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Master of the factory of dreams

Title shot: Stefan Matzke (sampics)

This article was first published in the "MarktImpulse", ed. 2/18

Gerald Wernig is an entrepreneur, a visionary and a kind of modern magician. His company Gewena produces sophisticated wall paneling that looks like brick, vertical gardens or wooden paneling. But in fact, those are perfect imitations – they're environmentally friendly, can be mounted while saving time and are available in countless designs.

Gerald Wernig is leaning on soft green moss pads, framed by a picturesque rock formation. It looks nice and typical for the area since this is in Laufen in the Bavarian foothills of the Alps. But this scenery is not actually situated on the hillside under white clouds and blue skies but rather in the showroom of Wernig's company Gewena.

And except for the boss and his happy smile, nothing is the way it seems: The moss has been imported from Scandinavia, is almost white in its natural habitat and has undergone ingenious procedures. It has been pressed, before once again restoring its fluffy character in a nutrient solution, dying it green and ultimately mummifying it. The rock consists of a cement mix that has been poured into a dedicated mold like (marble) cake mix before it is painted with Brillux paint.

The reason for the result being strikingly similar to the original is Gerald Wernig, a highly creative combination of Gyro Gearloose and MacGyver. He takes great pleasure in recreating nature by artistically imitating it. Gewena produces luxurious wall paneling made of stone, timber, moss and glass that looks stunning and brings nature indoors.

Be it for residential purposes, retail, duty-free shops in airports, trade fair stalls, hotels or major accounts like cruise operator AIDA – each wall has been uniquely configured.

"Each of our wall cladding elements is unique and has been geared exactly towards customer demands following a comprehensive consultation session." (Gerald Wernig)
"We are very lucky that our producers work very quickly and we can also offer an extremely good price/performance ratio." (Gerald Wernig)
"Sustainability is a must as part of all my products. They must be suitable for recycling and exclude harmful emissions. All surfaces consist of natural materials." (Gerald Wernig)

From employee to inventor

A business idea that is just as unconventional as its inventor – and the story of how it came to be. It started on a weekend in 1993 in a fairly romantic way: "On the way from Austria to Düsseldorf I stopped in Laufen because I had been invited to a party", the inventor from Klagenfurt explains with a smile. "That's where I met Andrea, the only person except for myself that was asking herself what she was actually doing there. Nowadays she is my wife."

It was all over far too quickly: Wernig quit his job as the manager of a garden center, moved to Germany and established his own company focusing on the revegetation of hospitals with potted plants.

Once the company was no longer doing so well as a result of cuts to the health system the restless entrepreneur sought new business models – and became an inventor in the process: He developed a method of producing artificial rocks to install in spas – and quickly followed up with new wall cladding types, something that has now developed into his main business segment. How do you teach yourself? "Curiosity drove me forward!", he says when he looks back at the past.

His ambitious objective: "I wanted to produce wall panels that not only look sophisticated, but are also environmentally friendly and flame-retardant, in contrast to polyester models available on the market." Exactly the right challenge for tireless inventor Wernig. He found fellow inventors online, other "freaks" how he calls them, and started "experimenting with plenty of commitment and enthusiasm".

 

Beauty alone is not enough!

Entrepreneur Gerald Wernig, Gewena Stone Manufaktur

 

People are tinkering in the production hall

Wernig has been successful, something his ample, constantly growing product range at the Gewena showroom demonstrates. The stone panels' styles range from "rustic" to modern and cool, some are modeled on the bridge in Mostar in Bosnia-Herzegovina, others on the typical red brick wall in the New York Bronx.

In a different room Wernig showcases timber walls made of oak, nut or arolla pine to create a homely atmosphere. He pairs these with moss walls that bring fresh green colors into the room and tops it all off with his luxury product, highly elegant glass elements from Venice, available at €1,500 per square meter. His formula: "We want to reach as many customers as possible."

Traveling often inspires him to new designs. "I am full of ideas when I am on the move. I see something nice in nature, obtain the raw materials and take them home where we try to imitate it." The laboratory for his experiments is Gewena's production hall in the Bavarian town of Petting. A large facility in which employees are applying color and exotic looking materials, such as coffee powder, in many different ways until they can no longer be distinguished from their natural counterparts.

