Mourning for Georg Nolte Sr.

At the age of 84, Mr. Georg Nolte Sr. peacefully passed away last Sunday surrounded by his family. With him, the German kitchen and furniture industry loses one of its most influential visionaries and strategists. For more than 60 years, Georg Nolte advanced the development of Nolte to one of Germany's largest kitchen manufacturers with pioneering spirit and entrepreneurial acumen.

Firmly rooted in East Westphalia, where he was born in Rheda-Wiedenbrück in 1941, Georg Nolte gained his first experiences in the industry at a very early age. His grandfather laid the foundation for the current furniture dynasty with the product plant in 1921. His career in the family business began at Nolte Küchen in Löhne before Georg Nolte moved to the Palatinate Germersheim in 1966 and took over the management of Nolte Möbel there. In 1983, his father, Konrad Nolte, entrusted him with the overall responsibility for the corporate group, which Georg Nolte developed into one of the leading kitchen and furniture brands in the country with skill and passion.

Upon completing his 75th year, Georg Nolte resigned from the chairmanship of the supervisory board for his companies in 2016 and withdrew from the operational business of the furniture group. Today, the interests of the owner family are represented by the children Maren Schmitt-Nolte, chairwoman of the advisory boards, and Georg Konrad Nolte, chairman of the supervisory board of the holding company Nolte GmbH & Co. KGaA.

Georg Nolte was not only an outstanding entrepreneur and bearer of the Federal Cross of Merit but also a passionate and versatile sportsman. He showed exceptional talent at a young age: At only 17, he became European champion in water skiing, thus laying the foundation for a lifelong enthusiasm for equestrian and motorsports, where he impressed with the same dedication and discipline. As a successful GT-40 driver, he demonstrated his skills and determination on the racetrack. Besides his sporting versatility, he was also a successful horse owner. Particularly noteworthy is the victory of the Grand Prize of Aachen in 2006 with Noltes Küchengirl and rider Marcus Ehning. Georg Nolte was an inspiring personality in all areas of life.

"Georg Nolte was a wholehearted family entrepreneur who enjoys respect and esteem far beyond the borders of our industry," says Manfred Wippermann, managing director of Nolte Holding, who worked closely with Georg Nolte for decades. "He not only built a successful corporate group but was always an idea and impulse generator for the entire German furniture industry. On behalf of all employees of our companies, our condolences go to his family."