Dr. Sybill Storz celebrated her 80th birthday – well-wishers included the City of Tuttlingen and the former German President Professor Köhler | KARL STORZ Endoskope

Tuttlingen, 06/07/2017: With a festive reception at Tuttlingen town hall attended by some 200 invited guests from politics, business, and society, the City of Tuttlingen honored the entrepreneur Dr. h.c.mult. Sybill Storz, who is also the bearer of the city's Honorary Gift, on the occasion of her 80th birthday.

The Tuttlingen School of Music offered a musical performance, and Tuttlingen Mayor Michael Beck welcomed and congratulated Dr. Storz with the following words: "Dr. Sybill Storz is a person who likes to give. Today, we celebrate her 80th birthday. And Tuttlingen can be proud and pleased to have a resident such as yourself: as an entrepreneur, a generous donor and sponsor, and most of all as a person." In his address, Beck praised Sybill Storz's strong discipline and remarkable stamina as well as her extraordinary charitable commitment, which – in accordance with her nature – she practiced quietly and inconspicuously, but very effectively. He added that as an entrepreneur, she not only successfully continued her father's work, but ensured that it truly flourished. Beck stated that like virtually no other entrepreneur, she stood for Tuttlingen values and expertise, which had made the city well-known around the world as a global center of medical technology.

As a particular honor for Sybill Storz, the former German President Professor Dr. Horst Köhler gave a speech as well. He praised entrepreneurial virtues such as diligence, precision, and reliability as well as the commitment to the social market economy, the promotion of education, and the strength of medium-sized enterprises. He stated that Dr. Sybill Storz represented all of these characteristics. In closing, German President Köhler summarized: "Under your leadership, the company KARL STORZ stands for the best of German family businesses. KARL STORZ is one of the "hidden champions" of the German economy, which offer so many people here and elsewhere work, income, and perspectives. I am particularly pleased that as a member of the United Nations Global Compact, KARL STORZ commits to entrepreneurial guidelines for globalization for the benefit of everybody. You do not lose sight of the overall picture, and I admire you for that. Dear Ms. Storz, you have truly rendered a service to our country."

In his address, Karl-Christian Storz emphasized that his mother's defining values that are the foundation of the long-term business success of KARL STORZ are optimism and patience. "This will to shape the future, this optimism or – in classic terms – this hope defines my mother and our entire family, with Karl Storz already practicing this optimism when he established a company in very difficult times." He added that patience with herself as well as patience in the knowledge that sustainable growth takes time characterized his mother as an entrepreneur. She proved her strength with the quiet power of patience – and then did the right thing at the right time, with foresight and wisdom.

In her closing speech, Sybill Storz thanked the City of Tuttlingen, German President Köhler, and all attending guests for the extraordinary honor they bestowed upon her. "To me, the recognition and good wishes I received today particularly serve as a motivation and obligation to continue to work for the benefit of the company, our employees, Tuttlingen as a location, and toward producing optimal products." Sybill Storz emphasized that she still very much enjoyed leading the company and implementing ideas and visions together with her son Karl-Christian. She added that she was looking forward to whatever the future may bring with both joy and curiosity.