National Entrepreneurial Awards go to firms in healthcare, drones and sawn timber

This year, National Entrepreneurial Awards have been presented to three companies. The recipients were healthcare firm Cor Group from Oulu, defence technology specialist Sensofusion from Tuusula and sawn timber producer and refiner Versowood from Vierumäki.

The insurer Fennia and Suomen Yrittäjät, the Finnish SME association, presented the traditional and distinguished awards at the National Entrepreneur Days in Tampere on 25 Oct.

The three award-winning companies are united by an appetite for growth. Both Cor Group and Versowood are seeking to hit one billion euros in turnover in the near future. Sensofusion has also been growing rapidly.

“It feels great to present these awards to business owners with a strong growth attitude. The businesses they run have made bold investments and put effort into product development and quality. In addition, these recipients do a lot of international trading. These entrepreneurs have also taken responsibility seriously,” says Hanna Hartikainen, CEO of Fennia and a member of the award committee.

Growth company run by doctors

Cor Group creates new health and well-being services. The Finnish family of companies has grown from a publisher of guides founded by four medical students to a multi-sectoral health and well-being group.

Cor Group is a majority owner in companies such as the Coronaria and Silmäasema chains and the Liikku gym chain. The Oulu-based group is also a minority owner in several health service-specialist start-ups.

CEO Teppo Lindén says the owners’ aim is to offer Finns high-quality health and well-being services. Their success comes from the entrepreneurs’ strong vision, courage to challenge prevailing operating models, customer-centricity and an entrepreneurial culture.

“All of us three owners have medical training and we do things out of an enthusiasm for enterprise. No other company in Finland offers service of this kind and which looks like this,” Lindén says.

“The National Entrepreneurial Award is one of the most important awards. It’s really great to be recognized for our years of work and our career,” he says.

Last year, Cor Group had a turnover of €471 million, with profit for the accounting period at €14.8 million.

Read Teppo Lindén’s interview here.

Drones for the front

Sensofusion designs and manufactures high-tech systems that counter autonomous weapons such as drones. The company’s main product is Airfence, the technology of which is based on detecting radio signals present in the environment and identifying and locating drones. Ninety-seven per cent of its products go to export markets.

“We want to be the best company in countering autonomous weapons, and our growth is largely the result of that ambition. Our goal is to increase our product development capacity tenfold, as this is a technology race. The National Entrepreneurial Award is a truly valuable recognition, one that many entrepreneurs I look up to have received in the past. We are delighted to receive it,” says CEO Tuomas Rasila.

Sensofusion’s turnover last year was €21 million and operating profit €15 million. The company’s growth forecast for this year is positive.

Read Tuomas Rasila’s interview here.

Processed sawn timber to the world

Versowood is a Finnish family-owned company led by Ville Kopra, representing the third generation. Finland’s largest private producer and processor of sawn timber exports wood products to more than 60 countries. The raw material, however, comes entirely from Finnish forests.

Kopra says Finnish spruce and pine are highly valued internationally, and the sawn timber itself is now highly processed.

“Growth is important, as our company must constantly develop. Organic growth is more difficult at this scale, but we can make larger leaps through acquisitions. I will continue to look for where those growth leaps can be found. The National Entrepreneurial Award is a splendid sign of appreciation. It shows that we have succeeded in our work,” Kopra says.

Versowood’s turnover was €564 million and operating profit €34.5 million. The turnover forecast for this financial year is €600–700 million.

Read Ville Kopra’s interview here.

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