Heinz-Jürgen Lorenz is awarded the Federal Cross of Merit on ribbon
Heinz-Jürgen Lorenz is honored for his commitment to the welfare of his fellow human beings. Lorenz: “With all that we are, we can also always thank others“
Helping people can take many forms. Many suffered from the well known tsunami catastrophe in the Indian Ocean. Among them, the case of one fisherman caught the attention of Heinz-Jürgen Lorenz. In this particular case, the fisherman lost his boat and equipment leaving him with no means of livelihood and little hope for the future of his family. Sending money was of course one option. Nevertheless, particularly keen to the meaning of business even on the smallest scale, the now 70 year old Heinz-Jürgen Lorenz took the help-another-help-himself approach and made sure that the fisherman received a new boat and the equipment needed to resume his fishing and once again ensure the livelihood of his family.
This is just one example of the many and diverse charity and social activities of Heinz-Jürgen Lorenz throughout the years.
On February 15, 2008, his many years of social involvement in helping other human beings were ceremonially honored in the historical city hall of Frankfurt. The ceremony was carried out by way of delegated federal authority to city representatives. Heinz-Jürgen Lorenz personally received the award in the company of family, friends and long-term employees and business associates. The Federal Cross of Merit (also called the Order of Merit) is since 1951 an official decoration of the federal president of Germany and is awarded to both citizens and non-citizens as the highest general state tribute to individuals.
Milestones: Heinz Juergen Lorenz was born in Danzig, Polen in 1938. After fleeing Eastern Europe in 1945, he grew up in the area of Hamburg, Germany. He began his vocational education as business management assistant within the Hamburg industrial guild during the so called post-war economic miracle years of Germany. The strong Hamburg ethical tradition of the guild was that of the “honorable merchant” and based on the principles of “honesty, dependability, responsibility, and loyalty”. This set of ethics was intrinsically integrated into the values the young apprentice Lorenz and remained his guiding principles for the years to come.
These same values have further served as a timeless standard for all business practice thereafter. The first milestone of Lorenz as entrepreneur was in the 1970`s when he and his wife risked their first leap into self-employed business. The Lorenz Orga Systeme GmbH was founded in Frankfurt. This was followed by the founding of further companies and expanded to the Lorenz Group, while the companies successfully positioned themselves in national and international niche markets of the ever diversifying IT industry. Lorenz later opened the companies to its staff as shareholders. A number of managers became partners and all stakeholders further fueled future business development. Whether in business or in personal development, Lorenz expresses his personal philosophy and conviction: “With all that we are, we can also always thank others”.
Heinz-Jürgen Lorenz takes the philosophy of thanking others to heart and sees this as an obligation that every individual has to society and his/her fellow human beings. This underlying belief led to the founding of the Lorenz Foundation in 1991. The foundation is committed to fellow human beings in need, in particular the often lonely elderly members of society, the handicapped, and children. The guiding principle is simple: quiet, speedy help, not spectacular, no fuss, and non-bureaucratic. The foundation committee is made up of the founder and staff members of the Lorenz Group. They provide not only financial assistance to the needy, but just importantly act through personal involvement in helping when they can. Some activities include the organization of social get-togethers, celebrations, and performances for senior citizens who otherwise often lack personal contact and social interaction.
Beyond the charity work and social activities of the foundation, Heinz-Jürgen Lorenz has also become known for the establishment of the so-called “Frankfurt Podium”. The Frankfurt Podium is a re-occurring event and forum for the public discussion of social and political issues of the times. Well known publishers and economics journalists have been moderating the forums and many renowned personalities such as the former chancellors of Germany Willy Brandt and Helmut Schmidt have visited the forum to speak out on and discuss the contemporary issues affecting society and the lives of individual human beings.
Heinz-Jürgen Lorenz accepted the award of the “Federal Cross of Merit on ribbon” in a comparatively low-profile ceremony. In acceptance, he thanked his family, corporate staff, and associates and commented that he would not have achieved very much in life without the help of others. With these words, he accepted the award in honor of all those who have helped in the success of his business and have over the years been instrumental in supporting the many people near and far who have needed a helping