Category: I’m a resident

On 26 January 2018, at the Evening Gala of Pomeranian Employers, of which Olivia Business Centre is a partner, statuettes and certificates will be awarded for the first time to companies from the metropolitan area awarded in the Responsible and Socially Sensitive Entrepreneur 2017 competition. The aim of the competition is to popularize the idea of socially solidary business, to build one’s own image based on trust and honesty, and to honour and promote those entrepreneurs who adhere to such principles in their daily work. Among the awarded entrepreneurs there will be a social economy entity conducting business activity and employing employees.

The winners of the title of “Responsible and Socially Sensitive Entrepreneur 2017” receive:

• certificate “Responsible and Socially Sensitive Entrepreneur 2017”
• Statuette
• a prize of PLN 10,000 for the preparation of a CSR strategy,
• a short advertising film promoting CSR activities undertaken by the winners of the competition worth PLN 5000
• the possibility of using the slogan “Responsible and Socially Sensitive Entrepreneur 2017” in correspondence and promotion,
• promotion of a socially responsible company at the Final Gala

Applications are accepted until 4 December, 12.00 noon.

More information and documents can be found at the link http://pracodawcypomorza.pl/2017/11/10/przedsiebiorca-odpowiedzialny-i-wrazliwy-spolecznie-2017/

We cordially invite entrepreneurs and social economy entities from the metropolitan area.

Olivia Business Centre is a place of important meetings, also with eminent figures of Polish culture, who share their experience and passion with the Olivia community. These can be an inspiration for anyone who wants to broaden their knowledge about the phenomena taking place in Poland and in the world. Meetings organized regularly in Olivia Sky Club bring together a community of lovers of interesting, intellectual debate.

On November 21, another meeting with the author of the “Olivia Cooltura” series was held, organized by Olivia in partnership with the Provincial and Municipal Public Library in Gdańsk. Our guest was Filip Springer, an outstanding reporter, photographer of the Polish landscape, translator of architecture and “collector of visual absurdities”.

The participants of the meeting had the opportunity to learn about the creation of the author’s latest books and multimedia projects (e.g. “The City of the Archipelago”, “The Book of Delights” or “The Bathtub with a Colonnade”), listen to their key themes, and explore the visions of the development of cities of the future. During a conversation with Monika Bogdanowicz from Olivia Business Centre, Filip Springer analysed the challenges faced by the inhabitants of Polish (smaller and larger) cities regarding the creation of public space in the area of architecture and infrastructure.

The large audience reacted vigorously to Springer’s reflections on the importance of projects that can improve the quality of life of residents. m.in were discussed. legitimacy and the need to build in each of the localities the so-called architectural icons and the role of these objects for the recognition and creation of the identity of cities. The author of “13 floors” was critical of the possibility of a positive impact of the above-mentioned . He also spoke of the chaos in the surroundings of such buildings. He postulated the need for greater focus of city managers on the “background” of architectural symbols, i.e. on the need to create a comprehensive, friendly space.

They discussed the implementation of the vision of a happy life in a city such as Gdańsk or another understood as an agglomeration or metropolis. Olivia’s guest recommended the participants of the meeting to read Charles Montgomery’s book “Happy City. How to Change Our Lives by Changing Our Cities”, which indicates a number of factors that can affect the lives of residents.

WE INVITE YOU TO VIEW THE GALLERY FROM THE EVENT

According to Filip Springer, who draws on the works of other authors dealing with this subject, a happy city is: a green city, a city balanced in terms of transport and optimal ways of moving around it, and, above all, a city whose inhabitants have a real sense that their “place” is developing.

The main theme of the event was a discussion about Filip Spinger’s latest multimedia project, “City Archipelago” and a presentation of the author’s works. For several months, Springer travelled around 31 former provincial capitals, describing their current fate. The project was supported by local correspondents who wrote a blog and created a magazine with articles from and about the cities of the archipelago. The culmination of the journey is the book “City Archipelago. Poland of Smaller Towns”, which was published by the Krakow-based publishing house Karakter.

It contains dozens of stories about what life is like in contemporary Poland. Filip Springer travelled all over the country, from Słupsk to Krosno and from Suwałki to Wałbrzych, to see how the cities that lost their provincial status in 1999 function today. He got to know their history and talked to the locals. He met entrepreneurs, artists, activists and teachers. He visited local workshops and cafés, visited bankrupt factories and thriving businesses, train stations and McDonalds. He asked people what they were proud of in their city, what made them happy and what they would like to change. The book paints an ambiguous, flickering picture of Polish – where anything can happen and nothing is as simple as it might seem. Among the pains, worries and hopes of the protagonists of the reportage, one can also find those that are shared by the inhabitants of the whole Polish – both small-town and metropolitan.

We would like to thank all participants of the meeting for their enthusiastic reactions, interesting questions and time together dedicated to development! We would like to thank our project partners: the Provincial and Municipal Public Library in Gdansk, the Lobster Restaurant (for delicious cookies and warming drinks), StaraOliwa.pl, the Gdansk Community, Radio Gdansk.

