During their 10 years of history, Võrukivi tech park has gotten to a point where they need to expand their operations, because all available plots have already been taken. Board member of Selista Ehitus OÜ Indrek Klampe says that technically there are two available plots in the area, but they are shaped in a way that makes building warehouses and processing plants very difficult. “Currently we are in the process of negotiating with the town to acquire more land. Then we’d have five available plots instead of two. The area has all necessary access roads and connection points so why not use them, and create new plots”, says Klampe.
Võrukivi tech park has been in development for 15 years already. There used to be a brickworks, but those buildings have been long demolished and now many companies and factories operate here, such has KPG Kaubanduse OÜ (Magaziin retail chain), Kagu Elekter and Estelaxe (building chairs and seats for trains and concert halls). The tech park is located next to the Tallinn-Tartu-Võru-Luhamaa highway, which makes it a good location for both companies selling to domestic and foreign markets. Currently there are 14 production and business plots in the tech park.
A modern and comfortable living environment
Võru may seem like a remote town on the borderland, but the local living environment satisfies all modern requirements and demands, states Klampe. We have all necessary services and facilities – from educational institutions to good infrastructure. “I’d say that Võru is a good place to live and work in. The local government is business-friendly and cooperative, which is very important for entrepreneurs”, says Klampe. Selista Ehitus has years of experience in quality design-build projects – they have built most of the nearby manufacturing buildings here.
Businesses are always interested what is the workforce situation in the area. Thanks to Võru County Vocational Training Centre, there are many potential qualified workers in the field of woodworks, metal, mechatronics and culinary. “Labor force is an actual topic in the whole area – there is a lack of employees, especially if you’re looking for special skills and knowledge”, says Klampe. There used to be many people commuting to Finland for work, but this trend is changing – nowadays, local companies pay wages good enough that there’s not much point in going to Finland anymore.
Mayor of Võru: The technology park has been a very important investment for the town
According to the mayor Anti Allas, Võrukivi tech park has been a very important investment for the whole town, because it has attracted many new investors and companies.
“It can be quite expensive for the entrepreneurs to build and establish everything themselves, so having the city build the plots with necessary connection points has been a great help. It has been a joint effort between businesses, the local government and different funding programs to create the tech parks”, says Allas.
Allas states that the town of Võru is currently in the process of creating new industrial areas, which will be sold with a starting price of a third of the current market price.
