Prestressed Systems Inc. was founded in 1975 by Valentino (Rigo) Collavino (1926 – 2012).
In l950 Rigo left his hometown of Muris, Italy, for Windsor, where he worked as a construction laborer during the summers and lumberjack in Northern Ontario in the winters. In 1952 his fiancée, Anna, joined him; they married and had three children.
Rigo and his brother, Mario, began their own construction company in 1954, growing from constructing small local jobs to mega-international projects worldwide.
In 1975, he co-founded Prestressed Systems Inc. in Windsor, now a full-service precast manufacturing organization that employs over 300 people.
Rigo fought in World War II for the Italian (Alpini) Mountain Fighter, after which he was a huge supporter of his fellow veterans, both in Canada and Italy.
He was a passionate and caring man who contributed regularly to local charities. In 2002 his family received the CIBPA Award of Excellence in Family Business. In 2007 Rigo was honoured by his hometown for his accomplishments and later a statue (“The Little Immigrant”) was commissioned by him and his brother.
Rigo had a love of land and trees, and planted hundreds each year. He was a humble, hard-working man who loved his family, friends, employees, and country.
To date, Rigo’s son, Loris now serves as the C.E.O. and The Prestressed Group has drawn on over 40 years of experience to provide superior concrete solutions. This translates into continuously exceeding customers’ expectations and contributes to exceptional industry standards. We pride ourselves as a leader in the manufacturing and installation of prestressed concrete products. We serve the North American construction market with customized precast solutions, seamless delivery and personalized service.
