A special kind of jubilee: Hubert Andergassen

Hubert Andergassen from Tramin/Termeno joined ATZWANGER AG/SpA on 1 July 1970 as a young technician. He spent an impressive 55 years with the company before recently retiring.

“I had two accidents, but I was never otherwise ill during the entire time,” he says with pride. He played the role of “technician, drawing heating systems”. However, he soon realised that many people could do heating, but not pool water. So, he systematically worked his way into this new, emerging field.

“You grow with the tasks,” he smiles. ‘It was a continuous learning process. We went through the entire development of the technology, as well as the corresponding standards.’

“Hubert Andergassen was able to take on larger projects as a project manager within a very short time. He was also extremely talented in sales and quickly became head of the department,” recalls past-president Paul Atzwanger. “If we are one of the leading companies in pool water technology today, it is thanks to him!”

Thomas Atzwanger highlights another unique aspect of his work: “the consistent focus on customer needs and ensuring their complete satisfaction.” To achieve this, he worked “not only with technical excellence, but also with empathy and persuasiveness. He can look back with satisfaction on the department he built up, which is jokingly referred to as the 'team of swimmers'.”

It's no surprise that the long-standing department head developed excellent relationships with “his” customers. He even became a kind of personal advisor to Josef Wund, a world-leading spa developer. Wund's sudden death in an accident in 2017 was a defining moment for Andergassen: “a world fell apart.”

Of course, he also fondly remembers many highlights of his career: contracts that seemed lost but were ultimately won, various anecdotes, such as wet mayors, glittering openings, and encounters with star architects like Daniel Liebeskind, Peter Zumthor, and Mario Botta. “There was a huge event in Bucharest with several thousand guests, Verdi music accompanying the live construction of the roof in Erding, and fireworks and a caviar tasting in Switzerland,” he says with a smile.

The tireless technician is now looking forward to “doing nothing for a change and watching the builders renovate the holiday home in Fassatal/Val di Fassa”.