The “ImmoABS” alumni association of the TU Wien real estate courses kicked off the new semester this autumn with another Expert Talk. This time, the guest was Matthias Unger from Unger Stahl, headquartered in Oberwart, Burgenland. His company, whose predecessor was founded by his grandfather, is generally associated with steel construction, but it is less well known that there are also the two business areas of general contracting and real estate additionally to this line of business. In addition to its headquarters in Oberwart, the Unger Steel Group also has a branch in the United Arab Emirates and a production site in Leipzig, which was acquired in 2021.

More than 1600 employees work for the company worldwide, which can count projects in around 40 countries (spread across all continents) among its references. Well-known landmarks in whose creation Unger Stahl was involved in various roles include the ÖAMTC building in Vienna, parts of the Vienna University of Economics and Business in the 2nd district, but also components of the Burj Khalifa Tower (the tallest building in the world) in Dubai were manufactured by the southern Burgenland steel giant; in addition, soccer stadiums, bridges and façade greening are among the many projects realized by the group of companies. A special project was the construction of the new Vienna Central Station in the 10th district more than decade ago, where Unger was also able to give our graduates an insight into the technical challenges of steel construction.

Matthias Unger himself seems very down-to-earth for a top manager of his format and is aware of his company's tradition. After completing technical college (HTL) in his native Burgenland, he was drawn abroad, where he gained further training and work experience in the U.S. and Canada (Magna, Toronto), among other places. Unger also has a 10-year-old son, so it cannot be ruled out that the history of this successful family business will continue to grow in the future.

The secret of Unger Stahl's success certainly lies in the high quality and entrepreneurial spirit of the people involved. Some of the risks taken were rewarded, such as the move into the Emirates after the turn of the millennium, while on the other hand the company withdrew from the Russian market well before the start of the war in Ukraine, which in retrospect can also be seen as a very fortunate coincidence. The company's headquarters in Oberwart has also emerged over the decades as a competitive advantage for this industry, benefiting not only from the location between Vienna and Graz, but also from the symbiosis with the HTL Pinkafeld, which is an important and nearby training center for potential future employees, but also from access to the Western Hungarian labor market, which also represents a certain practical relevance for the company close to the border.

As always, the ImmoABS Expert Talks concluded with an informal get-together and gave the opportunity to talk to our guest in person.