# Andy Rihs
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'''Andy Rihs''' (2 November 1942 in [Stuttgart](/source/Stuttgart) – 18 April 2018 in [Zürich](/source/Z%C3%BCrich)) was a Swiss businessperson primarily in Medtech and Sports.
==Biography==
Andy Rihs' father Ernst had acquired the Zurich-based ''AG für Elektroakustik'' (founded: 1947) in 1965. Only one year later, after the father's death, Andy took over together with a family friend Beda Diethelm. Andy Rihs' brother Hans-Ueli joined a few years later. The trio developed the company over the course of decades into the world's largest hearing aid company with 17,000 employees worldwide and an annual turnover of CHF 2.4 billion.[{{Cite web |last=TREMBLAY |first=PHILIPPE |date=2018-04-19 |title=BMC and Phonak boss Andy Rihs passes away at 75 |url=https://cyclingmagazine.ca/sections/news/bmc-and-phonak-boss-andy-rihs-passes-away-at-75/ |access-date=2023-12-31 |website=Cycling Magazine}}] The hearing aid company was renamed Phonak and in the new century, [Sonova](/source/Sonova). In 1987, headquarters moved from Zurich to [Stäfa](/source/St%C3%A4fa).[{{Cite web |date=April 19, 2018 |title=Andy Rihs, hearing-aid billionaire and passionate cyclist, dies at 75 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cycling-rihs-idUSKBN1HQ1FF |via=www.reuters.com}}][{{Cite web |date=April 19, 2018 |title=Andy Rihs, Swiss Entrepreneur and Soccer Club Owner, Dies at 75 |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-19/andy-rihs-sports-loving-swiss-entrepreneur-dies-aged-75 |via=www.bloomberg.com}}]
A fond cycling enthusiast, Rihs had a big impact on the sport. Rihs was a hobby rider himself who climbed the big Tour de France mountain passes on his bike.[{{Cite web |date=2018-04-19 |title=Passings: Andy Rihs, Former Sonova CEO, BMC Owner |url=https://hearingreview.com/inside-hearing/industry-news/passings-andy-rihs-former-sonova-ceo-bmc-owner |access-date=2023-12-31 |website=The Hearing Review}}] He took over the [BMC](/source/BMC_Switzerland) bicycle company in 2000 and created a carbon production facility in [Grenchen](/source/Grenchen) where race bikes were produced which won virtually all important races of the [UCI Pro Tour](/source/UCI_ProTour) plus the [Tour de France](/source/Tour_de_France). The ambition was to make BMC bicycles ''the [Porsche](/source/Porsche) of race bikes''.[{{Cite web |date=2018-04-19 |title=Swiss entrepreneur and BMC cycling backer Andy Rihs has died |url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/society/cycling-supporter_swiss-entrepreneur-and-bmc-cycling-backer-andy-rihs-has-died/44058924 |access-date=2023-12-31 |website=Swissinfo}}]
Rihs also built an 8,000-square-metre [velodrome](/source/Velodrome_Suisse) in Grenchen for [Swiss Olympic](/source/Swiss_Olympic_Association) athletes.[{{Cite web |date=2018-04-19 |title=Andy Rihs, hearing-aid billionaire and passionate cyclist, dies at 75 |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/andy-rihs-hearing-aid-billionaire-and-passionate-cyclist-dies-at-75/w2x4c6d7n |access-date=2023-12-31 |website=SBS News}}] and helped various bike races and the [Swiss Cycling federation](/source/Swiss_Cycling) to survive in difficult times. In 2000, Rihs also created the [Team Phonak](/source/Phonak_(cycling_team)) and backed it until 2006 when cyclist [Floyd Landis](/source/Floyd_Landis) was stripped of his Tour de France title.[{{Cite web |date=April 19, 2018 |title=Rihs, owner of cycling, soccer teams, dies at 75 |url=https://www.espn.in/olympics/cycling/story/_/id/23241825/andy-rihs-swiss-owner-cycling-soccer-teams-dies-75 |website=ESPN}}] From 2007, Rihs created the new team [BMC Racing](/source/CCC_Pro_Team) sponsored this time by his bicycle company.[{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Gregor |date=April 19, 2018 |title=BMC Racing owner Andy Rihs dies |url=https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/bmc-racing-owner-andy-rihs-dies/}}] The team existed until his death in 2018 when it was subsequently renamed [CCC Pro Team](/source/CCC_Pro_Team). In 2011, BMC Racing won the Tour de France with cyclist [Cadel Evans](/source/Cadel_Evans).[{{Cite web |last=BROWN |first=GREGOR |date=2018-04-19 |title=BMC Racing team owner Andy Rihs dies aged 75 |url=https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest-news/bmc-racing-team-owner-andy-rihs-dies-aged-75-376853 |access-date=2023-12-31 |website=Cycling Weekly}}]
Rihs also started to get involved in football. In 2004, he became co-owner of the [Stadion Wankdorf](/source/Stadion_Wankdorf) (site of the [FIFA World Cup Final 1954](/source/1954_FIFA_World_Cup)) and the [BSC Young Boys](/source/BSC_Young_Boys) football club in the Swiss [federal city](/source/federal_city) [Bern](/source/Bern). He narrowly didn't live to see Young Boys winning their first Swiss championship since 32 years in a game at Wankdorf against FC Luzern on 28 April 2018, only 10 days after Rihs' passing.[{{Cite web |date=2018-04-19 |title=Andy Rihs, Swiss owner of cycling, soccer teams, dies at 75 |url=https://apnews.com/obituaries-22d7cb21458f4992a7eea355ace9972c |access-date=2023-12-31 |website=AP News}}] The title was therefore also dedicated to Andy. In 2022, brother Hans-Ueli Rihs took on full ownership of the club and stadium by buying out Andy's family.
Rihs had also financed various start-up companies and owned La Coquillade, a winery with a luxury hotel in the south of France east of [Avignon](/source/Avignon).[
==References==
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Category:1942 births
Category:2018 deaths
Category:Swiss billionaires
Category:Businesspeople from Stuttgart
Category:Swiss business executives
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Andy Rihs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Rihs) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Rihs?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.
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