PRESENTING SPONSOR

AMBASSADOR

DIPLOMAT

PATRON

Harold Josephson Award 2010
Kurt Waldthausen
Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany (North Carolina)
& Founder and Chairman of the German Language and Culture Foundation

Mr. Waldthausen was born in Portugal and educated in Germany.  During his business career Mr. Waldthausen, who has command of four languages, has lived for five years in Pakistan, a year in South America, 22 years in the United States and has traveled on all five continents to more than 100 countries.   

Waldthausen started his business career with the German export-import company Lohmann & Co. in Bremen, Germany and served the company for 12 years.  His last assignment with Lohmann & Co. included overall responsibility for 15 subsidiaries located on five continents with more than 750 Employees.  In 1983, Waldthausen moved to the United States and became President of Hettich America, the world’s largest furniture hardware manufacturer.

In 1988, Waldthausen became President of HOLZ-HER U.S., INC., Charlotte, North Carolina, a company that assembles markets and sells industrial woodworking machines for distribution and sales in a territory that stretches from Canada to Chile.  In addition, Mr. Waldthausen became Chairman of HOLZ-HER Canada in March 1995 after Holz-Her U.S., Inc. acquired the company from the parent organization.  In 2000 the Woodworking Machinery Industry Association in Baltimore/Maryland selected Holz-Her U.S., Inc. as the “Supplier of the Year”. Under his leadership, HOLZ-HER U.S., INC. has been a North Carolina Export 20 Award winner in 1994, 1997, 1998, and also received the coveted “Fast 50 Award” in 1999 and 2000 when she was ranked eighteenth and thirtieth fastest growing privately owned company in a 15 county area exceeding 2 Million people.

In 2000 Waldthausen started the company Carolinas International Connection, Inc., to share his success with other, primarily German Entrepreneurs with subsidiaries in the Southeastern USA or with those that intend to set up subsidiaries in that area. In addition Waldthausen became a partner of the Executive Search firm Coleman Lew & Associates.

• Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany to the State of North Carolina
• Member, Board and Executive Board of Directors, Greater Charlotte Chamber of Commerce
• Member, Board of Directors, German American Chamber of Commerce, Atlanta, GA
• Founder/President of the North Carolina Chapter of the German American Chamber of Commerce, Atlanta, GA
• Member, Board of Directors, Charlotte Regional Partnership (Economic Development Org.)
• Member, Board of Directors of several subsidiaries of German/European companies
• Member, Board of Directors, World Affairs Council, Charlotte, NC
• Member, Board of Trustees, Echo Foundation, Charlotte, NC
• Member, Board and Executive Board, Mayors International Cabinet, Charlotte, NC
• Member, Board of Visitors, Charlotte Country Day School, Charlotte, NC
• Chairman, Charlotte Sister Cities (7 Sister Cities on 4 continents)
• President, International House, Charlotte NC
• President and Chairman, German Saturday School, Charlotte, NC
• Member, Board of Advisors, Academy of International Business Studies, Pfeiffer University, NC
• Founding Member, German Church of Charlotte
• Member, Board of Junior Directors, Bremen Chamber of Commerce, Bremen/Germany
• Member, Rotary International – Paul Harris Fellow
• Recipient of the “Richard Vinroot International Achievement Award” in 2000, from the Mayor of the City of Charlotte, NC
• Recipient of “The Old North State Award” from the Governor of North Carolina in 2005

• “Geschäftserfolge in den USA” (“Business Successes in the USA”), published by Dr. Th. Gabler, GmbH/Germany
• Business Journal, Charlotte, NC
• Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, NC
• Business South, publication of the German American Chamber of Commerce
• Bremer Nachrichten, Bremen/Germany
• Wirtschaft in Bremen, Bremen/Germany
• Various Trade Publications incl. FDM-Furniture and Design Magazine, Wood & Wood -- 
• Products, European Woodworking Machinery & Supplies and many others
• VDMA Maschinenbau Nachrichten, Frankfurt/Germany
• Wirtschaftsreport Rheinhessen, Mainz/Germany
• Euro Wirtschaftsmagazin, Germany
• Wirtschaftswoche, Germany
• Impulse, Germany
• Personalmagazin, Germany
• Auslandskurier, German