Thomas Handtmann is new honorary citizen of Biberach

THOMAS HANDTMANN IS NEW HONORARY CITIZEN OF BIBERACH

Thomas Handtmann is the 32nd honorary citizen of the city of Biberach. At the gala evening to mark the 150th anniversary of the Handtmann Group of Companies and the generational change at the head of the company on 15 September, Lord Mayor Norbert Zeidler presented the 70-year-old with the special honour following a unanimous decision of the municipal council.

Turnover quadruples!

Handtmann is “the most original Biberach company,” Zeidler said. It always stands for responsible, long-term and social entrepreneurship. With his son Markus Handtmann and his nephew Valentin Ulrich, the right two are at the start at exactly the right time, he said about the new management. Thomas Handtmann had symbolically handed over the key to his son Markus and his cousin Valentin during the gala evening in front of around 300 invited guests. They now direct the fortunes of the corporate group.

The anniversary and the change in management is the right time to pay tribute to Thomas Handtmann's lifetime achievements, according to the Lord Mayor. In his 25 years at the head of the company, he has quadrupled sales, almost tripled the number of employees, accounted for a peak investment value of EUR 125 million in 2020 and has consistently internationalised the Handtmann Group of Companies. And all this in times of great crises and challenges, Zeidler said.

A huge heart for Biberach

“You have managed to sustainably secure your father’s life’s work and put it on a stable footing,” says the Lord Mayor. This performance could not be overestimated. “Safeguarding pioneering work in the long term is often the tougher business than pioneering work itself. And it’s more thankless because it’s less visible. ”

With his social responsibility, Thomas Handtmann strongly represents a form of family entrepreneurship. “You are a prime example of an Upper Swabian entrepreneur with a huge heart for his own plaice,” said Zeidler. Thomas Handtmann never forgot, despite all the pressure to grow, that the Handtmann heart beats especially in Biberach. As an example he mentioned his involvement in the municipal council, as chairman of the ´Bauhütte Simultaneum´ and, of course, as a long-standing member of the ´Schützendirektion´ (management of the Biberach Schützenfest event). “Thomas Handtmann and his company were and are great supporters of the´ Schützenfest´,” says Zeidler.

“A kind-hearted person”

As a human being, Thomas Handtmann never even came to the fore. Restraint and listening can distinguish him, as can his sense of family. “You are quite simply a kind-hearted person,” said the Lord Mayor.

“Biberach, the city and its people owe you a lot. And that’s why your hometown bows today in great gratitude and recognition to your life’s work. ” The municipal council had therefore unanimously decided to grant Thomas Handtmann the title and right of an honorary citizen, Zeidler said and handed Thomas Handtmann the corresponding certificate on stage. (Source: schwaebische.de)

More about 150 years of Handtmann and the generational change