Willy Ruhenstroth
Willy Ruhenstroth (born October 19, 1872 in Gütersloh ; † January 19, 1957 there ) was a German entrepreneur .
Career
After the early death of his father in 1888, Ruhenstroth had to stop attending the Evangelisch Stiftisches Gymnasium . He acquired knowledge of the timber trade and forestry in Holzminden and returned to Gütersloh in 1890, where he took over the family's own timber business. In 1900 he married Martha Möller from Wanne-Eickel . The marriage resulted in four daughters.
In order to strengthen its market position in the trade in pit timber, Ruhenstroth worked together with the mining company Hibernia AG in Herne from 1922 . He shifted his commitment from trading to production. In 1923 he founded a veneer cutting shop and manufactured veneer and blockboard panels.
Under the Wirus brand (derived from Wi lly Ru hen s troth) he started producing plywood in 1925 , and in 1940 he started producing fibreboard. After setting up a chipboard factory , from 1949 onwards, in addition to chipboard, doors and roller shutter boxes, he also produced the Wirus-Kleinhaus , a forerunner of today's prefabricated houses. In 1955 he retired from management, but remained chairman of the board. At this point in time, he had developed his father's small timber business into a large company with 1,300 employees.
Extra-professional engagement
Between 1913 and 1919 as well as 1930 and 1933 Ruhenstroth belonged to the city council of Gütersloh and was there a. a. active in the finance committee. From 1918 he worked on the board of the newly founded employers' association for Gütersloh and the surrounding area. In 1919 he took over the chairmanship of the specialist committee "wood industry" in the employers' association for the district of Wiedenbrück . In 1925 he co-founded the Gütersloh Heimatverein. From 1932 to 1941 he headed the Gütersloh Transport and Improvement Association .
Honors
- 1952: Cross of Merit (Steckkreuz) of the Federal Republic of Germany
literature
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ruhenstroth, Willy |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German entrepreneur |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 19, 1872 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Gutersloh |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 19, 1957 |
| Place of death | Gutersloh |