When entrepreneur Jimmy Stenman left Boden, he saw a city with no future and no development potential. Now he is back in a reborn Boden.
A faint scent of paint gives away the young age of the property. The office space is modern, with carpeting and a generous amount of light. Upstairs there are still areas of bare plasterboard. The building is located next to the Zeppelin machine shop and Stegra’s contractor accommodation on Slipvägen, and is specially adapted to meet Arctic Mobile’s needs.
– Here we develop new generators and tailor the technology to suit the customer,” says Jimmy Stenman, showing some of the finished prototypes being tested in another part of the building. The 36-year-old is the CEO and majority shareholder of the company. Grew up in Buddbyn outside Boden, but left the municipality early in his career. First to go to school in Kalix and then to work.
– I didn’t see Boden as a good place to develop, either as an entrepreneur or as an individual.
BUILDING A NEW HOME
Instead, he built his headquarters in Luleå. The company rented premises there and the family bought a house in the countryside. When the company began to investigate the possibility of building a new building, it was chance that brought him back.
– Actually, Boden was not in my plans. But we received a very good response from the municipality, which has really created the conditions for this to be good. And the more we looked at it, the more obvious it seemed.
Once the decision was made, it didn’t take long for the family to decide to move in. A few weeks ago, they received the go-ahead for the construction of the house, and they expect to be able to move into the new house in Sävast in the spring.
– It feels really good. The daughter rides at Bodens Ridklubb and the son drives motocross at the motor stadium. Now there will be much less time in the car and more time for other things in life,” he says.
OWN FACTORY
Arctic Mobile’s head office is located between the new home and leisure interests. The company specializes in building backup generators for the telecom industry. They have grown into a major player in the national market and own their own factory in Germany, where the finished product is assembled. In Boden, priority is given to the development of new products and dialogue with existing customers. Jimmy explains that while there is definitely a market to grow in, he prefers to strengthen the relationships that already exist.
– I have no ambition to grow quickly and then sell off the company, but look at it long-term. We’re in an industry where competence and trust are our great market advantage, and I see loyalty as valuable.
PLANNING A COMMUNITY PROJECT
Back in Boden, he also looks at his hometown with new eyes. There is a pride and confidence in the future that he did not feel before.
– There is a nerve here. I notice it everywhere – in shops, among suppliers and people I meet in town. It feels really exciting and good.
Through his company, the entrepreneur wants to try to take advantage of this positive feeling and be part of the development. He is, among other things, in contact with Björknäsgymnasiet regarding a collaboration aimed at students in the technical program. There are also plans for a separate community project aimed at raising the self-esteem of children and young people.
– I really want to try to give back now that I have the opportunity, and hopefully we can do something good for the young people.
TEXT: ANDRÉ SAMUELSSON
