Family legacies in business aren't just about inheritance, they're living stories of grit, adaptation, and shared dreams that propel companies forward in uncertain times. These tales inspire, showing how personal roots can bloom into ventures that reshape industries and communities.

Tugnolo A&C Srl embodies this philosophy. Rooted in a historic entrepreneurial family from Northern Italy, the company has evolved from managing family real estate and financial assets into a strategic and operational force in the construction and real estate sector. Today, it operates as a premier general contractor focused on building incentives like eco-bonuses, earthquake bonuses, photovoltaic systems, and super bonuses for commercial and private endeavors with precision and reliability.

Tugnolo integrates expert managers to offer end-to-end services: from technical and financial planning to asset, property, and facility management. Through strategic partnerships across Northern Italy, it tackles redevelopment, urban regeneration, and private equity in Made in Italy sectors like design, fashion, and food, always prioritizing transparency, efficiency, and tenant satisfaction.

From 2022 to 2025, amid market volatility, the firm delivered impressive growth, serving 428 clients; installing 31,336 m² of thermal insulation, 4,667 m² of windows, and 1.8 MW of photovoltaic panels; and more. Honored as one of Piedmont's top 1,000 firms by ItalyPost and nominated for the Sustainable Building Awards, Tugnolo safeguards real estate value while fostering innovation, proving that true worth lies in concrete actions and forward-thinking vision.

At CIO Bulletin, we had the distinct honor of interviewing Riccardo Palmerini, the visionary CEO of Tugnolo A&C srl. He offered compelling insights into how his company effortlessly integrates technical coordination, financial planning, asset management, and investment strategies to serve as a trusted partner in enhancing, protecting, and repositioning real estate portfolios.

Interview Highlights

Can you share the inspiring story behind the inception of Tugnolo A&C srl, from its roots in Veneto entrepreneurship to its evolution into a key player in Piedmont's real estate and redevelopment landscape?

Tugnolo A&C Srl originated as part of a group of companies established by the Tugnolo family in Northern Italy. In 2021, Tugnolo restructured its operations to function as a financial general contractor, coordinating redevelopment projects that qualified for tax incentives related to energy efficiency and seismic upgrades. The company secured ceilings for the assignment of receivables, structured procurement contracts, and engaged external advisors—including members of the Big Four and PwC—for the verification and certification of tax credits.

To support its expanded scope, Tugnolo recruited high-profile managers and technical specialists across construction, plant engineering, and compliance. It also opened offices in Veneto, Bologna, and Lecce to facilitate regional partnerships and respond to growing market demand in photovoltaic development, real estate redevelopment, and tourism infrastructure.

What core products and services does Tugnolo A&C offer, particularly in asset, property, and facility management, and what sets them apart from others in the real estate management sector?

Our main feature is overseeing the entire supply chain. The company is very strong in design, having created, with its innovative startup Wattover, an application that allows users to geolocate a building or an area and, by matching historical weather and energy cost data, produce a detailed executive project, including a 25-year economic and financial plan.

The supply of materials and the ability to build complete plants (both energy production and thermal) allow the company to organize its development in a structured way.

Your integrated model spans technical coordination, financial planning, regulatory management, and asset strategy. How does this “all-in-one” structure create tangible value for real estate owners, investors, and institutions?

The company qualifies as a partner, both for its customers and for its suppliers. Tugnolo does not operate with a classic commercial network but instead works through professional relationships with design studios, other companies, and real estate administrators. For this reason, the relationships of trust and reliability are absolutely fundamental elements for the growth and development of the company’s activities.

Tugnolo operates as a general contractor in building incentives, redevelopment, and energy efficiency projects. What differentiates your approach in areas such as ecobonus, photovoltaic systems, and large-scale redevelopment from other players in the market?

Tugnolo has invested heavily in proprietary technology and digital infrastructure, developing a suite of tools designed to enhance efficiency, compliance, and client experience across its operations. Central to this is FIDIA – the Framework for Innovation and Design in AI – an expert system that automates the design and sizing of photovoltaic systems. Using deductive algorithms and a knowledge base trained on hundreds of real-world projects, FIDIA generates complete executive proposals, including technical documentation, performance forecasts, and regulatory compliance data.

