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An Austrian in Texas

Tigercat district manager Heinz Pfeifer retires after supporting Tigercat dealers and end users in the central southern US since 1998.

Heinz Pfeifer, Tigercat district manager for Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma retired at the end of 2021 after representing Tigercat in the region for 23 plus years. “I joined the Tigercat team on September 15, 1998. My initial meeting and interview with Ken and Tony convinced me that Tigercat was the place I wanted to work. I enjoyed the challenges of helping to establish new product lines and helping the local dealers grow, as well as making sure that our customers were getting the support that they deserved.”

Earlier in his career, Heinz was employed by an Austrian manufacturer of cable logging equipment. “I moved from Austria to the Pacific northwest and settled in Portland, Oregon. Over time, two additional Austrian companies were added to the products I represented. One of them manufactured a processing head that was mounted on converted excavators. These processing heads are what brought me to east Texas. They were sold through Texas Timberjack at the time, and Lufkin became the new base for me.”

Heinz says that he enjoyed the freedom to take decisions and the high degree of competency and support that he in turn received from the factory. “When my initial training in Brantford ended after three weeks, I asked what my job description and responsibilities were. I was told, ‘Just do what needs to be done. We’ll let you know when it’s not right.’ The support and back-up I received from all departments at Tigercat contributed to my success.”
Heinz Pfeifer and Bobby Goodson at a forestry show
Heinz with Bobby Goodson during one of the countless weekends spent at logging equipment shows over the years.
As time progressed, Heinz began to notice changes in perception within the industry in his region. “I think the established manufacturers came to the realization that there was a new sheriff in town. With Tigercat’s approach to really care about the customer’s needs and offering a more customized care program, it changed the way loggers felt about their investments in equipment.”

Heinz fondly recalls the many factory visits that he participated in. “I always enjoyed taking customers to the factory and to see their reactions as they met with engineers and top management face to face. I believe that our customers really appreciated the fact that Tigercat listened to their requests and at times made design adjustments while the guests were still at the factories. Nothing I had done in my professional life prior to my time at Tigercat compares.”

THESE LAST – ALMOST – 24 YEARS WITH TIGERCAT HAVE BEEN VERY REWARDING FOR ME. I HAVE ENJOYED WORKING WITH THE ENTIRE TEAM THROUGH THE YEARS AND GROWING WITH THE COMPANY.


“Heinz’s many years of industry experience and strong technical abilities helped pave the way for Tigercat’s growth and success in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas,” says US sales manager, Kevin Selby. “His relationships with dealers and customers built a solid foundation. I appreciate the 23 years of hard work and dedication and I think I speak for many others in saying that Heinz has been a valued member of the Tigercat team and he will be missed.”

We asked Heinz for some parting words of wisdom in the form of a question: If you could go back and give your younger, (25-year-old) self some advice, what would that be? Heinz responded, “The most important piece of advice I would give myself is to listen to the other side of every story, take experienced people seriously, and respect the advice they can give.”