Opinion: We must develop companies from Good to Great

Aalborg is growing and developing amazingly these years. The latest renovation of Budofi Plads in Aalborg city is an excellent example of how the waterfront and city are changing to a new and open urban space, where the modern citizen of Aalborg lives the good life. The new and the old merges, and we sense a kind of big-city atmosphere in the city by the fjord. We experience New York Times mentioning Aalborg as a ‘must go see’ to all the new globetrotters, and in the national media, Aalborg is mentioned as Paris of the North. At the same time homes are being built in a steady flow, and new urban areas such as Stigsborg Waterfront on the northside of the fjord are being completed and ready to receive another 7-9,000 residence.

In other words, our city is developing in leaps and bounds, and to that matter, it is decisive to ask the question: What shall we live from in Aalborg – now and in the future? What kind of modern industry and working space should be built into the concept? We need to develop our business community with the same speed as the city is growing and perhaps even faster. The good life starts with a good and exciting work life and an income that makes it possible to reside well in the municipality.

The problem statement is in our opinion actually quite simple: Aalborg needs to attract 10-15 big, high tech companies over the next 10 years. These companies shall together with the existing companies create 20,000 new jobs, 5.000 of these in connection to the business area in Aalborg East. How we will make that happen, is however not so simple. To do so Port of Aalborg’s new strategy will be introduced. 2020 will be the first year in the ports new 10-year plan that needs to accelerate the port’s positive development. This is exactly what the Port’s new strategy is about: Industrial Hospitality.

We combine:

1. 2 bio. DKK to invest in good facilities and frames here In Aalborg East in the form of roads, buildings, technology, and well-places land.
2. Educational institution in high class. Including Aalborg University as one of the world’s best universities.
3. Good transport possibilities and accessibility through an international port and an international airport among other things.
4. A city of culture with art and experiences that create life in leisure-time.

We must offer international companies settling at Port of Aalborg because we are a port or a gate into a machinery of possibilities that can develop already well-established companies to great companies. For that reason, the port’s new vision is to be Gate to Great.

With this vision the port’s mission is very simple: We will help companies to develop from Good to Great. Our action must be targeted attraction, development, and maintenance of companies in Aalborg. As mentioned, this must be done specifically by investing in developing the frames around the business community at the port, but at the same time, it is decisive to continue contributing to the development of the frames more generally partly around the business community and partly around the good life in the municipality. In other words, we have two roles: We are a company that must create the best conditions for our customers, but at the same time we are an integrator and a collaborator, who is a part of creating and running projects that can contribute to the whole municipality. Cool East and Green Hub Denmark are good examples of the port’s second role as integrator and collaborator.

In the following years, we need to go outside the Danish borders and talk to the companies, who still do not know they are heading towards Aalborg. Just getting in contact with these companies is a big job and we need help from those in Aalborg, who already are established in the global arena. This applies to many of our companies that work in an international environment, and it applies to Aalborg University, who has an international perspective in their DNA and exchange knowledge with a principle of sharing.

In other words, the port can not do this alone. We are dependent on all of Aalborg taking part in the work; both citizens, public and private companies, municipal authorities, and educational institutions – together we can fix an offer that our global colleagues can not say no to.