Hej there, Skellefteå! While visiting businesses here, we were super interested to hear about each company’s work culture and how each one supports its employees.
Our first business visit was to Northvolt, a company that produces green energy batteries, and their focus is on creating a closed loop where they can continue reusing batteries instead of having to discard them after each use. What we found interesting was learning about how they support employees who relocate to Skellefteå to work at Northvolt, especially for individuals who move with their families. With people also relocating from other countries, the company has a team dedicated to easing this transition for employees and helping inform them about how the systems work, where their kids should attend school if they have any, and how to find housing. In addition, Northvolt has formed a lot of not only business partnerships with corporations but also with local associations and clubs to give employees opportunities to bolster their personal life and involvements outside of work. It’s great that Skellefteå is becoming more and more popular, and the dedication that Northvolt is putting in to help its employees adjust to life in a new city only helps boost the reputation of the company and the desire for other people to look into working and living in Skellefteå.
Following Northvolt, we went to North Kingdom, a creative marketing and branding agency that has a focus on video games. While they work on projects for large companies like Meta and Netflix, they also utilize gamification to educate kids on important topics including internet safety to make the information both engaging and palatable to them.
From stepping into their office, we could already tell that North Kingdom has a very distinct style and work culture. The office itself is essentially like an apartment building, with employees working in open cubicles or rooms, and interior decor that resembles more of a living space than a strictly professional work environment. With pool tables and artsy decor, the office has a comfortable vibe that likely creates an open environment for employees to feel at home while they work. For a creative agency, it’s important to cultivate a work atmosphere that is enjoyable and is centered around encouraging creativity and innovation.
Our last stop in Northern Sweden was in Piteå, at a company called Lundvqist. Lundqvist is a rapidly growing company that utilizes 3D technology to create templates for building homes, garages, and other structures. While they discussed their plans to scale their company as it grows, we also got to hear about their culture and why it works so well for them and the company as a whole. Starting off as a family company, Jens and Samuel are determined to make it a collaborative work space and step away from the family model. Working under his father when he started in the business, Jens learned he wanted to change the organization model of the business and utilize an environment where everyone’s opinion was welcome and there was no one way to do something. This mindset has helped them break barriers in the Scandinavian construction industry. Jens also talked about the company’s strong Swedish roots and how they are proud to have their business represent this. While Lundqvist is beginning their international expansion this year, they will continue to focus on improving the Scandinavian construction industry and providing services to their community.
That’s it for the chapter of our trip in Skellefteå— stick around for more when we head to our next stop, Stockholm!
