Hej, everyone! Long time, no talk. Since our last post, it has been a whirlwind of an adventure. After a quick detour to jolly old England, we landed safe and sound in the beautiful town of Skellefteå. Our arrival at the infamous Wood Hotel was quite seamless, and we immediately felt at home within its beautiful lumber design. We went to sleep brimming with excitement over the scheduled itinerary, as we could not wait to hear from such fascinating companies!
Our first stop was at Northvolt was quite refreshing, both with the innovative work they have been doing and the chilly winds descending upon our group. Known for their supply sustainable batteries, we really admired the clear passion our host, communications manager Sanna, had for the company and the happy community it has built. It was very interesting to hear about the idea of a closed manufacturing loop, where the batteries could be continuously recycled back to one another. Although Sanna did tell us about some limitations, such as scale and the advanced level of technology needed, we do believe that if any company could achieve this, it would be Northvolt.
We then hopped on a bus to global experience design studio North Kingdom, based right down the street from our hotel. With successful collaborations with companies such as Google, Lego, EA, and Netflix, founder Jakob Nylund shared with us some of his internal and external projects. As the Swedes appreciated a fulfilling work-life balance, Jakob is able to dedicate time to the cultivation of two separate companies outside of his day job. We applaud his time management and envy how the culture places such high importance on personal life satisfaction.
Our final stop of the night was Skellefteå Science City, an arena for collaboration, innovation, and sustainability. With four talented speakers, and four cups of coffee, we gained a newfound understanding of the country's progress and emphasis on 100% sustainability practices. As one of the center's specialists told us, “change is created through three P's: panic, passion, and pesos”. The presentation gave us an inside look of the organization's culture, where highly motivated individuals work together to take action now. Progress isn't perfect, but they are taking massive leaps in the right direction.
The night was coming to an end and we are happy to say that we made a lifelong friend at our official welcome dinner. His name is Pär (pronounced ‘Pad') and he is the CEO of W3 Energy, the independent Asset Management firm of the Markbygden Wind Farm in Piteå, Sweden. Bellies full and our laughs fuller, Pär shared stories of his wife and children, his love for engineering, and his love-hate relationship with traveling. The next morning we toured his 1,001 wind turbine farm, the largest on-shore site in Europe. Hard hats and yellow vests on the ready, we learned the who, what, where, when, why, and how's of all things wind and the energy sourced from it. It was a sad goodbye to say the least, but we will be back (for Pär)!
Speaking of hard hats, our final stop of the day was at construction and design house, Lundqvist Trävaru. Jens and Samuel, managing partners, presented us with their 3D digital home building tool and a first hand look at in-house production. Sawdust filling our heads and wonder filling our hearts, we boarded back onto the bus with in awe of the intricate digitalization system Lundqvist has built. Keeping in tune with our observation of the Swedish lifestyle, it is clear that this firm prides itself on an inclusive and light hearted environment, which was seen both in employee morale and the training intensives, as well as the general open flow of the office.
Now, as we prepare for a new day, we look back upon our experiences in Skellefteå with new motivation to promote sustainable practices in our own lives, and the utmost respect for the way Swedes live. Everyone here has been so welcoming and positive, and we cannot wait to bring this mindset back to the states. Goodbye for now Skellefteå, and see you tomorrow Stockholm!
xoxo, The Dancing Queens
