AmCham is a place to meet representatives of other industries and understand the business environment.
Signe Velina, Market Access Manager Latvia of Johnson & Johnson
Each city has its own driving force, its own engine that keeps its heart beating and pushes the city forward. Usually it is created by manufacturing businesses that provide jobs, and thus improve the level of prosperity of the local community. In Valmiera city and the Vidzeme region, it certainly holds true regarding JSC „Valmieras stikla šķiedra", providing income for more than 1000 people and their families and supplements national and municipal treasuries with a total amount of 1.5 to 2.5 million EUR every year.
In addition, the company provides an indirect boost to the development of the city and the region, as the work of many other service providers is linked to the operation of JSC „Valmieras stikla šķiedra". We cooperate with our partners to purchase a wide range of services, such as cleaning, waste management and transport services, as well as construction works, repairs, etc. Consequently, our employees, as well as the employees of the service providers related to our company, spend their wages for goods and services, thus stimulating consumption in the local level.
Jānis Baiks, the chairman of the Valmiera City Municipality, stresses: „Valmiera and its residents are proud of JSC "Valmieras stikla šķiedra" - the largest tax payer in Valmiera. We appreciate the fact that for more than 50 years Valmiera has been, and still is, the home of the company. We are content to see that the company is actively working and expanding itself innovatively, thereby also considerably boosting the development of the city.
JSC „Valmieras stikla šķiedra", being the biggest employer in Valmiera, provides jobs and helps the city move towards its development goals. By way of considerable input to the municipal budget, the company allows us to provide quality education to the children of Valmiera and the surrounding areas. This input stimulates infrastructure development in the city, as well as improved opportunities in the filed of culture, sports and tourism.
Every employee of the company provides a valuable boost to the development of the city, since every resident whose declared address is in Valmiera, takes part in building the budget of the municipality, thus helping to repair streets, sidewalks and bridges, renovate educational institutions, provide free skating and swimming lessons for children, to raise future Olympic athletes in Valmiera, ensure a safe environment and the development of business, allow us to enjoy a diverse range of cultural events and celebrate holidays together, and to make the city the best home for ourselves, proudly saying „I'm from Valmiera, I'm proud to live and work in Valmiera".
Last year, JSC „Valmieras stikla šķiedra" ranked among the biggest tax payers in Latvia. Its contribution to the state budget exceeded 2.5 million EUR. In the event organised in honour of large tax payers, the company was commended for its considerable tax payments as well as for the fair and responsible approach to tax obligations. It was awarded with a letter of appreciation by the minister of fi nance Dana Reizniece-Ozola, and the director-general of the State Revenue Service (SRS) Ināra Pētersone.
We are very pleased to be part of AmCham and are looking forward to driving innovation forward in Latvia.
Mikko Fernström, General Manager, Biogen Latvia