Hanns A. Pielenz Foundation

New pitch for the community of Erligheim

The Hanns A. Pielenz Foundation has significantly supported the Erligheim community in the construction of a small playing field. The ceremonial opening took place on 25 July 2023, with AMANN CFO Wolfgang Findeis and the mayor of Erligheim, Rainer Schäuffele, among others, present to inaugurate the pitch with a spontaneous ball exchange. the mayor of Erligheim, Rainer Schäuffele, among others, present and directly inaugurated the field with a spontaneous ball exchange.

Foundation supports 2nd SDG Youth Summit in Heilbronn

After supporting the 1st SDG Youth Summit in 2019, the Hanns A. Pielenz Foundation has now also supported the 2nd SDG Youth Summit, which took place on 19 and 20 July 2023 at the Bildungscampus in Heilbronn. Under the motto "Discover the Future - Shape the Future", the focus was on the priority goals SDG 2, SDG 6, SDG 11 and SDG 12. The Youth Summit was organised on an inter-school basis by the students of Ellentalgymnasium Bietigheim, Friedrich-von-Alberti-Gymnasium Bad Friedrichshall and Theodor-Heuss-Gymnasium Heilbronn.
The visitors experienced two days of exciting workshops, activities and impressive performances in music, dance and theatre.
In addition to a selection of AMANN trainees and students, Katja Pielenz, Executive Board Member of the Foundation and Ivo Herzog, Chief Sustainability & Innovation Officer of the AMANN Group, also took part in the event.

Support of the educational programme KinderKlassik of the Mannheim Philharmonic Orchestra

The communication of classical music to children and young people and the opening of access to music are important concerns and firmly defined goals of the Mannheim Philharmonic Orchestra. In their educational concerts, music comes alive, becomes visible and can be experienced. The purpose of the non-profit Hanns A. Pielenz Foundation also includes the support of art and culture as well as education and upbringing. As part of the educational programme KinderKlassik, the individual questions and needs of the children are addressed, thus building up an understanding of classical music and making music in an orchestra. The focus is on the young audience's imagination, not on the mere imparting of knowledge.

This year, the Foundation has therefore supported the KinderKlassik project with a donation of 15,000 €. 

Habakuk day care centre in Göggingen: Donation for nature adventure garden

The Habakuk day care centre in Augsburg-Göggingen was opened in 1975 and completely rebuilt in 2014. In the course of the new building, a new garden area was created. However, the old garden area was not renewed. As a result, some of the playground equipment in this area is almost 50 years old. A renovation of this garden area is therefore urgently needed. 

Hanns A. Pielenz Foundation supports the Habakuk day care centre with a donation of 10,000€, which will be used for the construction of a nature adventure garden. The symbolic handover of the donation cheque by Daniel Oster, plant manager of the AMANN production facility in Augsburg-Göggingen, to the day care centre management took place in October 2021.

Funding for the permanent employment of an inclusion manager

Every person should be able to participate in sports in a self-determined manner, regardless of gender, age or origin, religious affiliation or education, any disabilities or other individual characteristics. Fairness in all areas. The inclusion of people with disabilities in amateur and professional sport requires rule- and norm-oriented sports and sports programmes that are intended to have a long-term effect. 

MTV Stuttgart faces up to this social responsibility. With the help of funding from Hanns A. Pielenz Foundation, a permanent position has now been created for an inclusion manager. This manager will create the basis for the true participation of children and young people with disabilities across all departments and sports, so that all children, whether with or without disabilities, can experience the joy of sport.

Support for the Erligheim-Hofen elementary school

The purpose of the Hanns A. Pielenz Foundation includes among others to support art and education. Therefore, it was natural for the foundation to support the request of the elementary school Erligheim-Hofen and to make the theater performance "Book cover, sheets and lettering" possible through a donation. After an extraordinary school year, it was the school's great wish to let the school year come to an end in watching an educational and entertaining theater play about the creation of a book with all the pupils together.

