The Berner Group honored its founder Albert Berner with a festive ceremony. The entrepreneur from Künzelsau turned 90 last Saturday. In addition to close friends and companions, invited guests from politics, business or society paid tribute to his impressive life’s work. On the side of his wife Ursula, the jubilee visibly touched the event in the parent company of the commercial group.
The ceremony was under the motto: 90 years of courage. “Because courage, dear Papa, you have shown over and over again,” said Christian Berner, who has been in the second generation as CEO since 2012. “And we want to learn from you how you are brave.” There is therefore more than just his father’s birthday: “How celebrate the legacy of his entrepreneurship, its values, his contribution to this country and for Europe.”
A photo gallery led the guests past the most important career stations by Albert Berner, who – according to Baden -Württemberg’s former Economics Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Walter Döring in his eulogy – as a “pioneer and co -founder of the German economic miracle” took some detour “before he found his destiny and was no longer possible to achieve his goals”. “I didn’t have a line,” the jubilee revealed in an emotional film with the honesty typical of him. “That happened.” Almost overnight, he started his own start-up capital with just 3,000 D-Mark. With an old Borgward and a trunk full of screws, he visited his first customer on April 1, 1957.
Successful, discipline and creative power
He later acted as brave as at the foundation as an entrepreneur. He often accepted debts to finance necessary investments. He often used a fundamental proportion of his company to open up a new business area or new markets abroad, in which he dared to dare without knowledge of foreign language. “I think there were many moments of fear and despair in your life,” said Christian Berner. For the passionate boxer Albert Berner, attack was always considered the best form of defense, even if it was risky. “And you only had risks, no security,” emphasized Christian Berner with a view to the generation of buildings. “You were aware of: everything has its price. You understood that risk and yield are connected to each other linearly, long before bank professors built this equation. This is in stark contrast to today’s society, which shower on many topics but do not want to get wet.”
As a child, Albert Berner experienced the consequences of the World War up close – death, destruction, loss of belongings. “This terrible experience has deeply shaped and driven you and your generation,” said Christian Berner. Hungry for a better life, he continued to work with discipline, fulfillment of duties, will and creativity from modest conditions. “We all take the hat off to you and I personally take it as a model,” said Christian Berner. The starting conditions for Albert Berner were very bad. But: he was determined to give everything every day and never rest on the one that was achieved. “Your generation understood that prosperity can only exist with performance,” said Christian Berner. “Work was not a burden for you. It was clear to you that you only get a little more if you tackle and do more than the others. You did not wait for help from outside, but did it.” Even the hardest crises – whether economically or health – could not stop Albert Berner. So he has adapted the company to the constantly changing realities and made strong enough to successfully compete. With all progress, he always remained down -to -earth and never forgot his roots. “Your generation didn’t just work for itself,” said Christian Berner. “You wanted to rebuild your country. You have paid in in pension and social security funds so that nobody has to grow old. You have done our upgrades so that we can live in peace and freedom. You have lifted streets and ways out of the rubble so that we can trade. And you have created a Europe independently, which puts it together.”
Social and social engagement
Business growth and social responsibility were and are inextricably linked for Albert Berner. He did a lot of good things with his social commitment – both about the Albert Berner Foundation in the Hohenlohe region and at other locations in the group. What appreciation the 90-year-old enjoys in the company became clear from a video recorders with congratulations from the European companies. “Your career motivates us to postpone the limits of the possible to make a contribution to a better future,” said Peter Schmidt, CEO of the Berner Omnichannel Trading Holding, who congratulated on behalf of the 8,000 employees. “We are proud to be part of a family business that will follow your professional ideal and personal value compass to this day.”
At the end of the official part, Christian Berner called on the guests to learn from the generation of buildings: “This generation is unique. We have to listen to it. What was Germany and hopefully becomes again. We have to define away from the values of the dreamy and wealthy successor and back to this founding spirit. Let this start -up spirit and start -ups!”