2015 (1)
news www.firmusgroup.pl
The company anniversary
Pending tender for the biggest investment in the history of Mielno
A breath of spring in menu
There will not be a modern Mielno without Koszalin Stein Christian Knutsen - the founder of the Firmus Group, is a Norwegian who chose to live and work in Mielno at the age of 33. If it was not for him, the Company would not exist. There would not also be any effects of the company operation and Mielno would not start to change its image. Mr Knutsen’s vision depicts Mielno as one of the summer resorts found in Riviera or California. Since Mielno does not exist without Koszalin, and Koszalin does not exist without Mielno - the Firmus Group has developed plans concerning the land near the Jamno Lake in Koszalin. It is now, in the year of the 15th anniversary of the Firmus Group, that these plans are being implemented. - What were the key moments in the 15-year history of the Firmus Group? - No doubt, the most important moment was the one when the vision appeared. It was in May 2000, when I was sitting on the Meduza restaurant terrace. It was then that I imagined this region in the future. I had already strolled in the old, abandoned military areas near the Jamno Channel where we would build Beach City someday. Despite seeing ugly concrete ‘constructions’, barbed wire, oil tanks and general mess, I also saw great potential in that place. I thought that place could become the best tourist location in Europe. Time puts our plans to the test, but I still believe in my vision. - What has been the biggest achievement of the Firmus Group so far? - Provision of what we have promised, not compromising anything. Even though some people doomed our activities to failure, we were still fighting, against all odds to implement our plan. And we executed a project after a project. We resisted the temptation of “easy solutions” and we did not follow advice from influential
Stein Christian Knutsen, CEO of Firmus Group people. Acting ethically, I managed to keep my personal independence. This is actually my propeller, my driving force for the future. However, I must also admit it that my attitude caused some delays in our project execution. The process was both more painful and more expensive. - What are the next milestones for the company? - Our strategy is a long-term
one. All the money earned on one investment is invested in the next project. Such a strategy allows us to increase the number of investments every year. In the past, we used to execute one, two projects a year. This year, we are planning to start three: two in Mielno and one in a 100-hectare investment area in Koszalin. This is the nearest and very significant milestone. It is also symbolic, in a sense.
- What struck you the most in Poles when you moved to Poland? - Scepticism, negative attitude, short-term thinking. The opinion that there must be something wrong with you if you are optimistic. I know that the way Poles think and perceive the world is strongly connected with bad historical experiences. However, time heals all the wounds and helps you to
change your attitude. In order to develop and succeed in anything, one needs to stay positive. This positive attitude as well as new ideas need to be cherished and properly implemented. I strongly believe Poland will achieve great success. - You speak as if you were a Polish patriot. - I am the best ambassador Poland has ever had. I have been promoting Poland, its
people, culture and values for many years now. On a few occasions, I even argued about Poland with Poles living abroad. I was the one who remained optimistic and positive; the Poles were rather negative! I can barely understand it. I decided to leave Norway 20 years ago and to settle in Mielno 15 years ago. I just find Poland and other European countries more interesting than Norway. However, despite the fact I am quite critical about my home country, I will always love it. In general, people get what they deserve. Since turnout in Polish elections is so low, nobody should complain about anything. If you do not vote, you have no right to criticise. - Will the Firmus Group celebrate its 15th anniversary in a special way? - Well, we will celebrate it with hard work. We will employ 50 new employees. We will start to execute three or four new projects whose value will amount to 120 million zloty. I think we will continue to implement our long-term strategy which aims to make both Mielno and Koszalin tourist centres not only of the Baltic region but also the whole Northern Europe.