Tomás Barbosa

Rigour is part of his personality. Daring is in the enthusiasm he has for each new project. Success can be seen in the soul each of his creations exudes. The struggles, the problems, the doubts, the difficult decisions, the sleepless nights. There has been no shortage of reasons to discourage Tomás Barbosa from transforming Engimov into what it is today – one of the most renowned construction companies at a national and international level. But no. History was made of sweat and determination. Wherever he saw opportunity, he took a gamble. At a young age, he left middle school to work with his parents. This was followed by a strong start in France. Shortly afterwards, another leap to Canada. And what an adventure he had. There he set up his first company and did really well. But it was in Portugal, in his hometown of Braga, that he truly experienced the great challenges of construction. Years of struggle and persistence. Years of achievements. He has travelled the four corners of the world and sown the seeds of his various companies. He has seen them grow with each year of work. Today, 16 years on, Engimov is a consolidated company. Tomás Barbosa is proud of his journey while keeping his eyes on the horizon. As a full-time dream-builder, you wouldn’t expect any different.  

Your story is one of a long road of challenges and triumphs. How did it all begin?
I was very young; I left middle school and went to work with my parents until I was 17.  Then I went to France with my brother-in-law. I worked with him for six months. I came back from there and my sister (Belmira) had bought a ticket for one of my brothers to go to Canada for Christmas. He didn’t want to go. So, I took the chance and went myself. I ended up staying there for three years, without coming back. It was hard, very hard, but I hung in there. After those three years, I came back to Portugal for 15 days and returned to Canada, where I started a family (I had three children, Christopher, Maegan and Ashley), and worked for another 12 years.

That was 15 years in Canada?
Yes, in those 15 years I tried to start a company in Toronto. I created a partnership with a friend. We had the company for three years, but we had to stop because of the financial crisis in the 1990s. I went to work for my old boss again. Towards the end of those 15 years, I started looking at Portugal. Largely because of the development that was taking place here. And also, because my children were grown up and I began to think it was time to go back. I began coming to Portugal twice a year and doing some work here, buying a plot of land, building a pavilion and taking on small projects.  

Then one day you returned for good...
Yes, once things were in place, I returned for good. One day I was offered the chance to complete a building here in Portugal, and I sold the apartments I had been given. I bought another plot of land and went into property development with my brother and father. Then I started a company, Sousa Dias e Barbosa, in partnership with two friends. We started doing some projects between 2000 and 2004. We ended that partnership. I opened a new company (Sousa Dias e Barbosa C) and kept one of the partners (who had had a health problem) working with me. At that time, I undertook a construction project in Lisbon that didn’t go so well – they owed me almost 300,000 Euros and that was a lot of money for me. I had to make a living for myself. Through a contact I made in Spain, I started working in that market, initially on projects for Adolfo Domínguez all over the country. At that point, I met someone involved in bowling alleys who made me an offer, and I accepted the challenge. I gained Mr. Amaral trust, and even today we are partners and great friends. I started doing all his projects. Those were difficult years; I practically slept and ate in the car because I travelled so many kilometres and had deadlines to meet. I drove more than 200,000 kilometres in a year. But the fact is that it was my efforts, and those of the people who worked with me, that made it possible for me to pay off the debts that had not been settled because of the work I didn’t get paid for. This gave me courage for the future that lay ahead.  

And what came next?
In 2007, I bought out the other person in the company, Sr. Sousa. But as I needed to increase my business licence, because Sousa Dias e Barbosa was making just over 200,000 Euros a year, I decided to open a new company with a better licence. That’s when Engimov was founded. 

What was the aim of Engimov Construções SA?
We were already in the Spanish market, where we were refurbishing shops and where we went on to build new buildings. We built several buildings and car parks, at the same time as we were doing some work here in Portugal. Meanwhile, in 2018, a group approached me with a proposal to sell part of the company’s holdings. We reached an agreement. I sold 50% of the company’s shares to that group. However, after a while, I started to have some problems, work that we had done and that we hadn’t been paid for. At the time, one of the partners wanted to close the company because it was making significant losses. I couldn’t accept it. I thought: if I’m the one who set it up, I’m going to take responsibility and keep it going, because I have to face up to my suppliers and I have to deliver. So, I called in my financier and all the suppliers and made an agreement with them. Some gave discounts, others agreed to an extended payment period. Basically, I made a plan and honoured it, to the letter, with everyone. But it would have been more difficult to fulfil if we hadn’t been lucky enough to have a project in Africa (Republic of Congo) at the time, which helped us a lot. In fact, I took advantage of the good relationship I had with a client, for whom I was doing a job, who recommended that I look for new business ventures in Africa, and that was my opportunity. I grabbed my suitcase and went in search of the right opportunity. It was a Brazilian company that had been in Congo for three years and wanted to hire me to do some work there. I didn’t know the Congo. My daughter Maegan was worried because she had been researching the country and said to me: «Dad, that’s dangerous». And I said to her, «Don’t worry, there are a lot of people there and they don’t all die». I took the plunge and went. I took a member of the team. We stayed there for a few days. We started the foundations for some warehouses. It was a two-million-Euro project. We ended up doing works worth over 50 million Euros. We were there for seven years. 
After that came Cuba, another market we entered. Another challenge, because things were difficult there. But as I don’t like things that are easy, I took the risk. We’ve been there for six years. At the same time, I also started the company in France. We started work on a couple of cinemas. We had a deadline of three months to complete the work. We managed. It was a job that ended up costing more than thirteen million Euros (although they still owed us more than three million). Even so, we’ve continued in that market to this day.