See you at the next meetings in Olivia Sky Club, next year, 2018!

Filip Springer (b. 1982)

– photographer and reporter, finalist of many prestigious Polish awardsd literary works. He graduated from ArchaeologyAt the University of Adam Mickiewicz in Poznań. He has presented his photographs at individual exhibitions in many Polish cities. He introduced a new topic to Polish reportage: architecture

.

Already in his first book, his famous debut “Miedzianka. The Story of Disappearance”, described the history of a small town in Lower Silesia, whichdisappeared from the face of the earth. In the author’s subsequent books (“Ill-born. Reportages on the architecture of the People’s Republic of Poland”, “Zaczyn. About Zofia and Oskar Hansen” or “Bathtub with a Colonnade. Reportathat it’s about the Polish space” – she becomes the main character. Springer writes about architecture from the point of view of its user – an average citizen or an ordinary passer-by – and thus somehow pulls it out of the embrace of specialists.architectsand urban plannersin. Starting from simple questions, e.g. why does the architecture of communist modernism age so badly and why does it arouse such controversy?

An important element ofSpringer’s books arephotographs, which he weaves into the text, often by wayof differenta story that has been developed at the same time (“Ill-Born” and “Bathtub with a Colonnade”). His photoCiasThey are recognizable at first glance: cool colour tones, melancholic distance, effortless painterliness, a bit of irony here and there. As he himself admits, he tries to compose his texts on the same principles as those that govern photographic reportage; in the same wayóB uses closer and more distant planes, rhythm and detail. Although his books are devoted to specific phenomena or figures, architectsóin, they always have a deeper, existential dimension, thanks to which they go beyond an ad hoc description. Springer’s writing has already been appreciated bothCriticsand readers alikeconsider him one of the most talented authors ofhis generation.

Edit. Red. based on a biography from the “Book Institute”

Olivia 7 (the temporary name of the seventh building currently being erected in the largest business center of the Tri-City, in Olivia), was designed in the spirit of biophilic design. The office building is to provide residents with a balance between moments of intensive work during the day and the necessary moments of rest and relaxation.

Our goal is to provide the employees of the “seven” with functional, modern and bright spaces. Therefore, the offices are to guarantee them optimal working conditions, which is why we put a lot of emphasis on solutions dedicated to the comfort of work. Biophilic design is based on the assumption that everyone needs physical contact with nature to function properly, so in the “seven” we have designed openable, spacious windows and tilt façade elements – which allows for constant access to fresh air and natural light – and unusual for this type of buildings, Located on each floor of the office building, loggias, terraces and outdoor galleries filled with vegetation. We have also provided for the Two additional terraces on the roof of the “seven”.

We focused on natural materials and ubiquitous greenery – this is also planned for the façade elements. An additional patio, a green square with small architecture, cafes and restaurants will be built next to the building.

We have also taken care of the thermal comfort of users. It will be provided by m.in. A modern triple-glazed façade of the building, the use of which will significantly reduce the impact of external conditions on the temperature in offices, minimizing the need to cool rooms in summer and heat them in winter. This translates not only into convenience of use, but also into lower energy demand, and thus reduced operating costs.

Environmental friendliness and technologies used in the building are to be assessed in the BREEAM ecological certification system; with the intention of obtaining the highest possible rating, Outstanding.

A Thinking Zone junior high school operating in Olivia Business Centre with an unusual crowdfunding campaign. A campaign promoting the project “Game about…” has just been launched. Anyone who wants to help fund super odds for the winners… City Games can do this by donating any amount to the project.

Have a look at the website: https://polakpotrafi.pl/projekt/gra-o. There you will find all the information about the idea of our junior high school students. And below in a nutshell…

The Thinking Zone crowdfunding campaign has three main goals:

1. show that education can look different, can be practical and interesting,
2. enable access to alternative forms of education (workshops, courses and training) for young people who, for various reasons, cannot afford it,
3. To show that nothing is impossible and a group of junior high school students is able to create a well-thought-out, complete and interesting project.

Students for a month they want to collect 18,000 zlotys and exchange it for 30 (or more!) full trainings in the field of Self-Presentation, Internet Psychology, Japanese Language, Drawing Workshops, Efficient and Effective Communication and several others. Who will these trainings be for? For those who collect the most points in the Thinking Zone city game right after the end of the crowdfunding campaign. The students created a map with 6 districts of Gdańsk with a total of 72 questions and tasks, for which the participants of the game will collect points. Finally, they will create a list of people who have obtained the highest number of points. They will be able to exchange these points for courses, trainings and workshops as part of the Center of Thinking.

A few hours of fun on the second Sunday of January 2018 = a 3-month course on a topic of your choice! Everyone interested is invited to the game – children, teenagers and whole families!

As the middle school students themselves say: “And that’s right… What is this game? Answer questions about business, science or art in our city game. Play for development, the future or fun! Win attractive courses such as Internet Psychology, Japanese Language, Self-Presentation and Public Speaking Art. We want to show that everyone can help young talents develop. Your contribution will be an inspiration to show that the young generation can create large, innovative projects. Over the next month, we will be working hard! Become a part of our educational project and help others discover their passions!”

