On November 18th and under a persistent Florida drizzle, Dr. Johannes Riegl cut the ribbon that officially opened their new North American headquarters for business. Attended by over 150 people, Dr. Riegl and his son Johannes Riegl Jr., presided over a well-orchestrated and masterfully executed opening gala at the new Winter Garden, FL location.
The afternoon began at 3 p.m. when four unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) companies completed off-site demos of their platforms carrying Riegl lidar equipment. Skyfront, Harris Aerial, Watts Innovations and Freefly Integrations took to the skies to demonstrate their UAV integrations with Riegl small and compact lidar solutions for drones.
Simultaneously, inside the new building, Riegl technical personnel conducted briefings about their latest technology in the new building’s state-of-the-art classrooms surrounded by elegant art and spacious office space.
Outside in the parking lot, different vehicles carrying the latest mobile mapping equipment by Riegl caught the attention of the attendees, including an impressive Cessna aircraft, or part of it, showing a massive gimbal installation by Track Air snuggly tucked inside the yellow fuselage.
Due to the persistent drizzle, the ribbon cutting ceremony was delayed a few minutes but at 4:30 p.m. an impressive group of guests and speakers walked to the front of the building and the ceremony began. The mayor of Winter Garden, John Rees, the Austrian deputy trade commissioner Stefan Stantejsky and many others joined Dr. Riegl and his son at the podium and the speeches began.
Everyone praised the attractive architecture of the building and its strategic location in a state that is attracting businesses looking for thriving communities, proximity to international airports and family-friendly environments. Rees welcomed the 30 or so families moving to his community with the Riegl opening and promised an aggressive campaign to attract more and more high-tech companies to Winter Garden.
Around 5:15 p.m. Dr. Riegl, surrounded by a group that included his wife, son and guests, took the large scissors and formally cut the red ribbon that declared the building open for business. Guests were then invited to join the Riegl family, executives, and employees for an evening of elegant hors d’oeuvres, drinks and a musical show that caught everyone by surprise.
All in all, it was an evening of lidar technological innovation and a show of force by one of the most dynamic and creative companies today in the mapping industry. Certainly, with this opening of their headquarters for North America, Riegl is now uniquely positioned to take market share from those companies which have been hesitant to make aggressive moves in these uncertain times.
Dr. Johannes Riegl speaks at the opening ceremony for Riegl’s new headquarters in Winter Garden, Florida.