When did Luxembourg come about?
Luxembourg appeared three years ago. It was the last market we entered. But we’ve also been in Angola (three years) and Mozambique (two years), where things didn’t go so well. Although we are in several countries, each country has its own management, its own strategy, they are independent companies. Portugal has always been the country where we’ve worked and we’ve had sustainable growth. Engimov Construções has grown steadily every year. 2023, for example, is the year with the biggest growth – we doubled our turnover compared to last year.  

What other horizons are there to conquer?
If things go well, I have my sights set on Senegal and perhaps a country in Latin America. Looking at the fact that we have the company in Cuba and the ease with which we can get to neighbouring countries, it might be of some interest. But all in good time.

«It’s not the projects, but the difficulties that have made the company grow»

What have been the major milestones in Engimov’s 16-year history?
I’d say it’s not the projects, but the difficulties that have made the company grow. I’ve always felt that when we had the greatest difficulty, that’s when things started to happen. Now, of course, every project is a milestone and a source of pride. We’re talking about works of quality and prestige. But all projects, whether small or large, are treated in the same way. There are no better or worse brands or clients, or better or worse treatment, but there is a commitment to doing things well and with the highest quality. 

You operate in the construction and public works sectors. Which of these business areas is the most demanding and challenging?
All are treated equally. Whether some of them receive more care or not also depends on the clients – whether they are more demanding or not. When we are under pressure from a client, it’s obvious that people are more focussed on that job. But all in all, everyone is treated the same. 

The construction sector is competitive. How is it possible to achieve the kind of growth that Engimov has seen over 16 years?
There is no competition. I’ve always seen Engimov as a company without competition. I’ve never competed, which means I have my clients, and I have my price. I have clients who say to me: «We can get a better price», and I say to them: «You may get a better price, but I’m not going to lower mine». The simple truth is that I stick to my prices and people trust me. I’ve had situations where people have given us 10% more. That’s because they really want our service. Today, I know that I’m creating a brand - Engimov - and people are coming to us. The funny thing about life is that there was a time when it was us (me in particular) who went looking for clients, but now it’s not like that - today it’s the clients who are coming to us. I used to be the company’s only sales person; now I don’t have to worry about that... One day they’ll sack me (he laughs). 

You also have another speciality within Engimov, styrofoam project, which arose from the need to meet certain clients’ needs. Would you like to tell us about it?
It arose out of necessity. Sometimes there are things in right in front of us and we don’t see them. I started by having a profiling shop, because I was spending a lot on profiling on building sites. When work began in the Congo, the design of one of the luxury villas was very colonial, with a lot of moulding, and this required specialist work. As I’d been in Canada, where I’d learnt about that type of product/finish, I went back there because I had to place orders for that villa. After visiting the factory, I thought: «Why not create a company that does exactly what we need?». And I did. And today, as well as producing for ourselves, we also supply other companies. 

Amongst the various companies you own, real estate mediation also stands out. When did the need to open this company arise?
This project came about seven years ago. (…) When my daughter Maegan was studying and looking for a place in Matosinhos, she couldn’t find one. The homes were either of poor quality or very expensive. She asked me for help. I went to see her, we looked around, we looked at various apartments. And that sparked my interest, because at that time there was a lot for sale all over the country, but in Matosinhos there was nothing for sale or to rent. I immediately thought, this is a good market to invest in luxury real estate mediation. I spoke to the bank manager, there was a building for sale, I went to see it and bought it. I spoke to her and proposed that she broker the apartments, earning her commission. And so, it happened. That’s how we set up the property company (in which my daughter also has a stake).
Apart from Oporto, we’re currently working on a project in the Algarve, a condominium, and we have three projects in the pipeline in Estoril and Cascais. These are our markets. I’m sorry to say this, but I think we’re going to have a crisis in Portugal soon, due to the rise in interest rates, and where the impact will be felt most, in my view, is in the lower middle class, in other words, it’s the lower middle class product that will suffer. The investor who comes to stay in Portugal and brings money to buy doesn’t come expecting to get a loan to build or buy a house. They come and buy. Whether it’s a property worth five or ten million Euros. So, I think this market will continue to grow. That’s why we’re focusing on the high end, which is also where we want to be and where we already are, because today we’re building houses worth 15, 20 and 30 million Euros.  

What do the company’s professionals bring to Engimov?
I would say that the dedication of each and every one of them results in our success. I don’t consider Engimov to be my company, but rather the company of all our employees. Engimov is the face of all the people who work here, everyone represents it. An exemple, our general director, Helana Lopes, and the production director, Jorge Costa, followed, practically from the beginning of Sousa Dias e Barbosa, the company’s entire journey, as they lived with me every difficulty an every professional achievement.  

Complete... the client that comes to Engimov can count on...
Seriousness, which is very important. Quality and good service. Not just good service at the moment, but good service now and in the future. 

How do you envisage the company in ten years’ time?
More than double the size it is today. I don’t want to grow much more.  

As the company’s founder, what message would you leave your employees?
Thank you very much for everything you’ve done, because Engimov is all of us.

Professionally, do you see yourself to be a disciplined man?
Yes, I am disciplined when it comes to the things I dedicate myself to. In what I do, I am disciplined.  

And what are you like outside of work? What do you really enjoy doing?
I love sport. I like golf, I like padel and I like walking. I wish I had more time to do more.