Effective December 8, the family-owned company Dickow Pumpen was transferred to a foundation. This means that the continued existence and the jobs of the 111-year-old family business in Waldkraiburg are secured in the long term.
A period of uncertainty about how to proceed with the succession plan in the Dickow family business is now over. Since the death of Astrid Dickow last year, her daughters Patrizia Dickow-Markowsky and Michaela Dickow have held the shares in the company. But neither of them has any descendants. For a family business without a direct successor - there are two options: sale of the company or transferring the business to a foundation. The former would never have been an option for the business owners, as the continued existence of the company in Waldkraiburg has always been the family's top priority. For this reason, the Astrid-Dickow-Foundation was established last week. In this way, both daughters are fulfilling the wish of their late mother, who was very concerned about the well-being of the employees beyond her lifetime. But what does this mean in concrete terms for the Dickow Pumpen company?
"There are no changes or disadvantages for our employees due to the transfer of the business shares to a foundation. On the contrary - we can now secure their jobs and economic future in the long term. Above all, we can prevent a sale of the company with unpleasant consequences," explains Managing Director Jörg Bornemann. By transferring their shares in the company to the Astrid-Dickow-Foundation, Patrizia and Michaela Dickow are relinquishing a substantial portion of their assets. All for the good of the company and its employees. As a result, the last shareholders of the Dickow family left the company. Furthermore, it means that a certain portion of Dickow Pumpen's profits is now transferred monthly to the Astrid-Dickow-Foundation, the rest remains in the company. The money of the foundation is used to fulfill charitable purposes, such as promoting science and research or public health. Among others, the children's cancer aid BALU of the BRK Altötting is supported, which was already a heart project during the lifetime of the former managing director Ulrich Dickow. Both Patrizia and Michaela Dickow will remain with the company via the foundation organization. In their new role - as part of a four-member foundation board - they will decide on the charitable commitment of the foundation in the future.
With the establishment of the Astrid-Dickow-Foundation, Dickow Pumpen is embarking on a new chapter. "Not only Germany has a new government since yesterday, there are also changes in the government at Dickow Pumpen," emphasized Jörg Bornemann last Thursday. "With the decision to establish the Astrid-Dickow-Foundation, the legacy of the Dickow family will live on beyond the family members, even though the company is no longer in family hands."
Dickow Pumpen started in 1910 as a small family business with the production of water pipes for heating systems. It later evolved in the 1920s from a manufacturer of automatic cattle water basins to a specialist for high-quality industrial pumps. Until Michaela Dickow retired from the management in 2017, the company was managed by the Dickow family for generations. In 2017, Michaela Dickow relinquished the operational business and transferred it to Diplom-Kaufmann Jörg Bornemann. Now on December 8, 2021, Mr. Bornemann accompanied the transfer of the business shares of Patrizia Dickow-Markowsky and Michaela Dickow to the newly established Astrid-Dickow-Foundation.
A detailed overview of the history of Dickow Pumpen can be found here: History - DICKOW PUMPEN GmbH & Co. KG
