John F. Farber

Färber Ioan, n. 1925, Timișoara

Chemist, shareholder in ICC Industries, at the company "Azur", Timișoara

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Farber John

Färber Bernat

He was born into a Jewish family in Timisoara. His parents attended the Synagogue in the Citadel, in the center of the city, his grandparents in the one in the Fabric neighborhood. Grandfather Bernát Färber was the owner of a wholesale textile store in Fabric and a member of the leadership of the Jewish community in the Citadel and Fabric after their union in 1935. He came into possession of the Neuhaus / Färber Palace, Victoriei Square no. 4, soon after its completion.

John's father, Eugen Färber, traded in paints. In 1923, production began on the banks of the Bega, setting up the "United Varnishes & Paints Factory" („Fabrica Unită de Lacuri & Vopsele"), registered in the trade register in 1931. József Taussig, his brother-in-law, bought a solvent factory, which later became the "Solvent" („Solventul") company.

The family lived in the Neuhaus / Färber Palace, in the center of Timișoara. Jancsi Färber is a student at the Israelite High School, having as teachers, among others, Rabbi Dr. Ernest Neumann, Maria Neumann, mathematics teacher and Francisc Frucht, known under his pseudonym as a poet, Anavi Adam. During the war years, he was one of the leaders of the Israelite High School Cultural Circle, which was a cultural haven for Jewish youth who did not have access to cultural institutions. In 1943-1944 he was sent to compulsory labor detachments.

He is a graduate of the Faculty of Chemistry in Cluj. While studying, he worked as a laborer in his father's factory. In 1948, the factory was nationalized. His father is arrested and released after signing a statement pleading guilty, being "exploiter" and president of the Association of Timisoara manufacturers. He flees across the border in a hay wagon, and Jancsi, 23, his sister, 20, and his mother cross the border at night, through Carei, a town in northwestern Romania. From Hungary they arrive in Vienna, where the mother and the aunt open a fashion workshop. It is a traumatic experience for the whole family.

From Vienna, after a short stay in Israel, John Farber arrives in New York, where he does his doctorate in chemistry at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. In 1953, he married Maya Kleyman, also from Timisoara. From this marriage four children are born: Sandra, Deborah, Michael and Claudia.

He works for his father-in-law, Leslie Kleyman, which founded Leslie Kleyman Corporation in 1950.

In 1952, John Farber developed the chemicals department within the company. The company takes the name ICC Industries and becomes one of the largest chemical conglomerates in the US, ranking 148th Forbes Private Company List in 2012, with sales of $ 3 billion. The company has offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia and has numerous chemical, pharmaceutical and plastics factories on all continents. ICC Industries is owned by the Farber family.

Frutarom, an Israeli company, one of the 10 largest producers of flavors and special ingredients in the world, belonged to ICC.

In 1999, ICC bought the former factory of the Farber family, which in 1948 was expropriated and continued its activity under the name of the "Azur" Varnishes and Paints Factory in Timişoara.

In 2013, John F. Farber was included in the Forbes 400, among the 400 richest Americans, being one of the 39 Americans born outside the US on this list. It is typical of John F. Farber that he expressed no satisfaction at hearing this news and refused to give interviews.

History of Azur Company

  • 1844 – the year of the company's establishment as a manufacture of candles and soap under the name: United Oil and Soap Factories SA (Fabricele Unite de Ulei si Săpun SA).
  • 1923 - Eugen Farber sets up the "United Varnishes & Paints Factory" („Fabrica Unită de Lacuri & Vopsele")
  • 1942 – The beginning of the production of synthetic resins
  • 1948 - The factory becomes the property of the state, under the name "Azur"
  • 1999 - The majority shareholder (75.01%) is "ICC Industries" Inc. of New York. Thus, after 50 years, the factory becomes the property of the Farber family. On the occasion of 15 years since the acquisition of the company, John Farber says: “In 1999, after long negotiations,, I managed to bring back to my family's property the factory that my father set up in 1923 and which he ran and developed until the fateful moment of nationalization in 1948” (Dr. John J. Farber in Azur - 15 years since privatization)
  • 2003 –  The Romanian Society for Quality Assurance certifies the quality management system according to the ISO 9001 standard and the environmental management system according to ISO 14001
  • 2008 – Azur divides its activity into 2 divisions: Paints Division, Resins and Composites Division
  • 2009 – The OHSAS 18001 occupational health and safety management system is implemented, which has been certified by SRAC
  • 2009 -  Azur inaugurates a new automatic technology line for water-based products
  • 2012 – the ISO 22000 standard is implemented for the food safety management system within the “Frutarom” installation, certified by SRAC.

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