Today (20 April 2020) marks the 85th birthday of Reinhold Würth, who celebrates his personal milestone in the same year that the Würth company celebrates its 75th anniversary.
The coronavirus epidemic naturally meant a big June double celebration has been postponed.
Reinhold Würth took over the family screw business at 19, after the sudden death of his father. Now Reinhold Würth is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Würth Group’s Family Trusts while the company now generates an annual sales volume of over €14 billion with a workforce of over 78,500 globally.
Reinhold Würth - who continues to go to the office and record letters on the Dictaphone: “I have never considered my job to be a burden. I always saw it as more of a hobby, something I enjoy and cherish.”
For many years, he was a sales rep for his own products, first with his father and then alone. “I learned a great many things from him.” He has always considered customer relationships to be the basis for his corporate success, which is why maintaining and fostering those relationships are the most important components of day-to-day business on the sales force.
Reinhold Würth is a passionate art collector and a devoted champion of culture. Committed to his roots and his home region of Hohenlohe, the Würth Foundation has widespread involvement in the fields of art and culture, research and science, and education and training
“This all would never have been possible without so many hard-working employees.”
The official press statement has a round of quotes for the big milestone.
Prof. Dr. Hermann Parzinger, President of Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation): “He was scheduled give a speech. He will now extend his congratulations to the businessman in writing: Reinhold Würth has proven that commercial thinking can go hand in hand with a strong passion for art. Both, but especially the great success of his business activities, serve as the basis for a patronage that benefits society as a whole.”
Winfried Kretschmann, Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg: “Foresighted is a characteristic that defines Reinhold Würth in all of his endeavours. In his 65 years as boss, he led his family company with foresight onto the international stage. With foresight, he acquired art and opened his own art galleries one by one. Museum Würth 2 represents the fifth gallery at the company’s headquarters in Künzelsau and the fifteenth in Europe. Reinhold Würth’s philanthropist impulses are remarkable and extend far beyond the region, greatly enriching the State of Baden-Württemberg. His trademark is developing visions and inspiring others to follow them. His passion for art is sure to have benefited his professional life as well.”
Bettina Würth, Chairwoman of the Advisory Board of the Würth Group: “First and foremost, my family and I are grateful to him and we have the utmost respect for his life’s work: With strong conviction, passion and perseverance, he established a global corporation and laid a sound foundation for the Würth Group. As his daughter, I am particularly happy to be celebrating his 85th birthday with him in the best of health. Especially in light of the current circumstances, we are suddenly much more aware of how valuable a commodity that really is.”
Robert Friedmann, Chairman of the Central Managing Board of the Würth Group: “Mr. Würth built up this company on a very solid foundation. The underlying system of values based on a down-to-earth mentality, humility and gratitude has been in place for decades and is embodied by Professor Würth better than anyone else. This distinct culture of values is what gives us the strength, energy and most of all solidarity to be a strong partner both for our employees and for our customers in times like these.”
Norbert Heckmann, Chairman of Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG: “It is simply astounding what Mr. Würth has done with his father’s two-man operation in such a short amount of time. He has dedicated his life to the company, to his employees, and to our customers. Without him, Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG would never have achieved the milestone of 2 billion euro in sales. We admire him and are eternally grateful to him for this!”
Picture credits: Archive Würth (left); Olga Hörner (right)
