Founder Johannes Riege retires after 40 years of tireless commitment to the logistics industry.

MEERBUSCH, Germany - Also known as JR, but the complete opposite of the TV series' notorious, egocentric meanie, Johannes Riege started his career in 1978 as a freelancer, programming software during the infancy of electronic solutions for the logistics industry. Being a mathematics graduate, he decided to capitalize on his skills with something more meaningful than writing endless formulas on blackboards to prove the earth is not flat. So it transpired that on September 11, 1978 he printed his first electronically created AWB for his customer and well-known forwarder, Union Transport, (later merged with DSV). This momentous advance was subsequently adopted by all his customers.

This was the beginning of a long and deep relationship between JR and the ongoing development of electronic logistic procedures. In 1985, he took the next natural step to advance this productive endeavor and founded his own business, presenting his creation, Procars. This was one of the first comprehensive Transport Management Systems, and it amazed the industry. Captivated by the abilities of Procars, leading forwarders like Dachser and DB Schenker joined the list of early customers. Procars is still in use after all these years with several customers around the world.

As the customer roster grew, JR's company, Riege Software, grew also and in 1991 Johannes Riege founded his first branch in the U.S. Three years later in 1994 the Hong Kong branch opened.

After a period of improvement and technological advances it was time to develop a new product, Scope, under the auspices of his eldest son Christian, an expert in computer science and a natural born innovator. Scope's purpose is to take the company to the next level. “One of our fathers greatest achievements has been in forming a company that mirrors his outlook; Fostering curiosity, empowering experiments and exploration, permitting failure as a method of learning and emerging stronger. His greatest accomplishment however is to be a loving husband, a great father of five and friend to many. We all are truly standing on the shoulders of giants and he is one of them,” said Christian Riege, SVP Software Development of Riege Software.

With branches in Switzerland (2008), in the Netherlands (2011) and in Mexico (2018), Johannes Riege focused on emerging markets, with the enthusiastic and growing support of his second son Tobias, also a mathematics graduate, and a doctorate in computer science. “We are very grateful to our father and that he has given us the chance to invest heavily in new technology and smart people and accelerate our company into the future. One must clearly point out that every single dollar spent did not come from outside investors, but is based on our money and our father's trust in our abilities to grow the business with our own new ideas,“ Tobias Riege, former COO, now CEO of Riege Software explicated and continued “We will always acknowledge and continue his passion for the logistics industry, and we are very proud to be the successors of his legacy. We will be sure to lead the company in his best interests, adding professional talents as we go to support our natural growth strategy.”

“My father’s vision and passion for solving problems within the freight and logistics industry lives on here at our headquarters and everywhere else at Riege Software. I not only respect his skills providing the industry with better technology, but also his ability to inspire talented people and encourage them to give their best.” said his third son Benjamin, a passionate web designer and media consultant currently in charge of the company's marketing and public relations.

Johannes Riege looks back pride at what he has achieved and he looks forward to what his successors will achieve in the future. He knows his lifework is in safe hands and his family prospers, his two other children searched and found their careers outside the company, Johannes Jr. who holds a master degree in mathematics, and his daughter Anna, a nutritional consultant with a background in food logistics.

But the story hasn't reached an end yet. Johannes Riege will be what he always was – the premier representative of the company. Prepare to meet him in the future where all the good guys mee