Interview with Dieter Hagen of Hagen Group
Dieter Hagen
Vice Chairman of the Board, Hagen Group.
As one of the founders of the company, what are the most important corporate values that you share with your employees?
First, I would like to talk about the humble beginnings of our company. My brother Rolf C. Hagen, our founder and president, immigrated from Germany in 1955. He left the port of Hamburg before Christmas 1954 and arrived in the port of Montreal at the end of January 1955. The six-week voyage had was delayed two weeks, the ship being caught in St. John's, Newfoundland, due to icebergs blocking the entrance to the St. Lawrence River. Welcome to Canada!
The ship was the first to reach the Port of Montreal that year, and so the captain had received the traditional key to the city. Rolf founded his company, Rolf C. Hagen Ltd., in May 1955; so we are now in our 67th year. After finishing high school and my apprenticeship, I joined my brother in immigrating to Canada in 1959. Our youngest brother, Horst, also came to Canada in 1963.
Our team was now complete. Rolf was the boss, Horst was in charge of supplies, and I was in charge of sales. Since there could sometimes be differing opinions between supply and sales, my brother Rolf acted as arbiter. Sometimes Horst won the argument, other times I won. Rolf was always very fair.
But one thing was certain, no matter what the final decision was, Horst and I were behind it 110%. We worked the three as a team. Many times, during business trips and trade shows in Canada and the United States, clients and business partners have asked me how it was possible for three brothers to work together successfully.
My answer was always easy to give. First, there can only be one boss! Second, we must respect each other. This is the recipe for success; not just for a family business, but for any business!
We have been a family business for 67 years, and all of our employees are part of the family. Our doors are always open for anyone to discuss personal or business matters. From day one, our President's message to all members of our organization has always been "Family is more important than anything and should always come first." Each member of the team is a valuable and essential link to our success.
My important message to our sales team has always been: if you don't take care of your customer, someone else will!
What does a typical workday look like now that you're vice-chairman of the company?
I turned 82 in August and still enjoy going to the office four days a week, Monday through Thursday. Becoming the vice-chairman of the board hasn't changed my working day. Having worked in sales all my life, I now enjoy collaborating with our VP of Sales, Martin Lebel, and his dedicated team.
I participate in the finalization of the discount structure and the selection of products for our bi-monthly Communications newsletter as well as for our spring and fall catalogs. I also make it a point to take a look at our daily orders and invoices, including doing a few random checks to make sure our gross margins are correct, which is essential to staying in business.
Since the start of the pandemic, I have been meeting with our supply team more frequently to really try to address the stock shortage situation, which in fact is largely beyond our control. Our main suppliers in the Far East are up to three months behind in making our products, and when the containers are finally ready, it is almost impossible to find space on cargo ships.
“The day goes by quickly, especially when you love what you do and still have fun doing it”
I also like, from time to time, to chat with some of our long-time customers, with whom I have been doing business for 20, 30, 40 years, sometimes even longer! So, as you can see, the day goes by quickly, especially when you love what you do and still have fun doing it.
What is one of your accomplishments for the company that you are most proud of?
One of my accomplishments for the company of which I am most proud will always be that I have been part of the FULL FIRE on staff growth of our company since the end of the 1950s, so from almost the very beginning.
Every dollar earned was put back into the company. My brother believed strongly in the importance of building a company on a solid foundation rather than a sandcastle that disappears over time.
The game-changing event for our company came in the mid-1960s. On one of my business trips to Toronto, I visited the Toronto Aquarium Society. All of the members were aquarists, and some even raised fish in the basement of their homes. A few days before my visit, they had received by Canada Post a sample of TetraMin food from Germany. Club members who had tried the food said their fish loved it. TetraMin food was the first floating fish food; every other food on the market was pellets that sank into the aquarium.
The club president had told me that this food would revolutionize tropical fish farming, and since it came from Germany, I had better get my hands on this business opportunity. I brought back a sample and company details, and told my brother how excited the club members were after feeding their fish. My brother contacted the owner, Dr Ulrich Baensch, and two days later Rolf left for Germany. He has an exclusive five-year agreement with Dr. Baensch for Canada, the United States, Mexico and Japan; agreement which was renewed a few times thereafter.
In the first year, our minimum contractual purchases were one million German marks. It was actually C$250,000, because at the time, one Canadian dollar was worth four German marks. After my brother signed agent agreements for the United States, Japan and Mexico, container orders started coming in. The factory in Germany had to expand overnight to keep up with demand. TetraMin has been the best fish food in the world for over 50 years.
The majority of the profits raised went back into the company and was instrumental in propelling us to the next level. We were the first to introduce TetraMin foods to the North American and Japanese markets. After the founder of TetraMin sold his company to pharmaceutical giant Warner Lambert in New York in the 1970s, Dr. Baensch was instrumental in formulating our Nutrafin fish food, which is as good if not better than today's TetraMin.
So yes, I played a small role in this success story. My brother Rolf is the most intelligent and generous person I have known in my entire life. He was my mentor, and I had the privilege of working alongside him for 52 years. He died in October 2011. We all miss him, but we will never forget him.
A few years before his death, he appointed his youngest son, Rolf Jr, as President and CEO of our Hagen Group. Rolf Jr's two brothers, Mark, Vice President, Nutrition and Tom, Vice President, Finance, work side by side with him. What Rolf, Horst and I started, Rolf Jr, Mark, and Tom continue following in our footsteps. I am happy to say how proud I am of the way Rolf Jr took on this colossal task and the responsibilities that go with it, after his father left us.
His knowledge, his wisdom and above all, his vision, are certainly a gift from his father. Deep down I know that Mark, Tom, and Rolf Jr will continue to work together, as their father and two uncles did for so many years. Our Hagen Group is the largest manufacturer and distributor of specialty pet products in the world!
How do you spend your time outside of work? Do you have a hobby?
In the past, I liked to play skat, a card game originating in Germany. Rolf, Horst, and I played every Wednesday at the local beer hall. We were between 40 and 50 players, most of German origin. This game is very popular in Germany. Indeed, almost every city in Germany has a skat club.
The youngest player was in his 70s and the oldest, in his 90s. The younger generation is not interested. They prefer to be on their computer, laptop or iPhone. Participation was decreasing every year, so I stopped playing after my brother passed away.
I like golf. I consider myself an average player. I have been a member of the Whitlock Golf Club in Hudson, Quebec for over 40 years. We have our foursomes regularly and play every Friday and Sunday, weather permitting. When you are on a golf course, you are in another world.
My philosophy has always been that even the worst round of golf is better than the best day at the office! I just hope that my health will allow me to play for a few more years.
Your job is associated with pets, do you have any at home?
We have three children, two boys and a girl. When they were growing up, we always had cats and dogs at home. At times we also had a budgerigar, a cockatiel, and some lovebirds. One day my daughter brought home a rabbit, and the next it was another kitten.
Our house was always filled with pets. When one of our children had a presentation at school, I provided them with a less usual creature, such as a snake, tarantula, scorpion, iguana, or caiman (baby alligator), which I borrowed from a pet store. local. So yes, my wife and I and our children have grown up with animals in our lives.
Now my three children and their families have cats and dogs at home. As for my wife and I, we now have a beautiful betta that my wife loves, and we also have a water garden with goldfish on our patio. That's all.
Source: Hagen Group
