The German diaries

 

BY JOHN MESENBRINK,

chief editor

 

German coffee is a bit strong and it takes a little getting used to, but it’s 5:30 in the morning, and after an eight-hour flight, I need a pick-me-up. It is the beginning of a week-long trip to Germany, thanks to the generosity of Viega, an innovative global leader in plumbing and heating technology. (The powers that be had invited me to accompany 12-15 contractors, wholesalers, engineers and Viega employees to visit two Viega manufacturing and logistics facilities, attend ISH Messe Frankfurt and get a taste of the German culture. And that we did!)

 

Tuesday, March 10, 2009 — At 5:30 a.m., I find myself navigating through the labyrinth of what is the Frankfurt airport. I am one of the first to arrive at our meeting point and I meet up with our Viega contact, Dave Garlow, vice president of sales for Viega North America. A very interesting guy, Dave reminds me of, well, me when I was single — never backing down from an adventure. During our early morning conversation, I learn that Dave loves to ride anything with wheels. He rides motorcycles to motorbikes, and he travels internationally any chance he gets. If you run into him, ask him about riding dirt bikes across the Mexican countryside. Cool stuff.

 

Now we wait until our entire posse meets us at the airport, which spans the next three hours. One by one each personality makes his presence. Sean McGinnis, junior vice president, J.J.M. Plumbing Co. Inc., Glendora, New Jersey — near Philly, actually — introduces himself. Sean is the most down-to-earth, happy-go-lucky guy. After our tour of Germany, Sean is off to do some snowboarding at Innsbruck in Austria. Again, cool stuff.

 

Standing in the heart of the Schloss — the castle in Heidelberg — at sunset, members of the

group include, from l to r: Richard Lacey, Carl Beaudoin, Dan Schmierer, Anna (a Heidelberg

native), Frankie Jaen, Katrin Wichert, Dave Garlow, Anita Pilka, Stan Katz, Sean McGinnis, Mark Perrone, Jesus Herrero and John Mesenbrink.

Next to the meeting point was Dan Schmierer, president of Viega North America. Normally I initially might get nervous sitting across the table from the “head honcho” of a major company, but Dan has an uncanny way of making everyone feel comfortable. I guess that’s because he likes to talk and he engages you in conversation. Running Viega North America for nearly 10 years, Dan should be proud of the fact that he is a main facilitator of the opening of a new 439,000,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing plant in McPherson, Kan.

 

One of the bonuses of the trip is meeting people from across the country, and across borders. We have people on the trip who speak English, Spanish, French and, of course, German.

 

Deep into my conversation with Mr. Schmierer, unbeknownst to me, two more guys had arrived. When I look over, one of the guys extends his hand for a shake and displays an infectious smile that only makes you want to smile with him. This is Frankie Jaen, Viega product manager for Infiva, an industrial distributor of products for total flow management located in Puerto Rico. He is by far the most outgoing person on the trip, a social entrepreneur, to say the least. Frankie is accompanied by his good friend, Jesus Herrero, ElectroMec Corp., a soft-spoken, “muy inteligente” engineer from Puerto Rico. I begin calling Jesus “Rico Suave” after I notice him asking the locals for German translation advice. He aspires to be the smooth talker. 

 

Next to the group is a gentleman who introduces himself by the name of Mock. Now that’s an interesting name, I thought. Never heard that one before. But before I knew it, I figured it was just his Boston accent. His name is Mark Perrone, purchasing manager, of JC Cannistraro LLC. A huge Boston sports fan, he is one of the nicest, unassuming guys, who we later found out was celebrating his 50th birthday on the trip. (“I did not tell anyone, but Friday was my 50th birthday and I couldn’t have planned a better party with a better group of people. Thank you! If you are ever passing through Beantown, you all have a friend up here,” Mark said later.) Happy Birthday!

 

Following Mark are two guys from Florida, Dick Smith, Nagelbush Mechanical Inc., Fort Lauderdale, and Mark Foster, regional vice president, plumbing/hvac, HD Supply, Orlando. Dick, to me, seems like the patriarch of the bunch, and he loves to mimic Mark from Boston’s accent. You instantly can see a bond forming between the two. Mark Foster, on the other hand, is one of these guys for which the world doesn’t stop. He is the consummate professional in everything that he does. It seems he is juggling work from a half a world away, taking in all the sites, nonetheless. His avidness for photography is evident, as he shares all his pics with the group. I think the trip is good for Mark; he can relax and enjoy everything even while still conducting important business.

 

Joining us on the trip is Mark Evans, director of sales — Viega Canada out of Alberta. With three Mark’s on the trip, everyone calls him “Big Mark.” But nothing could be bigger than his heart of gold. When he returns from the Germany trip, he is going to surprise his daughter with a trip to Hawaii with his wife. Again, cool stuff.

