Stihl Inc. receives prestigious award
Stihl Inc. announced April 6 that it recently joined a distinguished list of winners of a coveted designation given by Old Dominion University (ODU) Economics Club of Hampton Roads. The ninth annual Economics Club Impact Award, which recognizes outstanding practitioners of sound economic and financial policy, was accepted last week on behalf of Stihl Inc. by Bjoern Fischer, president at Stihl Inc. and member of the Executive Advisory Committee of Old Dominion’s Strome College of Business.
“Stihl makes power tools, but it’s not an exaggeration to say they have been a powerhouse in the local economy,” said Bruce Rubin, associate professor of finance and executive director of the ODU Economics Club of Hampton Roads.
During his acceptance speech, Fischer referenced the growth of the company in Hampton Roads. He discussed the pivotal role that the company’s employees had in the company’s record-breaking sales growth over the past two decades. “Of course we are proud that we build quality products, but it’s the people that make us great,” Fischer said. “At Stihl, we strive to create careers, not just jobs. It is essential for us to have well-qualified, committed employees and so we invest heavily in their development and well-being.”
Fischer also credited the company’s growth to the ongoing support that it had received from the region’s leaders, associations and other companies. “We know that a robust local economy that makes the region an attractive home for our employees is essential for our own growth,” he added. “We all benefit when new jobs and talent are attracted to Hampton Roads, because our cities then aren’t just a place to visit, but vibrant places to work and to raise our families.”
The Economic Impact Award, established in 2008, boasts a distinguished list of winners, including Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.), co-sponsor of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002; Elizabeth Duke, former governor of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors; former Gov. Gerald Baliles, who is also a former director of the Miller Center at the University of Virginia; and the founders of Eastern Virginia Medical School.
For information about the ODU Economics Club of Hampton Roads, visit https://www.odu.edu/business/center/econclub.
