Road trip

Norrhults Stålgjuteri (Steel factory in Norrhult), Småland. They had a real rough time during the financial crisis. They saw their order stock drop from 55 million SEK to 6 million SEK over night. "I had to fire half of my work force, I even had to lay off my neighbour", said founder and co-owner Percy Ekblad. But as the economy seem to be on the rise again so are theirs. Orders are starting to be placed and they're once again looking to hiring new staff.

Every summer for the last 15 or so years Dagens Industri has sent out a team to different regions in Sweden. Last year I spent three weeks traversing the south-western part of Sweden. This year I only had to do two weeks, though I’d gladly done more. One in the southern region Småland, known for its crystal glass and not so generous people. The first is true the latter I presume is a myth. At least they were as friendly and welcoming as any other to us. The reason for these road trips is to visit small and medium-sized companies and entrepreneurs that might normally fly under the radar, at least when it comes to us in the media who are based in the big city regions. These are some of the best weeks at work. For sure it’s tons of work with early mornings and late nights and a lot of driving in between. But it’s almost always a pleasure to be out on the road.

This past week I’ve been traveling in Jämtland, a northern mountainous region,  together with the notoriously hard-working Hans Strandberg. Working with him is a pleasure. He’s curious, he truly loves his work and he’s great at finding interesting stories no matter how small they might be. The best part though is that he’s never far away from laughter. I did a week with him last year and I hope to do many more in the future.

Kim Anderzon and Sven Wolter plays Titania and Puck in A Midsummer nights dream at the turning theater in Ragunda, Jämtland.