  • <p>Perfect crew for creative adventures: Udo Franzen, Gerald Wernig, Philipp Wernig, Peter Marchl and Michael Großbötzl.</p>
  • <p>Einsatz im "Labor": Eigentlich kümmert sich Gerald Wernigs Sohn Philipp um den Onlineshop der Firma. Ab und an zaubert er aber auch Steinpaneelen ein neues Gesicht.</p>
  • <p>Die leichteste Steinwand der Welt: Gewena-Partner Peter Marchl von "AdiK" und Michael Großbötzl von "Wand Werk" demonstrieren, dass diese Wandverkleidung zwar aussieht wie Ziegel, aber viel bequemer transportiert und eingebaut werden kann.</p>
  • <p>Udo Franzen von "123-wandgestaltung" in Oldenburg und Michael Großbötzl von "Wand Werk" sind nicht nur Gewena-Händler, sondern auch stets dabei, wenn Gerald Wernig ein neues Produkt austüftelt. Hier arbeiten sie an einem Moosbild.</p>
 

Gewena Stone Manufaktur – producing luxurious and sustainable wall cladding

Having founded the "Gewena Stone Manufaktur" in 1993 Gerald Wernig's emphasis first lay on designing rocks and stone panels. Today his product range includes sustainable and flame retardant wall claddings made from wood, moss, glass and gypsum and offers something for everybody. Customers include well-known fashion companies for whom Wernig realizes boutiques, duty-free shops at airports and expo stands. He also works for hotels, AIDA cruise ships and the private sector.

www.gewena.de - founded 1993 - 20 employees

 

"It's like cooking", Wernig laughs, "you try something, add some more ingredients, or refrain from using other ingredients until the result tastes nice." Once a suitable method has been established, Wernig trains his dealers.

They are then tasked with manually producing the walls on site at customer premises. "Genuine haute couture", the Gewena CEO says, adding "we cater to any customer demands, adapt colors and structure individually. No wall is like the other."

Gewena supplies customers around the globe

However, nowadays the laboratory is not only used for experiments, this is also where aspects are discussed, planned and where team members have a laugh together. The reason being that Wernig's partners in crime have come for a visit. Michael Großbötzl from "Wand Werk" in Linz, Udo Franzen from "123-wandgestaltung" in Oldenburg, Peter Marchl from "AdiK" in St. Marein – three Gewena dealers running their own businesses, providing input for new plans.

Wernig is once again keen to show his colleagues a new product. This time its plasterboard walls with a host of different patterns and reliefs that Gewena will soon be offering as the only provider in Europe. A product linked to great expectations.

For expectations to convert to results – and because these men quickly lose sight of the relation between development costs and economic benefit – two women watch the company's finances closely: Anna Volk, 66, who has been responsible for sales, marketing and accounting since 2003 and Wernig's wife Andrea Nickolai, 50, who looks after Gewena's accounting in addition to her job as the manager of a private hospital.

"Creative ideas always require funds. Andrea and Anna are the ones that then say "that's not feasible"," Wernig explains happily. A division of responsibilities that works like clockwork. Gewena supplies customers around the globe. Wall paneling upgrades the interior of major brands' fashion stores, restaurants, hotels and even the Europe's highest chocolate shop at an altitude of 3,454 meters above sea level, a Lindt & Sprüngli branch at Jungfraujoch.

The company's products have been sailing the world's seas on board of cruise operator AIDA's vessels. There were times when Gerald Wernig spent six months at the shipbuilding yard in Papenburg during assembly. Nowadays, he merely supplies prefabricated walls to customer destinations at greater distances and leaves on-site installation to local companies.

  • <p>Anna Volk is the assistant to the head of Gewena, Gerald Wernig</p>

Just this morning he received another one of these phone calls: "We need a rock in Russia – quickly!" If I were to go there myself every time, it would be too costly for everyone involved." He only has to regularly travel to production sites he internationally relocated for reasons of cost cutting.

"Wooden walls are made in Bosnia because nut and oak easily grow in this region and plaster products are supplied from Croatia. The moss is dyed in the Netherlands." For this reason, he spends about a month a year traveling for business purposes, significantly less than before. "It became too much, I no longer wanted to be separated from my family for that long."

He also enjoys redecorating his own property

He is also linked to his family members for business purposes. His son Phillipp, 30, with his design agency, is responsible for the online shop (skapandik.at) and Gewena's public face. Gerald Wernig and his wife Andrea also run Hotel Almrausch in Bad Reichenhall. A few years ago they bought it "for fun" before they lovingly redecorated the building, of course using Gewena walls.

Each of the 24 rooms features individual design – from a North Sea style with walls made of white wooden planks to Bavarian-themed rooms with rustic wooden walls behind the box-spring bed. The breakfast room has been decorated with moss panels on the walls and birch trunks grow from the parquet flooring in the entrance lobby. All in all, an excellent showroom for all potential customers that can experience Gewena walls in real life here – and want to combine it all with a short, visual break from everyday chores.

Gerald Wernig and his wife are also keen travelers. Whenever they have a little time, the couple travels. Nice, Mallorca and Bad Hofgastein are among their favorite destinations.

"If we have time off, we need to leave", Wernig says, "there is too much to do at home." For instance, redecorating the house. Gerald Wernig not only sells his walls, he also uses them in his own home – where he is constantly redecorating: "As soon as I have finished one wall, I already have a new idea." Typical of this creative, restless mind, not just professionally, but also in his spare time.

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