From the grandson of the company founder to the driving force behind a global enterprise: Commercial Councillor Dipl.-Ing. Herbert Kulterer transformed a sawmill in the Upper Drau Valley into a diversified wood industry group centered on sawmilling over the course of nearly five decades. He laid the foundation upon which his son, Christoph Kulterer, expanded the HASSLACHER group into an international global player and world market leader. Beyond his entrepreneurial achievements, Herbert Kulterer also played a decisive role in shaping the timber industry in Austria and across Europe as a dedicated industry representative. On September 26, he celebrates his 90th birthday.

Roots Between Farm and Sawmill

Herbert Kulterer was born on September 26, 1936, as the eldest of six children to farmer Karl Kulterer and his wife Auguste, a daughter of company founder Jakob Hasslacher. Growing up on his family’s farm in Thon near Grafenstein, he learned early on the values of hard work, responsibility, and solidarity. His childhood was shaped equally by rural life and the hardships of wartime, including the presence of stationed soldiers and the bombing of Klagenfurt.

Originally destined to inherit the family farm, his future took a different turn following a request from his grandfather. In 1950, Jakob Hasslacher, who had laid the foundation for today’s HASSLACHER group with a small wood-grinding mill in Feistritz near Sachsenburg in 1901, expressed his wish to involve his grandson in his forestry and industrial businesses. At just 14 years old, Herbert chose this path and immediately began private studies in business and languages alongside attending secondary school in Klagenfurt.

Entrepreneur at the Age of 22

After graduating from high school with distinction, Herbert Kulterer studied Forestry and Wood Economics at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna. At the same time, he expanded his business expertise through courses at the Vienna University of Economics and Business and various seminars. Practical training and study trips took him to Germany, Scandinavia, and the United States.

In 1958, shortly before completing his studies, his grandfather Jakob Hasslacher passed away. At only 22 years of age, Herbert Kulterer became the sole owner of Hasslacher Holzindustrie in Sachsenburg. At the time, the company consisted of three operations with a total workforce of 180 employees: the sawmill in Sachsenburg, the cardboard factory in Spittal an der Drau, and the agricultural and forestry operations, whose administration he personally managed. Alongside leading the company, he passed the Austrian State Examination for Higher Forestry Administration with distinction in 1962.

What followed was decades of determined and systematic growth. Beginning with the modernization of the Sachsenburg sawmill based on Scandinavian models in 1960, Kulterer steadily increased production capacity from 25,000 cubic meters of roundwood at the time he took over to 150,000 cubic meters in single-shift operation by the end of the 1990s. Few entrepreneurs were able to capitalize on Europe’s increasing integration as effectively as he did for the benefit of the family business.

The Ultimate Test: The Fire of 1998

The road to success was anything but easy. Most notably, the devastating fire during Easter 1998 destroyed the heart of the operation, including the modernized sawmill hall. For many, such a loss would have been discouraging. Yet Herbert Kulterer demonstrated remarkable determination and foresight during this difficult period. Rather than giving up, he viewed the disaster as an opportunity for renewal, modernization, and expansion. From the initial shock emerged extraordinary motivation and a strong sense of unity between management and employees.

Kulterer committed to rebuilding and thought bigger than ever before. He invested in state-of-the-art technologies, doubled production capacity, and created a highly modern large-scale sawmill. The acquisition of the two Carinthian sawmills owned by Feltrinelli-Drauland GmbH in Arnoldstein and St. Veit, followed by their merger into HASSLACHER DRAULAND Holzindustrie GmbH, not only compensated for the production lost in the fire but also opened new markets extending to Japan and the United States.

Further milestones included the establishment of NORICA TIMBER Vertrieb GmbH as an export company, entry into the production of glued laminated timber through NORITEC GmbH in 2001, and investment in biomass-based power generation in 2004. Step by step, Herbert Kulterer transformed the inherited sawmill into a diversified wood industry group while maintaining sawmilling as its core business.

After nearly 50 years at the helm, Herbert Kulterer handed over the company to his sons in 2007. Christoph Kulterer assumed responsibility for the industrial operations, while Stefan Kulterer took over the forestry business. Under Christoph Kulterer’s leadership, the HASSLACHER group grew into what it is today: an international global player and world market leader in timber construction. This achievement stands as proof of the strong foundation laid by his father.

Ambassador for Wood

Beyond his own company, Herbert Kulterer spent decades as one of the most influential representatives of the wood, paper, and sawmill industries in Europe. His list of responsibilities is extensive: Head of Austria’s Sawmill Industry Association, Delegate of the Carinthian Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Carinthian Sawmill Industry Association and Deputy Chairman of the Paper Industry Association, Chairman of the Carinthian Wood Industry Association, Chairman of the Provincial Timber Economy Council, and Vice President of the Federation of Austrian Industries in Carinthia.

His tenure as Chairman of the Austrian Sawmill Industry Association from 1986 to 1995 coincided with a period of dramatic structural transformation in the industry and one of his most lasting initiatives. Under Kulterer’s leadership, the former Federal Timber Economy Council was transformed into the Austrian Forestry and Timber Industry Association “proHolz,” which has since become a widely respected platform for wood marketing and cooperation, extending far beyond Austria’s borders.

Earlier, in 1983 and 1984, he earned recognition as chief negotiator of the Austrian commission responsible for the “Contratto Tipo,” which established a new written framework for timber trade practices between Austria and Italy. The international significance of his work was highlighted during an economic mission to Japan led by Austrian Federal President Thomas Klestil, where Kulterer personally briefed Emperor Akihito on timber trade relations between Austria and Japan.

A Legacy That Endures

The Republic of Austria honored Herbert Kulterer with the honorary professional title of Commercial Councillor and the Grand Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria. The Province of Carinthia awarded him the Grand Golden Medal of Honour and the right to display the provincial coat of arms. Additional distinctions include the Grand Silver Medal of Honour and the Karl Baurecht Honorary Ring of the Carinthian Chamber of Commerce, the Golden Badge of Honour of the Austrian Wood Industry Association, the Golden Pine Award of the Klagenfurt Timber Fair, and the EUROPAEUS Award for Lifetime Achievement.

What began in 1901 with his grandfather’s small wood-grinding mill was developed by Herbert Kulterer from 1958 onward into a modern wood industry through vision, courage, and tireless dedication. In doing so, he laid the cornerstone for the internationally active family business now operating in its third generation.

Herbert Kulterer’s life’s work embodies the qualities of a true entrepreneur: taking responsibility, recognizing opportunities in times of crisis, and passing on what has been entrusted to him at the right time.