ecay, president of the association for the development of the business Family Navarra (ADEFAN), in a lecture offered this morning at the University of Navarra. In his speech he pointed out that "a region, in order to function, needs the family business fabric".

In this sense, he pointed out that 86% of the companies in Navarra are family-owned, represent 50% of the regional GDP and generate 63.5% of the jobs work. Some data similar to those registered at national level, where 89% of the companies are of this type, create more than 6.58 million jobs work and are responsible for 57.1% of the GDP of the private sector.

Director General Manager of Ecay Construcciones and maximum manager of ADEFAN since May 2023, Ecay has indicated that the association has more than 170 companies with an annual turnover of more than 3,400 million euros: "We believe in the associationism of knowledge that adds and multiplies. From ADEFAN we address problems and generate common solutions. In the family business the unfair skill does not exist".

Transmitting the culture of effort to future generations

In his exhibition before more than one hundred students of the School of Economics, Ecay referred to the family business as something cultural and stressed the need to transfer the spirit of effort to the following generations. Along the same lines, he pointed out that "if there are no people who are willing to evolve in companies, there will be no companies. The generational handover is important, but before a third generation enters, the company must be professionalized".

He also urged the students to bet on growth, with training as a base: "If there is no business, create it. And if it already exists, multiply it with your knowledge", he said, while encouraging them to "put emotional intelligence on work and make good use of artificial intelligence".