Hoher Kasten Holds Annual General Meeting
The general meeting of Hoher Kasten Drehrestaurant und Seilbahn AG could not take place outdoors for the first time but had to be moved to the Brülisau church at short notice.
The outgoing Chairman of the Board of Directors, Emil Koller, presented the company's second-best result in his 21st annual report. In addition to the annual financial statements, the shareholders unconditionally approved the proposed revision of the statutes, elected Yvonne Fässler to the Board of Directors and appointed Jonny Dörig as its new Chairman. Under the motto "60 years of the Hoher Kasten cable car", Emil Koller also addressed future challenges and provided information about upcoming projects. Marianne Pfändler, a long-time employee of the Kastenbahn, will return to the cable car company on October 1st as the new Managing Director.
It was supposed to be the 8th open-air general meeting. Due to the cold and wet weather, the shareholders' meeting was moved to the Brülisau church at short notice. The 363 voters were presented with a very successful annual result for 2023. The 224,441 frequencies are the second-best annual result that the cable car company has achieved in its 60-year history. The success is also reflected in the financial result. Railway revenue was CHF 206,519 or 9% higher than the previous year. In addition to the necessary operational depreciation of CHF 925,000, a further CHF 260,000 was written off. The bottom line is that CHF 515,074 is the second-highest annual profit in the company's 60-year history.
Weather as a success factor
The weather was the decisive factor for the good result. Lots of sunshine and hardly any days with foehn winds in the first half of the year led to above-average visitor numbers, with the best first half of the year ever. From April to June, more international guests came. The rainy and stormy period put an end to the beautiful summer from the end of October, but could not spoil the excellent annual result. Chairman of the Board Emil Koller analyzed the financial year and emphasized that the utilization of the cable car operation over the year is now more balanced than it used to be.
Major projects are coming up
In addition to a review of the past financial year, a look into the future was also presented. One focus in the coming years will be the renovation or complete renewal of the cable car. Since the system has already been in operation for 60 years, the suspension cables, concrete bollards and supports are in need of renovation. The cost of renovation is 9 million for all items, but running costs due to major revisions have not yet been included. A completely new cable car would entail significantly higher costs, but would require less maintenance in the following years. The project is currently still in the development phase. However, the decision on whether to renovate or build a completely new cable car will have to be made in the next few months.
Yvonne Fässler new on the Board of Directors, Jonny Dörig new President
Chairman of the Board of Directors Emil Koller resigned from his position after 21 years. In his place, board member Jonny Dörig from Brülisau was elected president. The vacant seat was filled by 34-year-old Yvonne Fässler from Gontenbad. All other members of the Board of Directors were re-elected for the next three-year term of office. The strategic management body of the Kastenbahn now consists of Jonny Dörig (President, Brülisau), Christof Steger (Vice President, Altstätten), Jakob Signer (Appenzell-Meistersrüte), Thomas Rusch (Appenzell) and Yvonne Fässler (Gontenbad).
The cheerful shareholders' meeting approved all of the Board of Directors' proposals, approved the annual report and financial statements, discharged the Board of Directors from liability and approved the proposed use of the profit. The proposed amendment to the Articles of Association was also approved without discussion.
Marianne Pfändler becomes new managing director
Martin Ebneter, Managing Director, is leaving Kastenbahn at the end of September. He would like to take on a new challenge and will leave the company after 13 years in this position, despite the best possible relationship with employees and the Board of Directors, as President Emil Koller has repeatedly stressed. Over 50 people, some of them highly qualified, applied for the advertised Managing Director position and the selection was not easy.
At the general meeting, the veil of silence was lifted and Marianne Pfändler was introduced as the new managing director. She is no stranger to Kastenbahn, having worked for the company since 2002. After a few years as a temporary worker in the summer months, she became an important pillar of support in various roles over time. In 2010, she was promoted to Head of Administration and Head of Marketing and held these roles until 2015.
Nine years ago, she left the company to work closer to where she lives and her children. Now she is returning and will take over management of the company, which now has 24 employees, on October 1. Her professional experience in various management positions and her training, including a postgraduate degree in business administration and later as an administrative economist, qualify her for this task.
https://www.hoherkasten.ch/