Foundation brings historical works of art back to Bönnigheim

The foundation's purpose includes supporting art and culture. The closing of the antique collection of Fritz Hagenlocher, a native of Bönnigheim, made it possible for the foundation to acquire works of art that are connected to Bönnigheim. These historical works of art include a lithograph of AMANN from around 1910, a sword of the royal Württemberg adjutant from around 1800, a painting by Bruno Diemer with a view of Hohenstein and a picture of Bönnigheim by Ebner from around 1820. The works of art got passed into the possession of the town of Bönnigheim in a ceremonial handover and will be displayed at exhibitions about the town's history.

Youth summit: Future fashion at school

From 26 to 27 September the project "FUTURE FASHION at School" ended with a youth summit about the 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations (SDG). The event focused on conscious consumption and sustainable textiles.

The Hanns A. Pielenz Foundation already sponsored the previous project called "Global Learning" in 2018. It was a logic step that the Hanns A. Pielenz foundation also supported the youth summit!

Thanks to all participants for this wonderful and inspiring event!

Learn more about the summit: News

„Future fashion at school“ team visits UN in Geneva

„Future fashion at school“ is an initiative that brings topics such as “sustainable textiles” and “conscious consumption” into the schools in Baden-Württemberg. Particularly, they emphasise the “Sustainable Development Goals” (SGDs 2030). Since its beginning, Hanns A. Pielenz Foundation has been supporting “Future fashion at school”. Now, 31 selected pupils from various schools in the Heilbronn and Ludwigsburg districts went to visit the UN in Geneva – their aim: to organise a Youth Summit as a group.

The first part of their journey contained the attendance at an international conference. “Welcome to our future leaders!” - the pupils received a warm welcome  Afterwards they interviewed several UN employees. Last but not least, they got the exciting opportunity to meet Daniel Hogstan, winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2017, along with his NGO ican (which takes a stand for nuclear disarmament). “Believe in your own vision, stand up for a better world and act the same way.” With these encouraging words by Daniel Hogstan and plenty of enriching experiences, the pupils left Geneva and traveled back to Germany. Now, the pupils would like to make use of their newly acquired knowledge and organise a Youth Summit, which will be held in September 2019 to bring “Future fashion at school” into further schools in Baden-Württemberg.

Realschule Bobingen: Lounge area for bookworms

Since many years, Hanns A. Pielenz Foundation is having a close cooperation with Realschule Bobingen. Among others, the foundation enabled the school to purchase workbenches, vices and robotic kits.

Now, Hanns A. Pielenz Foundation has promoted Realschule Bobingen another time. For quite some time, the school was wishing for a cozy reading area that prompts to read and spend time in the school library. With the donation of a lounge area, which is now also being used as a meeting point for SMV (student council) or the drama group, this wish has become reality.

“Global Learning” for sustainable fashion consumption

Hanns A. Pielenz Foundation supports the pilot project “Global Learning” initiated by Friedrich-von-Alberti Grammar School in Bad Friedrichshall, which aims to sensitise students from a total of ten schools to the subject of sustainability – one of the 17 UN objectives – and supports them in taking their first steps. 

Knowledge of the 17 sustainability objectives should encourage students to look at their own lifestyles and embark on a path of change. The topic of fashion is dealt with under the aspect of “Sustainable Consumption” – Objective 12. This involves, for example, the consumer’s ignorance of the conditions of the “textile chain”. The aim is to motivate students to take more responsibility for their own behaviour and actions.

ARCHE IntensivKinder in Kusterdingen

ARCHE IntensivKinder offers intensive care and a home for children with permanent respiratory condition. Hanns A. Pielenz Foundation supported the furnishing of the new building in Kusterdingen near Tübingen back in 2014. In 2018, the foundation also financed the purchase of a portable sonography unit. 

The occupants of ARCHE are children, who have to be permanently ventilated due to serious illnesses. It is not possible for them to live with their own family because of the intensive medical care they require. ARCHE IntensivKinder offers them a home and their parents the certainty that their child is safe and in caring surroundings. The facility was founded in 2007 by Christiane Miarka-Mauthe and Sabine Vaihinger.

Hanns A. Pielenz Foundation funded the equipping of the new ARCHE building with 200,000 euros in 2014. A further large donation enabled ARCHE to acquire the long-wanted portable sonography unit in 2018. It saves the ARCHE children from having to take many trips to the hospital and contributes to being able to offer high-quality medical care in a cosy, childlike and cheerful home.

