But Henry T. Sy Jr. does not think of his company’s 20-year record principally in terms of physical achievements. He thinks first and foremost in terms of community-building and welfare enhancement.
2004 was not a very good year for starting a major business.
In 2004 this country continued to feel the after-effects of the unconstitutional 2001 removal of Joseph Estrada from the Presidency and was witnessing a vicious electoral contest that pitted President Gloria Arroyo against very popular film star Fernando Poe Jr.
In the face of those inauspicious political circumstances the largest business conglomerate in this country – the SM Group – decided to launch a real estate subsidiary, which it named SM Development Corporation (SMDC).
Henry Sy Sr., the founder of the Group and patriarch of the Sy clan, decided to place SMDC in the hands of the eldest of his sons, Henry Jr. Although he was not big physically, Henry T. Sy Jr. was affectionately known to his relatives and close friends as Big Boy. That has remained his nickname.
At the time of SMDC’s entry the Philippine real estate industry had a number of significant players, but the dominant player was Ayala Land Corporation of the Ayala Group. Over the years SMDC gradually moved to the top of the Philippine real estate industry.
To be sure, SMDC’s operations have been very well financed. As a part of one of this country’s largest conglomerates, it has had access to abundant resources. Where a number of real estate industry players experienced difficulties during the 2008 world financial turmoil, SMDC operations proceeded in crisis-free fashion.
Last month Henry T. Sy Jr.’s baby observed an important milestone – its 20th anniversary. A Property Trade Show displaying SMDC’s achievements during the last 20 years was the highlights of the observance.
SMDC built a staggering total of 183,000 residential units around the nation during its first two decades of existence. But Henry T. Sy Jr. does not think of his company’s 20-year record principally in terms of physical achievements. He thinks first and foremost in terms of community-building and welfare enhancement. Over the years Big Boy Sy’s speech and vocabulary have come to be laced with phrases like “building dreams”, “a nation of homeowners,” “offering a future,” “transforming communities,” “experiencing the good life” and “the life (Filipinos) deserve.” On the occasion of his company’s 20th anniversary Henry T. Sy Jr. said; “I wanted to create a future where a Filipino family could have a beautiful home without being weighed down by financial stress. From Day One that drive to uplift lives, to create places that feel like true homes, has kept us going.”
Henry T. Sy Jr. has numerous other major responsibilities within the Sy business empire, including the chairmanship of the energy giant National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP). But there’s no mistaking where Big Boy Sy’s heart lies. It lies with the home of the Good Guys, the company that in the last two decades has built homes for 183,000 Filipino families.
From the shoes that Henry Sy Sr. sold in Quiapo in the 1950s to the residencies that Henry T. Sy Jr. builds today – that has been the progression from Henry Sr.’s Shoemart to Henry Jr.’s SMDC. Says Henry Jr.; “For my father it started with shoes; for me, its about building homes.” Henry Sr.’s shoes sure have come a long way. Good Guy Henry Jr. will take them even further in the next 20 years.
(llagasjessa@yahoo.com)
