Rolf Benz was born in Nagold in 1933 and grew up in a family of textile retailers. After a formative apprenticeship as an upholsterer, he initially joined his uncle's factory for upholstered furniture. There, he quickly developed the urge to rethink products and structures. In 1959, he married the love of his life, Hilde Benz, who stood by his side from then on.

The first stage of the company's foundation took place in the same year. In 1964, Rolf Benz set new standards in the world of furniture.

He knew how to combine design, comfort and functionality in a unique way and shaped a new era of living with his innovative upholstered furniture. “I noticed the changes in society - something new had to come.” He said at a strategy summit for family businesses in 2023. “Yes, it was a time of new beginnings in every respect. Furniture no longer fitted into German living rooms, partly because television was taking over. Efficient use of space with more coziness and better comfort were now just as popular as new design.”

Globally, the ROLF BENZ brand became synonymous with high-quality furniture “Made in Germany”. To this day, the brand enjoys a global reputation and stands for timeless elegance and perfect craftsmanship. “Our customers often said: You have given furniture a soul”, Hilde Benz remembers.  

But his entrepreneurial vision extended far beyond the founding of his own company. After the sale of ROLF BENZ, he and his family took over the heritage-rich company Walter Knoll in 1993, laying the entrepreneurial foundations for the next generation. “It was important to me to keep the family on the path of entrepreneurship and to pass on the knowledge as a family business.”

His eldest son Markus Benz has been running Walter Knoll ever since, his granddaughter Mara Benz has been the third generation to join the management team since 2023 and his daughter Barbara Benz is continuing the passion for furniture with the architare furniture store.

His two other sons also inherited the entrepreneurial gene outside the furniture industry: Hansulrich Benz as an innovative architect and Stefan Benz as a professor and visionary in the field of surgery.

Rolf Benz's philosophy was always characterized by a clear understanding of aesthetics, innovation and craftsmanship. He often quoted Theodor Heuss: “Quality is the decent thing”. He passed these values on to the next generation and they still form the foundation of these brands today.

He also passed these guiding principles on to the industry with great dedication. He was chairman of the Deutsche Gütegemeinschaft Möbel e.V. (German Association for Furniture Quality) for many years and deputy chairman of the Deutsche Polstermöbelindustrie (German Association for the Upholstered Furniture Industry). His commitment to vocational training was honored with the naming of the Rolf-Benz-Gewerbeschule (Rolf-Benz-School) in his hometown Nagold.

For his outstanding achievements, Rolf Benz received various awards throughout his life, including the Verdienstkreuz am Bande des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany) in 2008 and the Bürgermedaille der Stadt Nagold (Citizen’s Medal of the City of Nagold) in 2007.

In addition to his entrepreneurial activities, Rolf Benz was a family man who lived the values of unity, loyalty and responsibility. He was a husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather - he and his wife Hilde Benz recently celebrated their iron wedding anniversary. Not only does he leave behind an impressive success story, but also a strong family legacy that continues with thirteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

His legacy extends beyond the present. It lives on in the design principles, the companies and, above all, in the people he shaped and inspired.

Herrenberg, January 29, 2025