Ocean Prawns: The municipality plays an important role in attracting investment
Ocean Prawns Original Bornholms Brand is constructing 96 new homes in Æbleløkkerne in Rønne. Photo: Jesper Sørensen
The municipality's forward-looking efforts to attract investments should include a fast track for investors and startups, and politicians should also think long-term, believes Daniel Barslund, director at Ocean Prawns, who is himself investing heavily on the island.
The Bornholm-based shrimp group Ocean Prawns has long had a tradition of investing in the local business community on Bornholm, and today the company has a fairly large local portfolio, says director Daniel Barslund.
– Our current investments on Bornholm involve around 15 local companies, and about 250 employees on Bornholm are engaged in the group, including the Bornholm subsidiaries, says Daniel Barslund, who is, however, far from saying yes to all approaches from local companies. This year, he has hired a portfolio manager who will henceforth handle much of the daily dialogue with the group's Bornholm companies and who will also assist with due diligence screening when new approaches are received.
And it ultimately comes down to both which products and people behind them they believe in, just as he and his management team have become more focused on where they can actually make a difference. Not just financially, but also in terms of business mentoring, explains Daniel Barslund, adding that Ocean Prawns used to invest in more start-ups, but now they aim more to invest in companies that have taken the next step.
– Our strength lies more in providing mentoring to companies that need to expand to the next level, perhaps exporting out of Bornholm or out of Denmark. At the same time, it is important that we enter sectors where we actually have some knowledge that can be of use to them, says the director, emphasising:
– So in short, we only invest when it makes sense and when we can see that we can contribute with mentoring.
Residential property as a commercial investment
At the same time, Daniel Barslund is thinking about the well-being and business community of the entire island when the group chooses to invest. This is the background to Ocean Prawns' involvement in getting more housing built on Bornholm.
– We are well under way with building 96 homes in Æbleløkkerne in Rønne together with Bornholms Brand a.m.b.a. This is once again to support Bornholm's development and an attempt to attract more attractive labour to the island, which is one of the island's major challenges. We want to make it attractive for newcomers and returnees. I also sense that the upcoming homes will be attractive to seniors who want to move into something smaller and more manageable.
Moving forward, Ocean Prawns also wants to contribute to the further development of the island, says Daniel Barslund.
– We don't currently have an agenda for what it should be, but we'd like to spend some money on promoting Bornholm's business community. So I'm willing to stick my neck out and say that some money will be generated for that.
Illustrative image of Æbleløkkerne. Photo: Ocean Prawns
Opportunity for heart investments
Given the company’s fondness for Bornholm, not all of Ocean Prawns’ local investments need to yield high returns. But they must be economically sustainable, he emphasises:
– We do not make our living by building housing. For us, it is a sideline. Therefore, we are not dependent on having the same sort of return. We can look into a bond yield instead, which we can be satisfied with, unlike those for whom residential construction is their primary business. Here, there is a need for a completely different kind of financial coverage, says the director.
– That way, we have a greater opportunity to also make some passion investments on Bornholm, but as I said, it is important to us that they are financially sustainable. But it's not like we close a project because it isn't sustainable for one year. If it isn't financially sustainable, we will naturally do everything to make it succeed, but that is sometimes easier said than done. Very few businesses we have closed under our management, and when we have done so, it has been when there has been no other way out, Daniel Barslund explains.
Director Daniel Barslund. Photo: Kristoffer Linus
Fast track to business
However, the Ocean Prawns director points out that transport prices, energy prices and seasonal fluctuations already make it more difficult to do business on Bornholm. Therefore, it is extra important that the municipality is a partner when it comes to business promotion. Because the business community is the key to the municipality surviving in the future, he believes.
»I know the council doesn't have a lot of money, but then you have to try and contribute in other ways. Such as a «fast track' for business, which I think would be a neat way of doing things," says the director, who believes the council should do everything possible to reduce processing times for those wishing to run a business on the island. Because they are literally worth their weight in gold to the council in the form of tax revenue, job creation and potential new residents.
– Now we are under 39,000 inhabitants on the island, instead of the 42,000 we were hoping for. At the same time, we are getting more elderly people and fewer of working age. This means that there is less money coming into the municipal treasury. So when investors or people who want to develop or build come along, they should be able to jump the queue when it comes to waiting times for building permits, which are still long compared to elsewhere, he stresses.
Daniel Barslund looks forward to a good collaboration with the new municipal council, which he hopes will listen more to the needs of the business community.
– Politicians need to think long-term, rather than just slamming the cash register shut on new projects, but instead look at what could yield tenfold returns in the long run, he says, adding:
– And if we are to attract newcomers, it is clear that we also have to look into the overall package that Bornholm can offer; for example, regarding childcare facilities, state schools and the education sector. For newcomers with children also care about what the grade average is at the schools, and whether there is anyone to look after the children when they finish school. Because even though there are many volunteers who provide leisure activities for the children, things are still lagging somewhat behind regarding childcare facilities and after-school clubs on the island, says the director, who therefore believes that the municipality should also invest in that kind of thing to make the island more attractive.
A lifeline for Bornholm
Although there are challenges with both the municipal coffers and the demographics on Bornholm, Daniel Barslund is nevertheless optimistic on behalf of the island. In particular, he is placing his faith in the energy island becoming a reality.
– I see that as a lifeline for Bornholm – both in terms of the industry and the influx of new residents. We won't get a bigger chance than this. I know it's not 100 per cent in the bag yet. But I hope that with the energy island and the initiatives in place, we can attract some skills over here, both manual and intellectual, which can help develop the island.
– Because if we can get some Power-to-X and a general boost in the educational sector here on Bornholm, I think people will realise that Bornholm isn't actually that far away, he says, adding that many people also found their way to Bornholm via the People's Meeting and during the corona crisis, so now they just need to be persuaded to stay:
– I hope that we can show off. And that people also remember that working from home is also an option, just as you can still attend a meeting in Rådhuspladsen at 8 o'clock by flying out of Bornholm in the morning, says Daniel Barslund, who has himself moved back to his native island, which he still wants to invest in to make it an even better place to reside and live.
– It's not because I need a pat on the back, but I genuinely get pleased when someone stops me in the street and says they're happy with the initiatives we're launching. Then it feels right in every way, he says.
BY JOAN ØHRSTRØM