 

The last two to arrive are flying in from Montreal. Carl Beaudoin, director of operations, Groupe Beaudoin, Quebec City, who, it seems, cherishes his time with the group as much as he does his lone adventures. Accompanying Carl is Stan Katz, president, Rojec Mechanical, Montreal, who with his slicked-back hair and his flashy necklace is quite debonair in his own way, and he is one of the brightest contractors I have met, explicating on any topic. We have great conversations revolving around recruitment of the plumbing trades to design/build contractors.

 

After three hours of connecting at the airport, it is finally time to embark on our German adventure. The group proceeds to the tour bus, which is waiting in front of the airport. It is rainy and chilly, but I am ready for a nice nap! The tour bus has everything: a restroom, spaciousness, good conversation, and best of all, German beer!

The start of the tour has us heading to Weimar for the night — about a three-hour drive — with a great chance to catch up on some shut-eye. I fall asleep immediately, but about an hour and a half into the bus ride, I awake to the Autobahn in gridlock. An accident a couple of miles ahead has traffic stopped. As I look to the front and center of the bus, here comes that smile, it’s Frankie, “John, you want a beer?” he asks. And the next thing you know we are enjoying good German beer, some bockwurst — that Heinz the bus driver had handy — and again, great conversation. Jesus Herrero is in the seat right behind me and we talk about wind energy and wind turbines — which you see a lot of in the German countryside. It is one of those “you had to be there” moments, sitting on the Autobahn parking lot, allowing German travelers in to use the restroom, and cracking jokes along the way.

 

We finally check into our hotel in Weimar and have a few hours to relax. When I come down to meet for dinner, more people have joined the tour. There is Katrin Wichert, a Viega employee from nearby Attendorn, the woman who makes it all happen. She makes sure we are up on time (and believe me, with some of the nights the group experienced, that wasn’t easy). You could say Katrin is our tour coordinator, making sure that we are where we are supposed to be. And it is reassuring to know that there is somebody on the bus who speaks English well enough for the group to feel comfortable.

 

Also, I notice a familiar face, Christian Geisthoff, vice president, marketing and business development, Viega North America. Christian, a German native working in Wichita to help head the marketing department, is by far the tallest member of the group. He, too, speaks English well, and it is nice to have him part of the group.

 

And then there is Jose Merino, president and owner, Infiva, an industrial distributor in Puerto Rico. Jose is a calm and graceful man who seems to have his ducks in a row. You can’t help but be gravitated to him, and by the end of the trip he had offered me a job and had me moving to Puerto Rico. Perhaps in another life. He is part of the group, although he never joined us on the bus. You see, he owns a nice little red Porsche and keeps it in Germany for the few times he travels there. Tell him where we are supposed to be and he inputs it into his gps. Needless to say, he is always miles ahead of us. Traveling the German countryside in a Porsche. How cool is that?

 

The last one to join the group is Richard Lacey, Canadian Aqualine Sales and manufacturer’s rep for Viega in British Columbia and Alberta. He reminds me of Jason Statham of The Transporter fame. He loves to have a great time. After the Germany trip, Richard, his son and Dave Garlow are heading to Poland and Eastern Europe for a vacation.

 

Wednesday, March 11, 2009 — This is where the meat of the trip begins! With wake-up calls every morning at 7:00 a.m., Katrin has us on the bus by 8:00 a.m. heading to Grossheringen to visit the Viega manufacturing plant and training center. Can you say impressive? The Viega facility — which manufactures the highly-touted ProPress fittings — are state of the art. The size and scale of Viega’s production capabilities and the amount of production automation is impressive. Quality control is imperative, insomuch that every fitting is hand inspected. The plant was immaculate and the process was “structured clean.”

 

After the facility tour we head toward Attendorn, the headquarters of Viega. The group was treated to a great night. We stop at the Atta Hohle, or Atta Cave, to tour this underground marvel of limestone stalactites. Upon finishing the cave tour, we check into our hotel, the Castle “Burg Schnellenberg,” a large, renovated 17th-century castle, which is now a hotel. It still features a Renaissance chapel and a castle museum. If you are ever in Germany and in the area, I highly recommend it! We enjoy a great duck dinner and we proceed to the bar for after-dinner drinks. Closing the bar, let’s just say that some questions are better left unasked, and off to bed we went.

 

Thursday, March 12, 2009 — Rise and shine! Back on the bus, heading to Ennest to visit another Viega production and logistics facility. Three words kept permeating through me while touring the site: size, scale and automation. “I was surprised at the amount of quality control that they do and that every fitting is hand inspected. The logistics portion of the trip also was impressive. The mechanisms employed for storing product and picking orders for shipping are amazing. The breadth of their assortment and the products they provide is far greater than we have visibility to here in the States,” said Mark Foster, HD Supply.

