175 Years of Quality and Innovation
Interview with Dr. Markus Deurer, Managing Director of Gregor Deurer GmbH & Co. KG
Founded in 1848, Gregor Deurer GmbH & Co. KG is the oldest construction company in Augsburg and is still owned by the Deurer family today. Markus Deurer, managing director of the sixth generation, spoke with Wirtschaftsforum about reconciling his company's business activities with social justice, taking on social responsibility, and explains why he has never regretted taking the step into a life as an entrepreneur.
Taking over the family business was not an option for
Dr. Markus Deurer initially: "I had studied physics, was active in science, and lived in New Zealand when my father asked me twelve years ago to continue the company," shares the managing director. "In retrospect, I have no regrets. It is a very diverse and exciting profession: you deal a lot with people, technical things, and the whole spectrum of business matters. So far, it has never been boring!"
For affordable housing...
In the 175-year history of Gregor Deurer GmbH, there are many highlights. Particularly important to Markus Deurer is the company's entry into social housing construction, which took place almost 100 years ago and for which Deurer still has a passion today: "Over the decades, we have evolved from a construction to a real estate company. Our niche is to create publicly funded, affordable housing as a private company – and not just in Augsburg, but also in places like Munich and Donauwörth. We want and are able to take on social responsibility."
...and social justice
The company has consistently found interesting projects in its field: In Munich, Deurer planned and built a building with a supermarket on the ground floor and three floors with a total of 50 apartments. "Here, our aim was to make the best possible use of scarce space," says the managing director. "A challenging but very attractive concept that allowed us to revitalize the entire residential area. That was very appealing to me." For this project, Deurer also designed a communal roof garden, thus following a trend: "We need to integrate much more green into our housing complexes, through roof gardens, green spaces," says Markus Deurer, who also sees further trends in climate protection and especially in demographic change: "Nowadays, many more elderly people live with us. It's not just about designing barrier-free apartments, but also about a different kind of interaction, for which we need to sensitize the property management staff."