The Imagination and the Grandeur

After 15 years at the helm of Waldmann Pen, Stefan Schnirch is steering his legacy pen brand toward a secure future.

- NICKY PESSAROFF

President and CEO Stefan Schnirch is a hands-on leader at Germany's Waldmann Pen. He is a son of Pforzheim, in southwest Germany, the entryway to the Black Forest. For centuries now, Pforzheim's nickname has been the City of Gold due to its high concentration of jewelers and watch makers. Today, Waldmann Pen is one of the glimmering jewels in Pforzheim's crown, and for 15 years now, it has been Schnirch's job to make that jewel sparkle.

But nothing was handed to Schnirch; he has earned everything he possesses. He spent two years in the German military to pay for his studies in higher education. He then did a two-year commercial apprenticeship at a global insurance operator and worked in the banking and real estate sector.

But Schnirch is—and was—a man of physical dignity as well thanks to his father's influence.

“As a child and as a teenager 1 learned from my father how to screw, hammer, weld, and wall. He taught me how to work various materials such as metal or wood; from him I simply learned manual skills to work,” Schnirch says. “I am eternally grateful to my father for teaching me all these manual things. Above all, his tendency toward over-precision is extremely beneficial to me today. Virtues such as honesty, politeness, punctuality, care, helpfulness, and accuracy were a daily part of my upbringing and for that I thank my parents for a lifetime.”

In 2006, a unique opportunity arose for Schnirch to combine his business savvy with his manual labor training. His uncle-in-law was looking for a worthy successor for his organization. That business, Waldmann Pen, was founded in 1918 as a maker of fine sterling silver and solid gold pencil holders and fountain pens that utilized old-world German craftsmanship and engraving techniques. On January 1, 2007, Schnirch became head of Waldmann.