October 4th, 2007. Dr. Martin Herrenknecht, founder and Chairman of the Board of Management of Herrenknecht AG, received the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany from Federal President Horst Köhler in Bellevue Palace in Berlin this morning. On the occasion of the Day of German Unity, the Federal President honors persons with the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for their exemplary contributions to society through outstanding achievements and unselfish service.

Martin Herrenknecht’s Cross of Merit award statement includes: “With entrepreneurial courage, technical expertise and his innate vitality, he has understood to turn a one-man business into a worldwide operating company specialized in tunnel boring machines and to become one of the largest employers in the region of Central Baden. With more than 100 trainees and the awarding of career grants, he and his company go far beyond standard engagement levels.” Moreover, the Office of the Federal President praised Martin Herrenknecht’s various volunteer activities and ideational and financial support of numerous social, sports or school projects. As an example, they quoted the continuous support of pastoral care in his home village Allmannsweier, in particular for the young, by financing half of the priests’s salary for a period of ten years.

With the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dr. Martin Herrenknecht received the second Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. In 1993, he was presented with the Cross of Merit on Ribbon (Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany). In addition, the entrepreneur obtained several other awards and prizes. In 1998, he was granted an honorary doctorate (“Dr.-Ing. E.h.”) from the Technical University Carolo-Wilhelmina at Brunswick (Germany).