Eberhard Bezner was born on December 31, 1935 in Stuttgart, Württemberg, as the only child of OLYMP company founder Eugen Bezner and his wife Wilma (née Klaus). He grew up in Bietigheim and Ingersheim in the Ludwigsburg district before, after completing his school education in Bietigheim in 1950, he began a qualified apprenticeship as a textile and retail clerk in a textile wholesaler in Ludwigsburg. He then joined his parents’ company OLYMP on September 1, 1953, initially as a simple employee.
Due to the unexpected death of his father Eugen Bezner in January 1960, at the age of just 24, Eberhard Bezner had to take on complete responsibility for the up-and-coming medium-sized shirt company overnight. As managing partner, he devoted all his entrepreneurial energy to this task for many decades until the complete handover to his son and successor Mark Bezner, who is now successfully running the internationally operating family business in the third generation.
A key entrepreneurial achievement of Eberhard Bezner is that he recognized the growing difficulties of domestic textile production in Germany as early as the end of the 1960s. The need for qualified production workers could hardly be met during this time. In view of the near full employment, the local textile and clothing industry, especially in the Middle Neckar area, was continually losing workers to the traditionally strong industrial sectors such as mechanical engineering and the automotive sector. Therefore, alternatives had to be found for shirt production abroad, because this was the only way to maintain the medium-sized company and secure jobs in Germany as a business location.
As an ambitious and persistent perfectionist and quality enthusiast, Eberhard Bezner also constantly worked to further improve the outstanding properties of OLYMP shirts such as non-iron, wrinkle resistance, breathability, wearing comfort and durability. As a Swabian entrepreneur and resourceful inventor, he implemented numerous ideas for modern shirt making, which laid the foundation for ongoing market success.
In addition to his many years of entrepreneurial activity, Eberhard Bezner also assumed political responsibility in the municipal sector in his hometown of Bietigheim for decades. From 1968 to 2004 he was temporarily the longest-serving council member of the CDU parliamentary group in the city of Bietigheim-Bissingen and at the same time also held an honorary position as city leader in representation of the then mayor Manfred List (CDU). For his numerous services as a citizen, patron, sponsor and elected official to the community, he received the Baden-Württemberg Baden of Honor and is also the recipient of the Cross of Merit with Ribbon of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. In October 2013, Eberhard Bezner was also honored by the Baden-Baden Economic Forum for his life’s work as the doyen of the German shirt industry and as a shareholder of OLYMP.
Under the humanistic motto “Giving is far more blessed than receiving,” the convinced philanthropist Eberhard Bezner has always been committed to charitable humanitarian aid projects. Based on this motivation, together with his son Mark Bezner and his daughter Birgit Bezner-Fischer, he founded the OLYMP Bezner Foundation in 2008 with private endowment capital of one million euros, which has since then been committed to the upbringing, health and education of children and young people worldwide.
In 2010, Eberhard Bezner opened the hotel and restaurant “EBERHARDS”, now run by his grandson Bastian Fischer, as a stylish address in Bietigheim-Bissingen. In a prime city center location – directly on the Enz, next to the Bietigheim railway viaduct, the city’s landmark, and opposite the city’s indoor swimming pool – the Eberhards combines high-quality overnight accommodation for business travelers and holidaymakers with culinary experiences for connoisseurs and lovers of regional gastronomy.
Eberhard Bezner is also a proven music lover and the initiator of the “Jazz in OLYMP” festival, which has been taking place annually on the company premises since 2001 and which, with its numerous international music groups, performers and bands, has established itself as a cultural highlight not only in Bietigheim-Bissingen, but in the entire Stuttgart region.
As an enthusiastic sports fan and generous sponsor, Eberhard Bezner provided significant support to the local sports clubs in Bietigheim-Bissingen for decades. In particular, his long-standing and extensive handball sponsorship – both through OLYMP Bezner KG and private support from Eberhard Bezner as a passionate handball fan – is now one of the most successful entrepreneurial commitments in top German sport and reflects a unique international success story until 2025.