Our schnapps number matches a crazy year

Fifty-five years of Ramseier Treuhand! That's a big number. This somewhat special anniversary should be celebrated, for example with a trip to Portugal. We wanted to present ourselves in the best light at the Pratteln trade exhibition, KMU'20. Like so many others, both plans fell victim to the coronavirus. What did we take away from this year? No memories of an anniversary celebration, but the realization of how important solidarity is.

In November 1965, Paul Ramseier opened his fiduciary office on Neusatzweg in Pratteln. As a result, rta celebrated its 55th anniversary this fall. This "milestone" is not only visually special. Unfortunately, we are currently experiencing an equally special, extraordinary year, which gives little cause for celebration. After lockdown, subsequent easing and now increasing restrictions again, larger celebrations are only conceivable virtually this year anyway. In contrast to the event industry, which thrives on such occasions, we can continue to exist without a big party.

But postponed is not canceled: We have optimistically postponed our traditional anniversary trip for employees and shareholders (with partners) until late summer, when hopefully carefree travel will be possible again. In addition, we are all hoping for a return to normality, so that culture, sport and social life can once again have their place alongside business.

This year, we have focused on supporting our customers, many of whom have been and will continue to be affected by the crisis. Unfortunately, it is to be expected that the economic consequences in many sectors and companies will only manifest themselves in the coming months.

The first 55 years of rta have flown by. Continuity through change characterizes our philosophy, but also our team. Our founder Paul Ramseier celebrated his 90th birthday this year, and Rolf Ramseier has been at the operational helm of the company since 1995, supported by a proven team. Under the motto "Experience counts - numbers tell the story", we celebrated our 50th anniversary in fall 2015 with a big party that was talked about for a long time to come. We look back on it today with a little melancholy.

Meanwhile, the world has not stood still and we have also moved on. Our long-standing heads of mandate and management board members Willi Altermatt and Markus Zeller have taken their well-deserved retirement. The additions since then have rejuvenated our team enormously, with a good mix of experience, know-how and youthful energy. Michael von Gunten has many years of experience on "both sides" as a trained auditor and practitioner in finance and accounting, while Daniela Löliger, even at her young age, already has many years of qualified consulting experience in addition to her title as a certified fiduciary expert. And the youngest member of the team, Raphael Saccomani, has returned to his former training company rta after successfully completing his studies at a university of applied sciences, where he will soon be taking the next step and training to become a certified fiduciary expert.

For decades, we have been a member of EXPERTsuisse (then known as the Swiss Institute of Certified Accountants and Tax Consultants), the leading professional association for high quality in the industry.

By joining the global CONSULEGIS network of consultants, we have strengthened our expertise in order to be able to actively tackle the increasing number of international issues.

We are at the forefront of technology with the startup trustwise.io ag. The management of assets on the blockchain will soon receive a major boost with the entry into force of the new DLT (Digital Ledger Technology) Act and the revision of company law. This will provide an elegant solution for the digital governance of SMEs.

As you can see, we are well equipped for the next 55 years of rta. But we are also aware that we do not have everything in our own hands, as the past year has impressively demonstrated. This is precisely why cohesion, cooperation and solidarity are more in demand than ever and will continue to gain in importance in the future.

We are here for you!