juwi Founders Named Entrepreneurs of the Year

03.10.09

Fred Jung and Matthias Willenbacher, founders, owners and co-CEOs of the renewable energy specialist juwi in Wörrstadt, are among Germany’s most successful and dedicated entrepreneurs.

F. Jung (left) and M. Willenbacher

Frankfurt / Wörrstadt, October 2, 2009. Fred Jung and Matthias Willenbacher, founders, owners and co-CEOs of the renewable energy specialist juwi in Wörrstadt, are among Germany’s most successful and dedicated entrepreneurs. On Friday night, at a gala event in Frankfurt, they were named “Entrepreneurs of the Year”. With some 300 companies nominated, the “Entrepreneur” is one of the most important and prestigious business awards. After a multi-stage selection process, 77 companies reached the finals to face the judgment of a high-caliber jury of business leaders and academics.

The juwi founders, Fred Jung and Matthias Willenbacher, took top honors in the “Services” category. A total of eight entrepreneurs were honored in Frankfurt with the coveted prize awarded by the auditing and consulting company Ernst & Young. “The winners have distinguished themselves with outstanding business success, solid double-digit growth rates even in difficult times, but also with great social and community dedication. They concentrate very strongly on their core competencies, operate in lucrative niches and are also at the forefront internationally,” stated Wolfgang Glauner (Ernst & Young), organizer and project manager of the competition, before hundreds of guests at Frankfurt’s Old Opera House. The prize winners also have a socially responsible side. “They acknowledge their responsibility as employers by supporting employees, educational institutions, associations or environmental projects. These entrepreneurs are well aware that they can only maintain their market position if they have good, well-motivated employees,” continued Glauner.

“It is a great honor for us now to join the ranks of the ‘Entrepreneurs of the Year.’ This prize confirms for us that we are on the right road. Companies that, instead of simply chasing a quick buck, have an actual goal before them, take on responsibility and pursue a sustainable, trustbased business policy also make a better showing on the market – particularly in times of crisis. This can also be seen in many other owner-run companies,” emphasized Matthias Willenbacher. “Visionary ideas and entrepreneurial success are not mutually exclusive, but rather complement one another. Truly successful businesses keep them both squarely in view. We too have an overarching goal which drives everything we do: 100 percent renewable energy. We are firmly convinced that electricity supply can already be completely changed over to renewable energies today. This makes juwi genuine, believable and gives us and our employees great motivation – each and every day,” added Fred Jung.