The serial entrepreneur that chose to make Älvsbyn his home. 

 

You are a serial entrepreneur involved with several different businesses, ranging from hotels to high-tech testing facilities for the automotive and tire industry with many prominent international clients. What about Älvsbyn has convinced you that this is the best place to call home, for yourself and your business endeavours?

 

I was born and raised in Älvsbyn and have lived here most of my life and many of my friends have remained here (which says a lot). I chose to stay because Älvsbyn offers a large variety of activities for recreation and leisure as well as many interesting jobs in a wide range of industries. 

Älvsbyn is also close to many other cities with a larger labor market and services. Travelling the world is also made easy from here, since we have both trains and flights close by. 

Raising a family has also been easy and simple and there are so many recreational activities for the children to partake in. 

Finally, there is a strong belief in all the positives that the future holds for Älvsbyn and an entrepreneurial spirit which is highly energizing. Many who live here are used to creating their own future and that requires one to be multi-talented, a great trait when running a business. The climate, the culture of service and the beautiful nature provide excellent conditions for many different types of ventures.

 

If you had to point out the single best thing about living in northern Sweden, what would it be?

 

Freedom. 

 

The current estimate is that we need to attract 100 000 new residents to northern Sweden to fulfill the promise of the green industrial revolution taking place here. If you could speak directly to some of those talents considering making Älvsbyn their new home, what would you say to make them take the leap? 

 

Come here. You can contribute to the green revolution and the development of many of the already successful existing businesses while enjoying a wonderful life with pristine and clean nature, access to recreational activities, excellent service, and good schools – all within a few minutes distance. 

There are also tons of pleasant and forward-thinking people to get know here and the world is at your feet thanks to great transportation infrastructure. 

 

It’s almost impossible to comprehend the scale of the projects that are planned for this region, especially as it relates to developing game changing green technologies like fossil-free steel and raw materials. What kind of effect do you foresee these having on your business in the years to come? 

 

I foresee that we will have an increased influx of highly skilled people to Älvsbyn – both those who come to work in the large-scale industrial projects which are underway, but also their significant others who seek employment in other businesses such as the testing industry or hotels. 

At the same time, the competition for competence existing in the region will be tougher. One risk I foresee is that the authorities will become overwhelmed by the large-scale projects in terms of investment processes and decision-making processes, which can have a negative effect on existing smaller companies. 

But I have a bright outlook on the future and Älvsbyn can be the place where we both see positive effects of the large industrial investments while existing companies are given space to continue their successful development.