Maryland Heights , 08.09.2021
Let´s celebrate
10 years of success in Maryland Heights/ St. Louis
Our colleagues in Maryland Heights are also happy about their tenth anniversary this year. It is often forgotten how much planning, work and energy is necessary to build a new, successful printing site on a fallow area. The groundbreaking ceremony took place in November 2009, but construction was delayed due to the economic situation and the weather. In May 2010, construction work was resumed, so that the first roll could be printed on January 28, 2011. "In the first six months, printing was carried out on just 17 cylinder sets - mostly Bavaria beech. Today we can count 170 sets and no longer print any Bavaria beech at all," says Bill Schmittgens, National Sales Manager.
If you see the many people, machines, and cars whizzing back and forth in the time-lapse video, one would think that it would be very easy to gain a foothold in the USA, to celebrate successes in the industry and to more than triple the capacity of 19,000,000 m² within these ten years to 64,000,000 m², as well as soon create space for a possible third decor printing machine. That's not the whole story, but with a committed, motivated, and experienced team this was completely feasible, as has been shown. Happy Birthday dear colleagues in Maryland Heights! We wish you a happy 10th birthday and continued success.
What was your impression of the German company at the beginning?
Jeff Bergkamp, Quality and Application Manager:
I liked the structure and the German quality standards very much - not only the quality of the product, but also the quality expectations in terms of workplace organization and cleanliness. This is something for which we still get compliments from visitors or new colleagues today. Being proud of our workplace brings pride and quality to our products at the same time.
What memories do you have of Walter Schatt?
Claire Froschauer - Regional Sales Manager / Development Leader
When we first met, he sat down with our small team. I didn't know what to expect, was quite intimidated, and at the same time surprised when he talked about work-life balance, the importance of family, and the wise use of money. I really appreciated that his focus was at least as much on our individual well-being as on the company philosophy.
Is there a nice anecdote from 2011?
Bill Schmittgens – National Sales Manager
The evening before our big opening ceremony, we had a very nice dinner with all of our guests from Schattdecor in Germany. We showed them baseball, explained the game, and I told Anja Schatt that a baseball is very valuable as soon as it has been signed by a famous baseball player. She asked me to sign a ball for her. I told her that I wasn't a famous baseball player and she replied: "Nobody in Germany will know that." Anja has the only baseball signed by Bill Schmittgens.
