For 23 years, “Die Presse,” Bankhaus Spängler, BDO, and the Austrian Chamber of Notaries have been annually recognizing the best family businesses in Austria. This year, AGRU Kunststofftechnik GmbH was honored with the award for the state of Upper Austria.
[Georgetown, South Carolina, May 16, 2023 —] AGRU Kunststofftechnik GmbH (“AGRU”), the parent company of AGRU America, Inc., has won a Best Family Business award in Austria.
Under the patronage of the Minister of Economic Affairs, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Martin Kocher, a renowned jury of experts assessed Austria’s best family businesses again this year. The Minister emphasized the importance of family businesses as employers and as the driving force of the domestic economy. Key to the award was demonstrating sustainable success and sound future analysis, which includes value creation, stability, and trust in the company. At a ceremonial event in the Vienna Aula of Sciences, AGRU was named the best family business in Upper Austria.
Since its foundation in 1948, the company has developed into a globally leading industrial company and a significant economic factor in the region in just three generations. Founder Alois Gruber Sr. pursued ambitious goals from the start. His son and managing director, Mag. Alois Gruber explains, “My father was always a visionary and focused not on commodity products but on niche products and specialties.”
This strategy has proven successful. The company’s path over the past decades has been continued by the decision to diversify and invest in company locations in Austria, the United States, and China. Today, Mag. Gruber and his sons Alois Gruber Jr. and Alexander Gruber jointly manage the company, which employs 1,300 people worldwide and is an important employer in the Steyr-Land region. Despite its size, AGRU remains true to its high-quality standards and extraordinary flexibility, which is appreciated by customers worldwide.
It is a strategy that is also adopted at AGRU America, Inc. “Having had the pleasure of working with the Gruber family for 27 years, and embracing the Grubers’ philosophy and vision, AGRU America continues to manage and grow the family’s North American operations with their focus on exceptional quality and constant adaptability to provide new, innovative solutions for its customer base,” says Robert L. Johnson, President/CEO at AGRU America, Inc.
AGRU is owned by the Gruber and Haager families. The recognition as the best family business in Upper Austria honors not only the significance of plastic solutions for environmental protection but also the company’s reliability as an employer.
About AGRU America, Inc.
Since 1988, Georgetown, SC–based AGRU America, Inc. has been on a mission to build a better future by developing innovative engineering plastics solutions and fostering relationships built upon the highest quality, service, and dependability standards. AGRU America is a subsidiary of AGRU Kunststofftechnik GmbH, an Austrian family-owned business since 1948 with production facilities in Austria, the United States, and China. AGRU solutions, which include state-of-the-art products such as AGRU geosynthetics, concrete protective liners, pipes and fittings, and semi-finished products, are distributed in over 100 countries worldwide. Learn more about AGRU America at https://www.agruamerica.com and AGRU at https://www.agru.at.
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