“In addition to routine work, I wanted to do something really interesting to me. It was aviation. In 1997, I completed my first airplane pilot license in Finland and in 1998 another helicopter pilot license. In the same year, I became a shareholder of a Finnish helicopter company and in a few years, I gained experience in operating the airline company.
In 2009, I founded a company specializing in helicopter services in Russia, whose customers were wealthy Russians and foreigners. During the five years I served in the St. Petersburg, Helsinki and Moscow have visited a number of wealthy businesspersons and even world stars, offering a complete tailor-made service packages. Packages included helicopter flights, limousine transport, accommodation and wellness services in luxury hotels and top-quality restaurant services. I had to go to hotel and restaurant activities so that I could offer the best possible service level. For this reason, I have visited a number of restaurants, SPA and hotel management courses, taught by famous Russian and European experts in the field. I was thinking of bringing my expertise to Finland, because I noticed a considerable lack of high-quality services in Finland.
Many of my clients were interested in Finland but, in their opinion, there were no high-quality tourist destinations in Finland and especially SPAs and wellbeing centres.
In 2014, the municipality of Virolahti has offered me an opportunity to be acquainted with the Hurppu area’s development plans, I went to Hurppu and I immediately understood the opportunities and the potential of the place. I realized that I could use my experience in the production and organization of high-quality services. I presented my own views to the municipality and based on them we made a long-term cooperation agreement. I started prefabrication and development work. Within three years, I completed the concept, business plan, financial plan, presentations and project web pages. The municipality of Virolahti has approved of all the materials. At the same time, the municipality of Virolahti is committed to the development of Hurppu and is ready to lay the utility networks needed for the business of the Hurppu Horizon Centre at its own expense. The estimate coast of the nets is 1.2 million euros.
Hurppu Horizon is a project unique in its profile in Finland. The elements of vision added together create in Hurppu a unique profile unavailable in other places.
The nature of Hurppu provides the best place for those genuine experiences in a true environment, but my job is to create a WOW-feeling on it. The experience then generates stories that the customer tells to his friends and colleagues and this is a free marketing tool for the business.
I have developed a project almost from the beginning, and now I know the project more than anyone else does. I have my own vision and I am responsible for the implementation of the project as a whole. At the same time, I understand the complexity of the project elements and the importance of each element; I can combine the elements in the right way. I am very much excited about the project and willing to give all my time to implement and the forces of the project. My task in the project is strategic and tactical management, organization, supervision and representation. I can delegate different tasks to others. Implementation of the project during the construction phase as well as the subsequent operational activities requires the participation of professionals in the real and that is why I am planning a project highly professional team.
My team are professionals who are enthusiastic like me, believe in the success of the project and are ready to give the project all the best. At present, there are a few members of the team – the leader of the SPA, having over 15 years of experience as a leader of the famous SPA in the famous five-star hotel, bookkeeping and legal experts, famous restaurateurs etc. The municipality of Virolahti also actively participates in project development work. There are still a few key persons in charge. Their participation in the project can be decided when a suitable investor is found and the timetable for the project is refined.
I would like to have a courageous and experienced investor who understands the potential of Hurppu and is interested in investing in particularly luxury tourist destinations”.