15 GROWTH PLANS THAT IMPRESSED IN CENTRAL UUSIMAA

15 companies with the biggest growth potential were chosen among 53 applications for the Central Uusimaa Growth Path, a development program for companies. One of the companies chosen for the program is engineering firm InstMan Oy from Tuusula. The Central Uusimaa Growth Path is organized as part of Kasvu Open, the largest sparring program for business growth in Finland.

The companies chosen for the program include Apropos lingua from Kerava, ERGObrass Oy from Sipoo, Gaming Lounge Helsinki Finland Oy, Kelosound Oy and Quickies Empire Oy from Helsinki, Instman Oy and Loxus 3d Tunnelinspections Oy from Tuusula, Karkkilan Metallityö Oy from Karkkila, MetComp Oy from Järvenpää, Vihersisustus Luwasa Oy from Hyvinkää, and Ekothermotalot Oy, JS Sound Group Oy, Moiski Oy, Pakkauspojat Oy, and Witreeni Oy from Nurmijärvi.

The business ideas of the selected companies are related to construction, translation services, wind instruments, industrial maintenance, movable kitchen facilities, e-sports, manufacturing of metal products, manufacturing of cardboard products, sound systems, water resources management, green decoration, textile manufacturing, and ready meals production.

“With the selections, we emphasized current turnover and a believable growth stories for companies that had operated longer. For more recently established companies we were most interested in the scalability of their business idea. We are excited to see what happens when the companies get to spar and further their growth together with the specialists”, says head judge Elina Pekkarinen, the CEO of Keuke.

In addition to Pekkarinen, the judges included Petri Graeffe from Uudenmaan Yrittäjät, Ari Tulensalo from the Helsinki Region Chamber of Commerce, Minna Helenius from the Uusimaa Employment and Economic Development Office, Vesa Samela from Alupro Oy, and Juha Ryhänen from Integround Oy.

DEVELOPMENT IDEAS FOR SERVICE BUSINESSES

One of the companies selected for the Growth Path is engineering firm InstMan Oy from Tuusula, which was established in 2015 and specializes on pipeline and equipment installations as well as professional services for the industry. According to CEO Mikko Lähteelä, the company's growth is ensured by its competence and approach.

“Our clients appreciate our fair and skilled operation. We are primarily seeking growth in Finland, but we are also targeting the foreign markets through our international clients and partners. Our goal is to increase our turnover from one million to two million euros this year”, Lähteelä says.

Lähteelä expects the Growth Path sparring to provide new perspectives for sales and developing service business operations.

“We are currently redesigning our website and CRM system, which are intended to reinforce our sales management and customer acquisition. I am particularly looking forward to the specialists’ points of view on developing service business operations and concepting.”

CONTENTS AND PROGRESS OF THE GROWTH PATH

The companies selected for the program will be sparred in Järvenpää on March 5 and March 7. On these days, the specialists from various fields (growth, internationalization, sales, financing, marketing, management) will challenge and assist the companies to achieve their growth targets. During the day, each company will have 45-minute meetings with five representatives from the business community, where the growth challenges of the companies will be tackled. After the second day, the judges will select the winner of the Growth Path who will continue to spar further and take part in Kasvu Open Karnevaali, the national final held in Jyväskylä, October 23–24, 2019.

Additional information:

Mikko Lähteelä, CEO, InstMan Oy, tel. +358 (0)40 165 7222, mikko.lahteela (at) instman.fi

Maria Häkkinen, Kasvu Open facilitator, tel. +358 (0)45 1303 751, maria.hakkinen (at) roihu.com*

Kasvu Open is a national sparring program for small and medium-sized enterprises, that helps companies with their growth challenges. The sparring is free for the companies chosen to the program. In 2019, the growth plans of approximately 400 companies will be developed together with more than a thousand specialists on 24 growth paths. The year culminates in the Kasvu Open Karnevaali in October, where the best Finnish growth companies will be selected among the 100 finalists.

Partners of the Central Uusimaa Growth Path include Keuke, Keuda, Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council, Helsinki Region Chamber of Commerce, Uudenmaan Yrittäjät, and the Uusimaa TE services, as well as the national partners Nordea, Finnvera, Technopolis, TT-säätiö, MarkkinointiAkatemia MAK, Varma, BusinessJKL, Regional Council of Central Finland, Innovestor, town of Kitee, KPMG, Grano, municipality of Laukaa, Lombard International Assurance, Vauraus, Isku, and Suomen Yrittäjät.

*Kasvun Roihu Oy is the authorized organizer of the Kasvu Open events and a shareholder of the non-profit Kasvu Open Oy. The other shareholders are Central Finland Chamber of Commerce, City of Jyväskylä, and Aava & Bang Oy.