Leadership Across Generations: - IAM

Elsewhere in Europe there is a century-old moving company
now led by Rudolf Stangl, owner and CEO of Stangl International
Worldwide Movers (www.stangl-international.com).
As was the case at so many of today’s venerable European
companies, Vienna, Austria-based Stangl grew from a tiny operation
begun when Leopold Stangl I and II transported goods south
of Vienna in the area of Himberg in the second half of the 19th
century. Then, in 1893, Leopold III—Rudolf Stangl’s great-great
grandfather—acquired a license for transporting and distributing
dairy products and relocated the business to a Vienna district
called Hungelbrunn. In 1910 the family moved the business to
Kudlichgasse, where it stayed for nearly 100 years.
The sons of Leopold, Ignaz, and Rudolf Stangl expanded
the business from dairy products to wine and beer and furniture
and household goods around the 1920s. During World War II the
building in Kudlichgasse was destroyed, to be rebuilt after 1946
by Rudolf II. He also changed the mode of transportation from
horse carriages to trucks. And later he bought the first furniture
van in Austria equipped with a turn signal.
In1980 Rudolf III took over and brought the business technical
enhancements, such as swap body carriers, outside elevators,
and container loading stations. “My father also played his part in
After World War II, Rudolf Stangl II bought the first furniture van
with a turn signal in Austria.
A truck in Stangl’s modern fleet
the Austrian Moving Association by heading the education section,”
says the current owner. “The high level of service quality in
our country can partly be credited to his efforts. When I was old
enough he took me out in the weekends to deliver pianos in the
countryside. A lot of the things he told me during the long driving
hours made sense to me only many, many years later. He taught
me everything he knew—and left me the freedom not to believe
it. And that is how I will handle my boys, Gabriel and Raphael,
hopefully the eighth generation of Stangl businessmen who make
their own way.”
Stangl sees clear advantages to running a family business. “It
is the tradition and the sense of responsibility toward the family,
the people, and the community that gives you higher credibility,”
he explains, “because you grow with it. The disadvantage could
be if you feel that you have to do it. Showing the next generation
the way without forcing it is the secret of success.”
Each succeeding generation leaves its mark on a business
like Stangl International Worldwide Movers. For example, says
Rudolf Stangl, “I am proud to be the seventh Stangl in a direct
line to lead the business. I took over from my father in 2007 and
changed the company from a nice but old-fashioned moving
business to a more modern, management-oriented business. We
relocated the premises to Himberg—back to our roots! We still
want to stay only in the Austrian market but expand our office
and warehouse location to be prepared for future expansions.”