Interview with Marco Meerkämper, Business Unit Manager Switzerland.
Since 2012, Ganter Suisse AG in Schenkon in the canton of Lucerne has been coordinating and realising interior fitting projects in the retail, commercial and residential sectors as a general contractor. The portfolio of the branch of the Ganter Group includes international brands, but also renowned tech and software companies as well as private builders and clients. On the occasion of the 10th anniversary, we spoke with Marco Meerkämper, Business Unit Manager Switzerland, about the biggest challenges, the further development of the brand presence and very private project wishes.
Marco, you have been leading the Ganter Suisse team since November 2018 and set yourself the goal at the start of continuing to build up our market presence. A challenging task – what is your conclusion after four years?
My conclusion after almost four years of close cooperation with the current eleven colleagues in Switzerland and many others from the Ganter Group is that we can do anything. The team spirit carries us and it is simply great fun, as a general or total interior fit-out contractor, to take on new challenges again and again and to realise projects of all kinds and sizes together. This makes my day-to-day work incredibly varied and exciting. In our two strongest areas, retail and commercial, customers, but also architects and planners, benefit from our excellent expertise and our experience in many specialist areas. We make it clear: even when things get tricky, we score points with our out-of-the-box thinking. I like that very much. We still have room for improvement in the residential sector, the competition in Switzerland is fierce in this area. But I am confident that we will show our strengths and skills even more in this business sector in the future.
So Ganter Suisse is the ideal companion for interior design projects – name three good reasons why you can be counted on.
I could name a few more than just three good reasons off the top of my head. Spontaneously, these come to mind:
- We maintain a large and highly qualified network of partners, which we skilfully deploy according to the requirements of each project.
- We keep to the clearly agreed costs and timelines.
- And we deliver large volumes of the highest quality in often very short implementation phases.
What are Ganter Suisse AG's biggest challenges for the future?
We continue to grow and are constantly looking for team players who are motivated and passionate and who can support us in winning and realising attractive orders. It is important for us to work as a team, which is supported and lived by the strong sense of unity within the Ganter Group.
Do you have a personal dream project that you think is still missing from the Ganter Suisse AG portfolio?
It would be exciting to realise a flagship store of a noble brand from the automotive sector or e-mobility in Switzerland. And the team would like to see us commissioned with the development of a new noble residence on the Gornergrat. This exposed location at 3135 m offers a fantastic mountain and glacier panorama with views of more than 20 four-thousand-metre peaks. But these are wishes – and rightly so, because Swiss spatial planning law does not permit the realisation of such dreams with great respect for the high alpine nature and landscape.
You are in close contact with your two business team managers Patrick Schmitt and Moritz Graf von Ledebur. What is the best part of a project for you?
This quote from Patrick spontaneously comes to mind, which certainly also applies to Moritz and the rest of the team:
"The most beautiful moment is when I walk through a completed project alone after completion and before the opening or commissioning."
That is indeed a very fulfilling and great moment. It's really easy to forget the challenging phases and stressful days beforehand that come with every project.
Why do you like working for the Ganter Group so much?
Because I enjoy working in an international environment and I like it when expertise meets passion, and you find the ideal solution for sometimes challenging customer requirements as a team. Our customers and also our partner network are so broadly based that I get to meet and get to know many exciting personalities with national and international backgrounds and impressive know-how. On top of that, there are the well-coordinated work processes within our team and the Ganter Group. Marco, thank you very much for the interview and continued success for you and your team!
Selection of our Swiss references:
Dior Alps Pop-up Store, Zurich Nespresso Boutique, Chur Oracle Office, Zurich Praxis am Bürgen, Ennetbürgen Meister 1881, Zurich H&M, Zurich The Chedi Luxuriöses Loft, Andermatt The Chedi Private Penthouse, Andermatt Suitsupply, Zurich Lindt & Sprüngli, Jungfraujoch Haus Alpenrose, Andermatt Photos Team Ganter Suisse: © Mona Hunkeler
