Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, Minister for Economic Affairs, Labour and Housing of the State of Baden-Württemberg, came to Aalen for the award ceremony at the end of May and praised Dr. Dieter Kress as a "great entrepreneur and highly committed citizen".

The Golden Staufer Medal is a special and - according to Dr. Hoffmeister-Kraut - very rare award in the public sector. Dr. Dieter Kress deserves this honour in particular, said the Minister at the ceremony with around 60 high-ranking guests. She praised Dr. Dieter Kress as a hands-on and courageous entrepreneur who had worked for Mapal for almost five decades and had also shown great commitment to the university and the public sector.

Kress has held numerous honorary positions and has taken on many tasks and commitments in the public sector, for example on the committees of the IHK Ostwürttemberg and the VDMA Precision Tools Association, as an idea generator and supporter of a project for the long-term unemployed, as a sponsor of Aalen University and as a co-founder of Pegasus, an initiative to promote start-ups. He has already received the City of Aalen's Grand Medal of Honor in Silver, the Business Medal of the State of Baden-Württemberg and the Cross of Merit on Ribbon for his services.

Dr. Dieter Kress was delighted to receive the Staufer Gold Medal and emphasized: "The award is a great recognition for Mapal and for me personally." He expressly wanted to include all employees in the award, regardless of their position and regardless of whether they were still with the company or had already left.

Dr. Dieter Kress joined the company in 1969. From 1974, he was managing partner together with his father, Dr. Georg Kress. At the beginning of this year, he handed over responsibility to the third generation, his son Dr. Jochen Kress. During his time as managing partner, the company's turnover has increased a hundredfold. The number of employees rose from 100 in 1969 to 5,250 in 2017. kp