Playground equipment and projectors for kindergartens and schools

Hanns A. Pielenz Foundation regularly supports the municipalities of Bönnigheim, Erligheim and Augsburg in Germany with donations. Most recently, these were used to buy playground equipment and projectors for local kindergartens and schools. 

For example, the day-care centre in Bönnigheim’s Schlossfeld estate has been provided with new playground equipment, including slides and climbing frames, while the Erligheim children’s house has received a “Heinzelmännchen train” and an “Elephant piano”. Further donations went towards the purchase of eight new projectors for the Erligheim-Hofen primary school.

Baden-Baden Festival Theatre: “Teach the Teacher"

For many years, Hanns A. Pielenz Foundation has supported the children and youth work of the Baden-Baden Festival Theatre. In the workshop project “Teach the Teacher”, teachers receive suggestions from international artists on simple ways to integrate music into their daily teaching.

Since 2014, Hanns A. Pielenz Foundation has been supporting the “Teach the Teacher” project with an exclusive partnership. The quality of the musical mediation work in schools is strongly dependent on the training of the respective teachers. The “Teach the Teacher” project is an advanced training and motivation programme for music teachers, interested educators from other fields, and students of school music. The aim is to inspire teachers with new ideas for their daily work. Through the links with the Festival Theatre programme, important works of music history, internationally active artists and regional talents can be integrated into the work.

Scholarship by Hanns A. Pielenz Foundation

Equal opportunities for all: In cooperation with Hochschule Niederrhein, University of Applied Sciences, Hanns A. Pielenz Foundation supports future students from China and Bangladesh who have obtained particularly good grades. The aim of our programme is to enable an academic career that many families would not be able to pursue on their own without some form of support. Practical experience is provided by involving the scholarship holders in everyday working life at AMANN. The foundation also provides support for life far away from home. 

The Founder

Hanns A. Pielenz was born in Heilbronn on 22 November 1939. After leaving school, he first completed an apprenticeship as a banker before moving into the textile industry and studying at the Hohenstein Institute. After successfully completing his studies, he began his professional career in the family business Amann & Söhne GmbH & Co. KG, which his great-grandfather had founded in 1854.

His profound expertise, tireless dedication and entrepreneurial talent led to his appointment as CEO of the AMANN Group in 1968 and to successfully managing the company’s business for several decades until his retirement in 2005. Under his leadership, the traditional family company has developed into a global, innovative group of companies in the textile industry, known for the superb quality of its products and services. Even after his retirement from day-to-day business, Hanns A. Pielenz remained in close touch with the AMANN Group and continued to be a valuable consultant and discussion partner to the management team.

His innovative strength and associated achievements for the entire textile industry were just some of the reasons why he was awarded the Otto Mecheels Medal in 2009 – an award presented by the Hohenstein Institute for outstanding achievements in science, industry and society.

If all this sounds like a full working life, it was far from enough for Hanns A. Pielenz. During his time at the helm of the AMANN Group and the company’s globalisation, he already built up a second empire in the USA and became CEO of URS, a cold storage company based in Atlanta. Once again he succeeded in building a successful company with vision and innovation, which under his leadership became one of the largest cold storage companies anywhere in the US.

Many other enterprises in the USA followed – Hanns A. Pielenz was always full of motivation and the drive to break new ground. His success proved him right. He was an entrepreneur with an unerring sense of business, always open to a promising idea and ready to take on entrepreneurial risk and responsibility.

But it wasn’t just his business sense that made him such an extraordinary entrepreneur. It was also the passion for his work, the courage to try out new things, and above all the respect and esteem he showed his fellow human beings. He was a mentor and sponsor of many business people and young entrepreneurs with whom he shared his experience and knowledge.  He was always willing to listen to his employees, appreciated and sought contact with them, and in return was respected and esteemed.

For many years, Hanns A. Pielenz was also very successfully involved in the pharmaceutical industry and in the field of medical engineering. When he himself fell ill with myelofibrosis, he initiated and financed research into a new cure for this disease. Unfortunately, the results came too late for him personally. However, the initial tests on patients were very promising and this commitment will continue to have a positive effect for a long time to come. Hanns A. Pielenz died on 13 June 2013 at his home in Vero Beach, Florida.