Mario Kasslatter

Mario Kasslatter: life of an entrepreneur

12.05.2022 - Italy - Germany - Austria

Mario Kasslatter was born on the 27th of July, 1936 in a small village in the Gardena Valley as 19th of 20 children. Young Mario attends the industrial institute in Bolzano and in 1954 he goes to Bregenz, Austria, where he begins the studies in mechanical engineering. He then moves to Munich where he starts working as a technician in the production site of BMW. After only 2 years in the company he is assigned a project for the construction of the Quality Control Division, thus starting to build the foundation for his future as an entrepreneur. 

However, his long-cherished dream was something else: to start his own business. For this reason Mario moves back in South Tyrol and at the end of the 60s he meets Peter Dussmann, a German entrepreneur. Dussmann was the founder of Pedus, a company specialized in cleaning hospitals in Germany. In 1970 Dussmann decides to launch Pedus Italy giving the lead to Mario Kasslatter and in the following years he chooses to assign Mario the management of Pedus Austria as well.
Mario e Haidrun Kasslatter

Dreams come true

In January 1971 Mario meets Haidrun Achammer, the woman who will soon become his wife. “She was the woman of my dreams” will often say Mario about his life partner who will also have a decisive role in Markas’ success. They get married soon after and have two kids: Florian and Christoph. For 15 years Mario is the successful Manager of Pedus, until a few disagreements with the owners push him to leave the company.  

On the 15th of May 1985 Mario founds his own company, Markas, with the idea to offer cleaning services himself. After a few smaller assignments, during the spring of 1986 Markas receives its first big assignment from Cuneo’s hospital with a value of 90 million lire per month. The dream finally comes true and from that moment on Mario Kasslatter and his wife Haidrun keep nurturing it year after year with courage and determination bringing Markas to become one of the leader companies in the sector. From the first assignment Markas starts expanding from North to South all over Italy. In 1986 the company launches the new Austrian site. 
Kasslatter family

The generational change

Despite the success, the entrepreneur’s vision was never affected by the logic of profit. The values that accompanied Markas have never changed during the course of time: reliability, commitment and fairness. “In the long run the only thing that matters is quality” – said Mario once. Since the foundation the quality has been and always will be the key to success for the company. 

In 2011 Mario and Haidrun leave their position and the guidance of Markas to their children. Mario decides to spend the last years of his life in Vipiteno with his wife, surrounded only by peace and mountains. The sons Florian and Christoph, together with his wife Evelyn, keep working with pride on their parents’ project, who always wished Markas could remain a family company in the future. Mario Kasslatter, founder and President of the Markas group, dies aged 77 on the 24th of August 2013. A valued man loved by everyone who had the opportunity to meet him, strongly determined and with a deep sense of humanity. A true example of entrepreneurship for the future generations.
signing Mario Kasslatter
“I ask you to have faith in young people, just as we do, being aware that this is the only way for our company to celebrate its 30th, 35th as well as many other anniversaries in the future.”

From the speech held by Mario Kasslatter during the celebrations for the 25 years of Markas.

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