1/2010 - Sievert AG

30
About our staff
During his final exercises in the
army, Klaus-Dieter Eberding lost
his right hand through a hand
grenade explosion that was no
fault of his own on September 27,
1963. He was then a young man
of 23, had just finished his training
as tool maker, earned his first pay
and was about to start studying
mechanical engineering. Was this
the end of it all? “At first, it was,”
says the native of Magdeburg.
But Klaus-Dieter Eberding would not
be Klaus-Dieter Eberding if he did not
take on the situation with his typical,
down-to-earth determination. Due to
his handicap, mechanical engineering
was out of the question. So he began
an entirely new career. On April 1,
1965, he began another type of occupational
training at Sievert Baustoffgruppe
as an industrial clerk in the
ready-mixed concrete business, a line
the company had just taken up. After
he had passed his examination, his
boss, Dieter Freese, soon began giving
him responsible tasks in building
up new sibo operations. Around 37
years, he put his skills at the service of
the company which he left as Regional
Managing Director of sibobeton Ost
in June 2002.
Are you going to retire? “No,” says
Klaus-Dieter Eberding, “I’d rather
keep busy. I need something to do,
a job where I can bring my professional
experience to use.” And now
he has found just such a job. Human
Resource Manager Benedikt Kossen,
with whom he keeps in close
contact, drew his attention to the
“Wirtschafts-Senioren” in Osnabrück.
Klaus-Dieter Eberding promptly joined
the organization and has been its First
Chairman since January 2004. With
his double-barreled training, his many
years of experience as an engineer
and businessman, and not least
his pragmatic way of dealing with
situations, we had no doubts about
considering him perfect for the job.
His work here keeps him on the move
Now, what is Klaus-
Dieter Eberding doing?
up to three days a week. But what is
this Osnabrück Wirtschafts-Senioren
and who can take advantage of this
association?
Klaus-Dieter Eberding explains, “We
have made it our task to help future
entrepreneurs take that all-important
first step into self-employment. We
offer the knowledge and experience
we have gained in years of successful
careers as merchants, business administrators,
bankers and engineers.
The Osnabrück Wirtschafts-Senioren
are professionals who have left active
work and are making their knowledge
available on an non-profit basis for
establishing or maintaining a business,
or for takeovers. To be more specific,
for instance, we might get together
with interested parties to help with
commercial and technical workflows,
organizational and EDP procedures,
industry-specific marketing and marketing
control.”
What does the entrepreneur have to
bring along? “We expect competence
in the field in question, regardless of
whether they are craftsmen, service
providers, merchants or producers.
A positive basic attitude to the project
is also important, as is the will to
shape things, especially against strong
resistance. Our consultancy, however,
cannot relieve them of the need to act
and take responsibility on their own.
We just give the ‘cart’ a push. The
individuals themselves have to make
the decisions and take control.” The
message is clear.
Does this non-profit work leave you
any free time? “Sure,” chuckles Klaus-
Dieter Eberding. “Sometimes I take a
‘vacation’ and go to the sea with my
wife, to Cuxhaven, for instance. And
of course, I always have time for our
four grandchildren.”