The brothers Johannes and Friedrich Cruse founded the "Spezialfabrik elektrischer Steuerapparate Gebr. Cruse & Co.“ in 1914 and received the corresponding license with trade license no. 1551 dated 15 November 1914. From 1916, their company headquarters were located at Wachsbleichstrasse 26/28 in Dresden-Friedrichstadt, which they and their 80 employees initially had to share with Arnhold and Petzoldt (safe manufacturing) and later with Maschinenfabrik Kreiselrad and Blumenfabrik Oscar Alexander & Co.

Olga Kussi, née Langner, Nelly Steinberg, née Kussi, Dr. Viktor Kussi, Dr. Werner Franz Kussi, Stefan Manfred Steinberg and Franz Egon Steinberg lived here.

In August 1911, Edmund Kussi (born on March 24, 1866 in Žihle near Pilsen) and his brothers Johann and Friedrich Cruse founded the company ‚RHEOSTAT – Spezialfabrik elektrischer Apparate Edmund Kussi‘. The company headquarters were located at Freiberger Straße 75. Edmund Kussi was also the owner of a dust extraction machine business at Waisenhausstraße 24. In September 1913, they moved the company headquarters to Leipziger Straße 31 in Dresden-Neustadt (site of the former Dresdener Maschinenfabrik & Schiffswerft AG).

In Adolph Lehmann's allgemeiner Wohnungs-Anzeiger : nebst Handels- u. Gewerbe-Adressbuch für d. k.k. Reichshaupt- u. Residenzstadt from 1923 contains the following entry: Berson Kautschuk-Gesllschaft m.b.H., distribution of rubber goods with the word mark "Berson", (also English, Italian, Croatian, Polish, Slovenian, Czech, French and Hungarian) VII Zieglergasse 6, capital stock 3,000,000 K, managing directors Julius and Robert Beer, drawing coll.

The roots of the haberdashery business I.

Dr. Arthur Pick was born in Vienna on December 6, 1871. His parents were the businessman Dr. Sigismund Pick and Ottilie Pick, née Bernstein. Arthur Pick's childhood/youth was characterized by several moves with the family. He spent the first six years in Vienna, then attended elementary school in Sandbach (Cheshire), England, and finally grammar school in Gliwice, before going on to study medicine at the universities of Breslau, Berlin, Munich and Heidelberg.

Irma Heymann was born in Augsburg on June 1, 1884. Her parents were the banker Theodor Heymann and Fanny Heymann, née Bachmann. Irma attended the St. Anna elementary school and the A.B. v. Stetten'sche Töchterinstitut in Augsburg. Irma passed the English language exam in 1901 and the French language exam in 1902. In 1903 Irma and her family moved to Munich. In 1907 Irma graduated from the Maximilian-Gymnasium in Munich. For her medical studies Irma Heymann attended the universities in Munich, Heidelberg, Munich, Tübingen and Heidelberg.