Last year, Keski-Uudenmaan Kehittämiskeskus Oy (Keuke) helped a total of 2,865 businesses with the development and expansion of business activities and the establishment of new enterprises. The number was increased by one third from 2019, when Keuke provided services to 2,099 customers.

Keuke offers business consulting services in the areas of Järvenpää, Karkkila, Kerava, Nurmijärvi, Pornainen, Sipoo, and Tuusula. 

– The massive increase is a result of the coronavirus situation. We have helped a significant number of local businesses to adapt their operations, apply for development financing, and find new operational models for their activities. The number of new companies established also grew from the previous year, says Elina Pekkarinen, the CEO of Keuke.

According to Pekkarinen, Keuke was able to serve such a large number of customers because of its solid customer knowledge, competent personnel, well-functioning cooperative networks, and additional recruitment. 

– Without a functional relationship with the local business community, we would not have been able to help so many companies suffering due to the coronavirus situation. Similarly, an unknown operator could not have provided information on the availability of assistance as effectively and quickly as we did.

– We were able to set up a support phone line and crisis counseling service within a matter of days. We created a concept for the crisis counseling service that allowed us to review the companies’ acute needs and potential areas for development efficiently and successfully.

Help sought mostly for surviving the crisis and seeking sources of funding

The unusual year is also highlighted in Keuke’s statistics in the issues with which companies contacted Keuke for help.

– 40 percent of our customers were provided crisis support for the coronavirus situation. Almost as many, 35 percent of customers received help with funding related matters. The two are naturally linked. Compared to the previous year, the number of both business assessments and various reviews and reports produced by us grew by a thousand, Says Elina Pekkarinen. 

Some particularly positive surprises can also be found in the statistics on the operation of Keuke for 2020. Not all customers contacted Keuke because of the coronavirus crisis, as, for example, the number of internationalization plans produced during the year increased by more than fifty percent. The number of product development plans was 150 percent higher than in 2019. 

– The number of product development plans is a direct result of the business assessments and the sparring we have carried out with companies whose operation has suffered from the coronavirus situation. This shows that instead of just seeking additional funds to survive the crisis, companies also genuinely wanted to develop new activities. 

Sparring with companies in order to improve their marketing has always been a significant part of the work of Keuke. However, this was not the case in 2020, which is also a testament to the unusual year. This past year, the key challenges and development needs of companies were significantly different from usual.

44 million in development financing and sole entrepreneur aid granted to the area

Keuke helped approximately one thousand companies to plan their funding and apply for development financing or crisis aid due to business interruptions resulting from the coronavirus situation.  

In total, 44.3 million euros in national crisis aid or development financing was granted to companies in Keuke's operating area. This includes the development financing provided by Business Finland and ELY Centre and the aid provided to sole entrepreneurs. A total of 2,858 enterprises received financing. 

– The year was indeed full of hard work and urgency. At the same time, we are gratified to see that during the crisis Keuke has been the right company in the right place.

The statistics for Keuke's operation in 2020 can be found here: https://www.keuke.fi/client/keuke/userfiles/keuke-business-development-statistics-2020.pdf 

Additional information: Keuke CEO Elina Pekkarinen, telephone +358 50 549 2213. www.keuke.fi. You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.