Complementing FIDIA are several standalone applications initially developed for internal use and now being prepared for market licensing. These include a forecasting tool for simulating energy class upgrades based on retrofit scenarios, a safety documentation manager with real-time QR code access to worker certifications, and a construction site signage generator that streamlines compliance with regulatory display requirements. A virtual showroom app is also in development, enabling interactive product presentations via QR codes and web-based interfaces in Tugnolo’s exhibition spaces.

Together, these tools reflect the group’s commitment to scalable innovation and digital autonomy. By embedding technology into every stage of the value chain – from design and documentation to execution and client engagement – Tugnolo is not only improving internal performance but also creating new revenue streams through software licensing. This tech-forward approach reinforces the group’s ability to operate with the precision of a large enterprise while maintaining the responsiveness and adaptability of an SME.

How does Tugnolo A&C incorporate innovative strategies in real estate management and private equity investments, especially in revitalizing Made in Italy sectors like design, fashion, and food?

The word design originates from the Latin "de signare," which means to make sense of things. Our activity is to give a significant and modern boost to sustainability, understood in all its aspects, making the most of the creativity and problem-solving skills typical of Made in Italy, where functionality is combined with beauty, and where the solution does not sacrifice well-being.

Sustainability and regeneration are becoming central themes in the European landscape. How is your company contributing to urban regeneration and energy transition while ensuring profitability and long-term resilience?

Tugnolo A&C has a very atypical vision with reference to the sector in which it operates. The guidelines are those of the UN Agenda for Sustainable Development; the tools range from the use of artificial intelligence (the company has developed its own application for the design and predictive analysis of business plans for renewable energy production plants) to the production and disposal of photovoltaic panels. The company wants to oversee the entire supply chain, from design to the production of materials, with a strong use of IT technologies.

Under the theme of the Innovation Excellence Awards 2026, what does “innovation excellence” truly mean to Tugnolo A&C srl, not just in terms of technology, but in mindset, governance, and execution?

Tugnolo places great value on the training, both classical and unconventional (internal training and study courses), of its resources. Periodically, Tugnolo organizes team-building days, during which collaborators spend time together, share experiences, and collaborate in non-work activities. These activities are also evaluated at the end of the courses, with certificates being issued. For management, leadership and problem-solving courses are also planned.

In addition, the company adopts welfare measures because the well-being of its employees and collaborators is essential for high productivity, resource loyalty, and a pleasant working environment.

Looking ahead, what is next for Tugnolo A&C srl? Are there any new services, investment initiatives, or redevelopment projects in the pipeline that clients and partners should be particularly excited about?

The company's developments include the production division, with a photovoltaic panel production plant and a panel disposal plant. In addition, we have entered into a strategic collaboration with a company that has developed innovative technology in the field of PDCs. The combination of these initiatives, which have already been launched, will allow us to be protagonists, directly and indirectly, in the market for the efficiency of the real estate sector and, more importantly, to make an effective contribution to the well-being of communities.

The Visionary Leader at the Helm of Tugnolo A&C srl

Riccardo Palmerini comes from extensive experience, first in the field of banking and financial IT, then in digital communication and marketing, and is also a lecturer at universities in France and Italy. Palmerini has long-standing experience in business development, design and innovation, European funds and facilitated finance (topics on which he has held a program dedicated to SMEs on behalf of the European Parliament), and, subsequently, in addressing business crises, collaborating with institutional bodies at national and regional level, as well as with OCS as a member of the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia Sustainable International Development Committee.

An innovator and convinced supporter of the theories of Lateral Thinking, Palmerini is a former member of the Italian Forum for Sustainable Development.

“Our activity is to give a significant and modern boost to sustainability, understood in all its aspects, making the most of the creativity and problem-solving skills typical of Made in Italy, where functionality is combined with beauty, and where the solution does not sacrifice well-being.”