http://www.gcrieber.no/

When GOTTLIEB CHRISTIAN RIEBER secured a trading license in 1879, he set up his own wholesale business in hides and skins in Bergen.
G.C.Rieber was the grandson of German emigrants to the United States who were caught in a storm on board the sailing vessel
De Zee Ploeg and blown ashore on the islands ouside Bergen in 1817.

Though G.C.Rieber´s base was the trading city of Bergen, he was soon opening branch offices - first in Trondheim in 1888, then in Oslo, Stavanger, Tromsø and Ålesund. In 1957, the first overseas subsidiary - Carino Company Ltd - was established in Canada.

The foundation for the G.C. Rieber Group`s activities has always been the 10 maxims of our founder, supplementet by 4 new maxims of subsequent generations.

1 The company shall not engage in business that cannot reasonable be considered to be to the advantage of both buyer and seller.

2 The company shall not engage in speculative business other than that deriving from the normal course of operations.

3 Guarantees shall neither be signed nor given. It is better to lend money than one´s name.

4 Never place all your eggs in one basket.

5 The first losses are always the smallest. It is better to sell at a loss than not to sell at all.

6 The company is to be organised in such a way as to be attractive to both exsisting and new employees. The company´s human capital, like its financial capital, is to be built up and expanded.

7 Credit is due to the one who makes two blades of grass grow where there once was only one.

8 The ABCDEF rule - At Besidde Contanter Det Er Finessen - The art is always to have liquid assets. Liquidity must always be secure.


9 It must always be possible to make quick and independent decisions.

10 The company shall not engage in new activities unless it can do better than others already in the same line. Any engagement is to be on a large scale.

11 A prerequisite for growth and development is free interaction between community, business associates, employees and owners. In order for the firm to achieve its targets, none of these groups must use its strenght at the expense of the others.

12 The company´s operations shall not lead to the squandering of natural resources. These resources are to be passed on to our successors in at least as good shape as they were when we took over.

13 In order to preserve, we must always renew, contantly testing and retaining the best.

14 With respect and gratitude to our forebears in Bergen, this city will continue to remain our base, but we will nevertheless maintain a global perspective.