In Memoriam: Agru Founder, Alois Gruber Sr.

The Gruber and Haager families, as well as all Agru Company employees worldwide, are saddened to announce the death of their father & founder, Mr. Alois Gruber Sr., on June 23, 2014. Mr. Gruber was born on March 28, 1925, and grew up in Steinbach an der Steyr, Austria. He trained in metal works with the company Pressl Steinbach. During WWII, he served in the armed forces and was held in captivity in Normandy. After the war, he obtained his master craftsman¬s certificate in metal works and opened his first workshop in Waldneukirchen in 1948, under the name Alois Gruber GmbH.
Mr. Gruber’s initial works included mending pots, making stoves for farmhouses, and making stainless steel frames where he walked from town to town. Later innovations included the anodization of aluminium profiles, a process that is still carried out at the Waldneukirchen factory today. As a pioneer in his field, Mr. Gruber successfully built up the export side of the business as well.
In 1954, he moved his workshop to Bad Hall, Austria and the current Global Headquarters for Alois Gruber GmbH companies. He married Eleonore (née Elsdörfer) Gruber and had two children, Ingrid and Alois II. Together with his family he purchased and restored the Castle Kammerhub in Bad Hall.
1961 marked the beginning of plastics processing for Agru. In 1979, the Waldneukirchen factory was expanded for the anodization and powder coating of a variety of metal and aluminum profiles. The factory in Bad Hall was then used exclusively for the processing of plastics.
The introduction of plastic pipes, fittings, and sheeting to the Agru product line resulted in a steady growth of the business. Agru was the world’s first company to manufacture sheets with widths of five and seven meters using flat cast die technology.
As Mr. Gruber liked to say, “There are three things that lead to success: courage, hard work, and staff.” He always made an effort to cultivate a very personal relationship with his employees and business partners. His top priorites included integrity, trustworthy partnerships and long-term cooperation through good personal relationships. Customers who were among his very first are still reliable partners today.
Mr. Gruber continued to play an active role in the company until 2004. Ultimately, Mr. Gruber Sr. along with his son transformed Alois Gruber GmbH from a tiny workshop into a major global plastics company. Today Agru Global Companies are the world’s leading manufacturer of Specialty Piping Systems and Geosynthetics. They employ over 1000 people, with factories located in Austria, United States, China, India, Germany, Poland and South America with distribution in over 80 countries worldwide.
Away from work, his great passions included skiing and golfing, and his enthusiasm was often contagious. As a youth, he spent lots of time skiing and as an adult he often visited Egon Zimmermann, the 1964 Austrian Olympic downhill gold medalist, at the Hotel Kristberg in Lech am Arlberg. He also enjoyed visiting their home on the ocean in South Carolina, and visiting the Canary Islands each year.
Mr. Gruber enjoyed spending time with his son Alois II, daughter Ingrid, grandsons Markus and Johannes, Alois III and Alexander, as well as his great-grandchildren, Moritz and Mira Bella. Mr. Gruber was a family man who ate lunch with his family every day. He also cared a great deal for the well-being of each of the 1000 families who work for Agru. As well, Mr. Gruber was closely associated with many organizations and gave back through his philanthropic activities. He liked to include sporting activities as part of social evenings and enjoyed playing cards and being with friends.
About Agru
Agru Global Companies products include Agruline (PE 100 and PE 80 piping system for gas and water supply); Purad (PVDF-UHP, PP-Pure and Polypure piping systems for the distribution of Ultra-Pure-Water in the semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries); Concrete Protection (Sure-Grip®, concrete protective plates and assembly profile made from PP, PE, PVDF and ECTFE to protect concrete structures from wear and chemical corrosion); Lining Systems (Geomembranes, Geotextiles, Geocomposites, Drainage nets, and Geocomposite Clay Liners made from LLDPE, HDPE, VLDPE, FPP, PP and FPO for the use in landfills, tunnels, ponds, and hydraulic engineering, as well as AUSTROPLAN roof liners for flat roofs and RELAX pool liners for swimming pools); Industrial Piping Systems (including dual piping systems for the transport of aggressive media); Semi-Finished Productions (including sheets, bars, and welding rods out of PP, PE, PPs, PPs-el, PE 80-el, PVDF and ECTFE for the manufacturing of tanks and for use in apparatus engineering); AGRUAIR pipes and formed components for various compressed air applications made from blue PE 100; and AGRUSAN pipe systems made from red PP-R for cold and warm water within sanitary systems.
“Everything has its time”
Many things are given to us in life, and many things are also taken away from us in life.
When we’re born and when we die,
and life and death are not in our hands.
Life and death are secrets that are safe and secure in the hands of God.
We are in the care of our God!
Our deceased Alois Gruber is in the care of our God!
These words of the Holy Scripture confirm this:
“Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into His death? For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.” (Romans 6:3+5)
This is why Christ is preparing a place for us, so that we can be where HE is.
May our deceased, Mr. Alois Gruber, receive this life in abundance. Amen.
Agru GmbH is a 100% family-owned and managed company since 1948 and is now controlled and managed by his son Alois Gruber II!
For more information, please visit www.agru.at or www.agruamerica.com.