 

“The robotics impressed me the most! The machinery that made and distributed fittings was cool to see.  What I thought was the most interesting in the whole plant was the 70 ft. high by 200 ft. robotic storage facilities that stores more than 10,000 products,” said Sean McGinnis, J.J.M. Plumbing, Co., Inc.

 

“The fact that Viega is a 110-year-old company, the two facilities that were shown to us were ultra-modern in every aspect, and what impressed me the most was the robotics and the cleanliness within the plants, as well as the efficiency in which these plants seem to work,” said Stan Katz, Rojec Mechanical.

 

After the facility tour, it was off to Cologne to do some sightseeing and partake in a German “pub crawl.”

 

The beauty of Germany is that you are steeped in history. Visiting the Cologne Cathedral is awe-inspiring. The cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne, under the Roman Catholic Church and is renowned as a monument of Christianity and of Gothic architecture. The cathedral was affected by aerial bombing during World War II. It did not collapse, but stood tall while the city lay in ruins. “The Cathedral and Roman ruins are impressive and leave you thinking about the history of the city and the people who have lived there,” said Mark Foster.

 

The visit of the Cologne Cathedral was followed by a pub crawl, administered by our personal Cologne tour guide named Uta. The group enjoys many k¨olsch libations, a local beer specially brewed in Cologne. A relatively early night for me, for tomorrow is a big day — ISH Frankfurt.

 

Friday, March 13, 2009 — Heading to ISH! I’ve heard so much about this show — the size, the scale and the crowds! It did not disappoint. Where in the States can you find 10 separate buildings — three-floors high — with everything to plumbing, kitchen and bath, hvac, intelligent building automation and energy efficiency — with beer to boot?

 

“The ISH show is more impactful than the one in the states. It is bigger, the displays and booths are grand in scale, and the show is organized in a way for people to find specific categories they want to explore. There was a large area dedicated to energy technology and I thought that was interesting. I also was amazed at the number of brands I had not heard of before. Plumbing is bigger than any of us really knew. Even people in the industry for 30 years were impressed with all that was available to see,” said Mark Foster.

 

“I discovered new processes and technologies at the ISH show: a number of new suppliers who are actually available in North America; how far behind we are in North America; and how we are limited with the number of suppliers and manufacturers as compared to what is available in Europe. They are so much more advanced than we are in energy and technology, in architectural design and look, in manufacturing processes, in quality of product at reasonable cost, etc. North America has got some catching up to do and we’ve got a long way to go to get to where Europe is now, let alone surpass them,” said Stan Katz.

 

To end a busy day at the ISH Show, we head to a nice Italian restaurant on the outskirts of Frankfurt. We enjoy great food, wine and conversation. What is a good night turns into a great night when we head to Heidelberg, check into our hotel, and the entire group settles in a great pub to burn off some of the day’s toils. (By far, that Friday night in Heidelberg was my favorite night. The entire group bonded, I thought, and maybe, just maybe, we became a family that night.)

Saturday, March 14, 2009 — Today is a day to relax in Heidelberg. A beautiful day! Mark Perrone, Sean McGinnis and me take in the culture of this beautiful area. A walkable city, we have breakfast in the town square, which gives me a chance to shop for souvenirs for my family back home.

 

Later in the day we tour the Heidelberg Schloss, or castle, around sunset and it is quite beautiful. The view of the city is breathtaking.

 

Interestingly enough, Heidelberg was not bombed by Allied forces during World War II. Rumor has it the General Eisenhower had distant relatives from Heidelberg, and because the city was a university town and a cultural mecca, he ordered it not to be destroyed.

 

The last night together, we all share dinner at a lovely brew pub, with a tour of the brewery. We enjoy each other’s company and conversation one last night, as we indulge in the German fare.

 

Viega went above and beyond for me, and for that I am thankful. I learned a lot about the company, its employees and the German culture. It was really a trip of a lifetime! But don’t take my word for it, listen to what others had to say:

 

“Being my first trip overseas, my experience on the Viega trip was amazing. I felt very fortunate to have been chosen to join this great experience. Everything Viega had in store for us was incredible! The knowledge that they shared with us was very motivating and influential. Also, the other people who accompanied me on the trip not only were great company, but were also full of knowledge and wisdom.

 

“My favorite moments of the trip were getting to know the Viega employees outside and inside the workplace. Knowing that they actually tried to get to know who we are as people, not just employers, was important. I liked that they asked for my feedback on the pros and cons of their products. And the tours that Viega set up — the castle, the Cologne Cathedral, the exquisite German restaurants — it really opened my eyes to German culture,” said Sean McGinnis.

And, from the poignant words of Frankie Jaen, “Viega knows how to take care of its customers.”

 

I would like to thank Dan Schmierer, Dave Garlow and the rest of the Viega employees that made this trip happen for me. I truly appreciate it! I also would like to think that I had two angels watching over me: Adina Barnes and Tricia Musgrave of Viega North America. Thank You!