WATERcontrol celebrated its 10th anniversary at the Old Airport and at Lake Maschsee.

On September 16th, WATERcontrol turned 10 years old, and it had to be celebrated. First, on the anniversary itself, during the annual barbecue event – this time with a surprise visit and a surprise gift. And the next day, at Lake Maschsee: daytime conference at the Courtyard Hotel, followed by a 3-course banquet dinner at Restaurant Pier 51 – overlooking the setting evening sun.

Our anniversary celebrations were spread over two days: As every year, our board invited the staff to the annual birthday barbecue at the Old Airport. We call it a birthday barbecue because WATERcontrol was founded on September 16, 2011, which also happens to be the birthday of our board member, Marcus Pikarek. 86 bratwursts and 48 hamburgers made their way onto the newly acquired Weber grill.

While the sausages sizzled, Sven Diestelhorst and Anna-Maria Jessen from our laboratory partner Wessling surprised us with an impromptu visit and a huge gift basket to commemorate the company anniversary. (The collaboration with the renowned environmental laboratory will celebrate its 10th anniversary next year.)

But the surprises were far from over. The entire celebration crowd was surprised with a gigantic blueberry mascarpone cake – in WATERcontrol colors and adorned with icing decorations that said, “10 Years of WATERcontrol.”

After the shared lunch, the management gifted each employee with the specially reissued Seltmann & Weiden anniversary mug – as a small token of appreciation for their great work over the past decade.

In the evening, CEO Marc Vincenz invited guests who had already arrived for the conference on September 17th to Julian’s Bar at the Courtyard Hotel for food and drinks. The Courtyard Hotel seemed to be the perfect location for the anniversary conference as it is operated by our customer, the Baumgruppe, and we are responsible for the drinking water sampling there. The view over Lake Maschsee from Salon 6 was spectacular, where the conference took place from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm on Friday, September 17th. In addition to the usual conference topics, a special highlight this year was the training conducted by Mr. Dipl.-Ing. Stock on sensory testing of drinking water and the determination of on-site parameters.

The final taste and odor test on prepared water bottles and odor sample dispensers was particularly exciting. At very low intensities, participants indeed came up with different results. The training in this area is important as WATERcontrol aims to achieve accreditation as a so-called sampling entity later this year.

At Pier 51, 25 invited guests were treated to a fine 3-course banquet menu, which was selected from a total of 10 menu options. The exquisite menu sequence consisted of cauliflower curry soup with turkey strips as the appetizer, followed by a choice of either pikeperch fillet on pointed cabbage, beurre blanc, and mashed potatoes or beef fillet with a medley of mushrooms and gnocchi as the main course. To conclude the meal, a terrine of Alrohner chocolate on strawberries and oranges was served, which was reported to be highly enjoyed by all guests.

Unfortunately, due to the rather chilly weather, the celebration could not take place on the deck terrace. However, this did not dampen the mood, as the ambiance of the tall, light-filled interior was also very appealing. And as the sun set at 7:31 PM, it pierced through the thick layer of clouds, casting a beautiful evening light on Pier 51, creating a captivating atmosphere.

At that very moment, CEO Marc Vincenz seized the opportunity to warmly thank long-serving employees for their dedicated work: Planning Manager Maik Pietschmann, who will celebrate his 10th anniversary with the company in December, and “founding member” and Internal Operations Manager Julia Bückle, who returned to the company’s headquarters in April after working abroad for 4 years. She was presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers by the boss, as a token of appreciation for her return and for the incredibly excellent work she had done over the past 5 months.

According to reports, the celebration ended at 2:30 AM. We would like to express our gratitude to all colleagues, business partners, customers, and friends of the company WATERcontrol. Here’s to the next 10 years!