It all started in neighbouring Arnstadt. In the beginning there were two people. At that time I only worked part-time. It was only after a year that I became a permanent member of staff because it was no longer enough. And then there were three of us, until gradually more employees joined us and Arnstadt became too small at some point. In 1993 we moved to the new premises in Thörey.

It is primarily filled with tasks that concern day-to-day business: Acquisition and field service, making customer phone calls, taking and writing orders, holding talks with suppliers. Then, of course, there are various topics that go beyond the day-to-day business and concern the location more. Starting with holiday planning to having conversations with colleagues who have something on their mind.

We have great cohesion among our colleagues here. You can see that from the fact that we have a very low turnover. Most of the employees have been with us for more than ten years, some for up to twenty. People really seem to feel at home here, which is due on the one hand to the very good working atmosphere, and on the other hand to our modern premises and the very good working conditions.

From a business point of view, our location — and especially the warehouse — is characterised by a high level of cleanliness and good sorting. We often get feedback from our customers. That’s why we have long-standing customer relationships, which is certainly also due to our first-class customer service.

And I think that here in Thuringia we clearly stand out from our competitors. It starts on the phone, when people call here and simply feel they are in good hands. We have short distances. If someone has a problem, it is discussed and solved directly. Through our extension three years ago, we have created optimal loading and unloading possibilities for our customers and suppliers, as well as additional urgently needed storage space.

In addition, I am always pleased about our showroom that we have created for our drywall customers. Here they can look at doors, door fittings and floor coverings with their end customers and get inspired — without having to take the trip to the nearest door showroom in Erfurt.

The first highlight was certainly our tenth anniversary and the associated celebration at the nearby Wachsenburg — some customers still talk about it today! To have managed ten years in the face of very strong competition at the beginning — that was something.

The next highlight was the 20th anniversary celebration, which we celebrated here at the new location in Caribbean flair. The move from Arnstadt to Thörey alone was a milestone, because having your own location is also a commitment.

Two of my professional highlights were the transfer of responsibility for the location in 1997 and the offer of sole procuration in 2011. On the one hand, that surprised me, but on the other hand it made me very happy, because it was a recognition of the work I had done. Defeats, on the other hand, I forget very quickly and put a tick in the box. Fortunately, thanks to the continuous work and the excellent team behind it, this is also very easy.

Of course, we would like to grow further. There are still customers that we have not yet been able to reach through the field service. I am also concerned about the personnel issue. It is just as difficult to find good people here as at the other two locations. Because it is clear that we have to rejuvenate. In terms of digitalisation, we are on the way to implementing processes that will make our future even more efficient. Digital delivery notes, less administration, leaner processes, so that paperwork will also stop for our customers at some point. And maybe one day we will deliver our material with a drone (laughs).

So there are still goals — for me, too, actually.

I personally helped to establish the location. In this respect, I make sure that it will last. I always try to make people understand that you have to stay on the ball. That none of this can be taken for granted. We have to motivate ourselves and others every day to do what we like to do. The common success drives us all together.

We are a small team and have short distances. We have a great workplace and can regulate our tasks ourselves. No one tells us how to do our work — at the end of the day, it’s the result that counts. That is worth a lot to me.