Manfred Härtl died at the age of 71
On November 16, 2011, Erlangen entrepreneur Manfred Härtl passed away after a short, serious illness. He was 71 years old.
Manfred Härtl, who was born in Erlangen, has headed the Unifleisch group of companies since 1966, with the two companies Unifleisch GmbH & Co. KG and Contifleisch GmbH. Under his management, the family business has developed into one of the leading medium-sized companies in the German meat industry over the past few decades.
At the same time, Manfred Härtl has been involved in meat industry associations since the mid-1970s. For many years he was Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Association of German Wholesale and Foreign Trade in Livestock and Meat (GAVF) and the Federal Association of Mail Order Slaughterhouses (BdV), which merged under his leadership in 2000 to form the Association of the Meat Industry. Manfred Härtl headed this association until 2007. Until his illness, he was also active on the university council of the Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences and as deputy chairman of the Fleischprüfring Bayern eV.
The association of the meat industry paid tribute to Manfred Härtl in an obituary with the words: "By taking over the chairmanship of the association, Manfred Härtl set standards in the German food industry. His name is associated with a high level of professional competence, sincerity, the power of integration and great recognition in German agricultural policy."
Manfred Härtl began his professional career in 1957 with an apprenticeship as a wholesaler at the Contifleisch company. At a young age, he took over the management of the Unifleisch Erlangen group of companies, which his father Arno Härtl had founded in 1960. At the Erlangen location, the company now operates a large-scale and shipping slaughterhouse for the cutting and packaging of beef and pork. In 2010, the total turnover of the Europe-wide group of companies with 230 employees was 118 million euros.
Manfred Härtl promoted local economic development as a member and deputy chairman of the Erlangen Industry and Trade Committee and as a board member of the Erlangen butchers' cooperative. He was also one of the founding sponsors of the Erlangen Cultural Foundation.
Manfred Härtl has received many awards for his voluntary commitment. Among other things, he received the letter of honor from the city of Erlangen and the "Professor Niklas Medal" from the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection in gold as well as the Bavarian State Medal in silver and gold.
The Federal President honored him by awarding him the Federal Cross of Merit with Ribbon and - just a few months ago - the Federal Cross of Merit 1st Class.
With foresight, Manfred Härtl ensured the continuity of his work. In 2000, his sons Günter and Wolfgang Härtl assumed overall responsibility for the group of companies.
The company philosophy of Manfred Härtl remains decisive for them as well: "The highest possible personal commitment, sense of responsibility and fairness were and are the cornerstones of our success."
Source: Erlangen [ Unifleisch Group ]
