An unusual picture for mountaineers, but par for the course in national business life: the flags are hoisted in Hamburg and its metropolitan areas here in the north when it comes to commercial success. Be it Beiersdorf, Airbus, Hapag Lloyd, Helm, Montblanc, Olympus, Tchibo, Darboven, Otto-Versand and the many large publishers – top companies with their internationally famous brands are the defining feature of Hamburg's business world. Many of Germany's most profitable companies are at home in Hamburg and ensure economic development and prosperity in and for the region. It is not difficult to find the reasons for this concentrated accumulation of progressive economic power. One is certainly the outstanding infrastructure, short commutes, the cosmopolitan economic environment typical of the Hanseatic cities and the city's appeal to well-qualified specialists.