Nagold/Altensteig-Wart. Rolf Geisel received a double honor on the occasion of his 70th birthday last Sunday: For his service to the common good, the long-time CEO of the Boysen Group was awarded the Citizen’s Medal of the city of Nagold. In addition, the street “Albblickstraße” at the Boysen BAK Simmersfeld site will be renamed and will henceforth bear the name “Rolf-Geisel-Straße.”
Mayor Jürgen Großmann presented the Citizen's Medal on behalf of the city council on Saturday evening at the Dekra Congress Center in Wart, where Rolf Geisel was officially bid farewell as CEO after 40 years at the head of the Boysen Group and celebrated his 70th birthday starting at midnight.
In his laudatory speech, Großmann honored Geisel’s many contributions, “which have significantly shaped the city of Nagold in recent years.” This was particularly true in the field of education, which is especially close to Rolf Geisel’s heart. In what Großmann described as an “initially tough conversation” with the company’s leader nearly 20 years ago, the foundation was laid to establish and steadily expand the regional “Jugend forscht” competition in the Northern Black Forest, specifically in the cities of Nagold and Altensteig.
“The commitment to serve as the main sponsor was sealed back then with a handshake with Rolf Geisel – and has remained unbroken ever since,” said Großmann. Likewise, the exhaust technology specialist Boysen is among the key supporters of the Black Forest-Schönbuch Regional Youth Research Center in Nagold, where young talents can work on the ideas of tomorrow using comprehensive facilities.
Professionals and executives from the regional business community in Nagold benefit from the diverse continuing education programs offered by the Academy of Pforzheim University – according to Großmann, “another essential cornerstone of our city’s educational offerings, which would not be possible without Boysen’s massive support.”
For the general public, Rolf Geisel’s commitment to Nagold is evident in many ways. Starting with the 2012 state-wide event "Landesgartenschau" – made possible in part by Boysen as a platinum partner – and extending to the sponsorship of the “Kleb-Bähnle,” the “Blumen-Swing,” and the ice rink. For the past few weeks, Boysen has also been the new main sponsor of the youth soccer program at VfL Nagold.
For the city of Nagold, the Boysen Group – with three locations – is also a major employer: with the BIN Boysen Innovation Center and its subsidiary helag-electronic and, since 2025, also with BBKN Boysen Battery Components Nagold, where, as part of the technological transformation, battery cases are manufactured for Mercedes-AMG’s E-Performance cars – and the new plant is currently being expanded to include a 10,000-square-meter hall. Boysen has also made its mark architecturally, as evidenced by the futuristic façade of the BIN Innovation Center and the BBKN observation tower, designed in the shape of a battery case.
Rolf Geisel was visibly moved during the presentation of the Citizen’s Medal: “My deepest thanks go to the city of Nagold, which I consider both charming and a wonderful place to live, and which has thus become a part of my home.”
Rolf Geisel’s life’s work received another high honor from Oliver Valha, mayor of Altensteig and chairman of the INTERKOM Enz-Nagold special-purpose association, and Simmersfeld Mayor Jochen Stoll. It came as a huge surprise to the honoree when the duo took the stage shortly after midnight and announced that the street “Albblickstraße” in Simmersfeld would be renamed “Rolf-Geisel-Straße” in accordance with a resolution by the municipal council.
“The Boysen Group is represented here with its BAK 1 and BAK 2 production plants as well as a new development center, which is why the renaming could not be more fitting,” said Stoll, to which Valha added: “Rolf Geisel’s contributions to Altensteig, Simmersfeld, and the entire region are immeasurable. The new “Rolf-Geisel-Straße” honors his decades of work and erects a monument in his hometown that will serve as the company’s address to the entire world.”
Dietmar Bichler, a member of the Boysen Group’s supervisory board, provided an in-depth look at Rolf Geisel’s era at Boysen. Bichler recalled Geisel’s start in 1972 as a toolmaker’s apprentice, as well as his assumption of the role of CEO in 1985. Over the following 40 years, Geisel transformed the former silencer manufacturer – which at the time had four local locations – into a global player with 30 locations worldwide, 5,100 employees, and revenue in the billions. Most recently, he set the course for the group’s technological transformation – including securing two major contracts for the production of battery housings for electric vehicles.
Like the approximately 290 guests in attendance, Bichler expressed his conviction “that this evening is not a final farewell,” especially since Geisel will continue to keep a close eye on the Boysen Group’s fortunes as Chairman of the Supervisory Board.
In his welcoming remarks, District Administrator Helmut Riegger highlighted, among other things, the importance of the Boysen Group as the largest employer in the Calw district – with a total of seven locations in Altensteig, Simmersfeld, and Nagold, which currently employ around 1,900 people. Addressing Geisel personally, Riegger noted: “Business success stems from the courage to take on responsibility and make decisions. You, Rolf, are that courageous decision-maker.”
Geisel himself used his remarks to “say thank you—which is quite uncharacteristic of me – to everyone who has accompanied me on my journey and contributed to a development that I, as a young man from Ettmannsweiler, would never have dared to dream of. This is my home. I never wanted to leave here.”
***
The core business of the Boysen Group, headquartered in Altensteig (Baden-Württemberg), is the development and manufacture of high-performance exhaust systems and components for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and off-highway applications. In addition to its three main customers, Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, the exhaust technology specialist works for the German car manufacturers Volkswagen and Porsche, the British brands Bentley and Rolls-Royce, the commercial vehicle manufacturers Daimler Truck and MAN, and in the off-highway sector for Krauss Maffei, mtu, Voith and others.
The Boysen Group has been driving technological transformation forward since 2016. With new product groups such as battery cases, hydrogen tank systems, control elements and electronic components, the next chapter in the company's more than 100-year history is being written. Other components of the future strategy include the manufacture of energy storage systems (redox flow battery systems) and fuel cells, as well as basic and product development in the field of hydrogen technology.
The Boysen Group is a foundation-owned company and currently employs around 5,100 people at 30 plants in Germany and abroad. In addition to its development sites in Altensteig, Nagold and Simmersfeld, Boysen has production plants in Altensteig, Simmersfeld, Nagold, Heubach, Steißlingen, Salching, Ingolstadt, Plauen and Achim, as well as in France, Egypt, South Africa, India, China, Mexico, Hungary, Serbia and the USA.
***
Note:
The photos attached to this press release may only be used in connection with this specific press release and not in conjunction with other reports or articles about the Boysen Group. Any other use requires the written consent of the Boysen Group.
***
For further questions please contact:
Christian Grimm
Marketing Team Leader
BIN Boysen Innovationszentrum Nagold GmbH & Co. KG
Carl-Friedrich-Gauss-Str. 4
72202 Nagold
Tel. 07452/8408-200
Fax 07452/8408-8200
E-mail christian.grimm(at)bin.boysen-online.de
For publication free – proof requested
