been the family business of the Rieger family.
When companies describe themselves as family-owned, they usually mean they are run by the
owning family—just like Josef Göbel. However, for Josef Göbel, this connection goes even
deeper.
Two years ago, Michael Rieger built a house in Passail, which means he no longer gets to
enjoy the Rieger family carpool. His father, Franz, and brother, Christoph, still commute the
nearly seven kilometers every morning—together, for now. Christoph Rieger has just
successfully passed his carpentry technician apprenticeship exam. Interestingly, his path to the
apprenticeship was not entirely voluntary at first. He had already been offered an
apprenticeship at a surveying office, but when that fell through, he decided to pursue
carpentry. As he puts it: “Absolutely the right decision.”
The story of his father, Franz, began in a similar way. In the early 1980s, it was quite difficult
to find an apprenticeship. His own father, Christoph’s grandfather, had been working at Josef
Göbel since the mid-60s, so Franz eventually secured an apprenticeship there. That was in
1983. After completing his apprenticeship and spending some time in furniture construction,
he, like his father, worked in window making —now, over 40 years later, he manages it.
Christoph will likely follow in his father’s footsteps after his apprenticeship. “It has to
continue,” Christoph jokes about the family legacy.
Christoph’s older brother, Michael, is the black sheep of the family when it comes to windows.
He has a passion for furniture instead. In the workshop, he is deputy team leader and has been
with the company for over 10 years, ever since his apprenticeship. “It is very varied in the
workshop here. I like it because there is always something new. Every order is basically a one-
off. These are things you can’t just buy in a furniture store or quickly find somewhere else.” He
even made the furniture for his own house.
Michael und Christoph Rieger
My sons, Michael and Christoph, have followed in my
footsteps. You can't be more connected to a business than
that.”
Unlike many other families, the Riegers do not talk much about work at home. They say it is not
necessary because they pick up on the important things anyway. But even though they do not
discuss it often, the Riegers take great pride in their family tradition. “When you produce
something, at the end of the day, you can say—‘I made this. I can be proud of it.’” Michael
Rieger says. And there is nothing more to add to that.