WE INVITE YOU TO SUPPORT THE FUNDRAISER. DETAILS ON THE WEBSITE: https://polakpotrafi.pl/projekt/gra-o?utm_source=search

Gdańsk took the fourth position in the “Best-performing Large Cities in Europe” ranking prepared by the American think-tank – Milken Institute. This is the highest position among Polish regions alongside such cities as London and Stockholm.

In the “Best-performing Cities in Europe” ranking that is the ranking of the most effective, the most dynamic or “the best performing” big cities (and actually cities and regions) in Europe prepared by Milken Institute think-tank, the strategies of individual regions were evaluated and the influence of their decisions on the rise in the number of jobs, increase in salaries, the level of production or the concentration of qualified services sector were checked. At the top of the list there was an eastern part of Inner London with Stockholm and Budapest completing the podium.

Pomeranian Voivodeship together with Gdańsk was classified in the fourth, high position! The factor, which influenced such a high position of our region the most, was the second highest employment growth in the years 2011-2016 (by 19 percent) among all big regions in Europe, as well as the sixth highest salary growth (by 26.5 percent in the years 2008-2013). Among the biggest assets of Pomeranian region there were, for example, “providing” by Gdańsk University of Technology and University of Gdańsk qualified engineers and other workers, or the biggest harbour in Poland, which is crucial for example in petrochemical, coal industry or in grains and ores trading.

The sixth position in the list was taken by Lower Silesian Voivodeship (together with Wrocław). 17^th place was taken by Greater Poland Voivodeship (together with Poznań), the top 20 was closed by Lesser Poland Voivodeship (together with Cracow). Just behind, in the 22^nd position, there was Masovian Voivodship.

<sup>Elaborated on the basis of:


http://next.gazeta.pl/next/7,151003,22735879,cztery-polskie-regiony-w-dwudziestce-najefektywniejszych-w-europie.html</sup>

Arrow Electronics – a global provider of electronic technologies – expands its activity in Poland. Its next step is a new office in Gdańsk in Olivia Business Centre. The activities of this American company are supported by Invest in Pomerania.

Arrow company with its headquarters in Denver (Colorado, USA) is one of the biggest providers of technologies connected with computer products and electronic components around the world. It has more than 465 branches in over 90 countries.

It develops innovative solutions for about 125 thousand leading producers of electronic technologies applied both at homes and in enterprises. It provides support to customers in such areas as, for example, business analytics, IT clouds, the Internet of things, space technology and defence systems.

New career opportunities

Arrow has been present in Poland for more than 12 years. It has its offices in Katowice, Cracow, Warsaw and Gdynia and now is opening a new office in Gdańsk. It will be located in Olivia Business Centre office complex.

– Gdańsk metropolitan region is developing fast and we are glad that we can be a part of these changes. When it comes to new technologies and future markets, Gdańsk is one of the most important centres in Eastern Europe, which was of key importance for us while choosing this location – informed Adam Stoch, Vice-President of Arrow Services sp. z o.o. Management Board.

The company will be looking for employees, among others, in the following departments: customer service, engineering, finances, human resources and logistics – supply chains.

– Arrow will enrich our region and labour market with new interesting offers and career opportunities. In this way, it will contribute to the development of modern business services sector, which currently employs more than 21 thousand people in Pomerania and is one of the key sectors in our region – underlines Mieczysław Struk, the Marshall of Pomeranian Voivodeship.

From the very beginning, Arrow’s activities are supported by Invest in Pomerania initiative, especially by the Pomerania Development Agency and Gdańsk Economic Development Agency (investGda).

The family Christmas Eve of the Residents is behind us.

During the Family Christmas Meeting at Olivia Business Centre , all guests, especially the youngest, had amazing adventures in the Santa Claus Factory.

m.in took place in Olivia. ceramics workshops and Lego workshops, we made dumplings together, sewed Christmas decorations, an amazing adventure awaited the children at the Pole. Of course, the highlight of the meeting was the visit of Santa Claus.

You could also listen to a Christmas concert and taste the delicacies. The meeting took place in our O4 conference center.

We would like to thank all the partners of our Christmas Eve: Energa Group – Main Sponsor, Nowy Styl Group, Koku Sushi, Lobster Restaurant, Medicover, Navigare Foundation, White Cat Non-Public Kindergarten and Omida Group.

Family Residents’ Christmas Eve is already behind us.

During Family Christmas Meeting in Olivia Business Centre, incredible adventures in Santa’s Factory were waiting for all Guests, especially the youngest ones.

Among the attractions in Olivia there were ceramics and Lego workshops, we were making pierogi (Polish dumplings) together, sewing Christmas decorations, an amazing adventure at the Pole was waiting for children. Of course, the highlight of the meeting was the visit of Santa Claus.

Guests had also an opportunity to participate in a Christmas concert and taste delicious food. The meeting was held in our O4 conference centre.

We would like to thank all partners of our Christmas Eve: Energa Group – Main Sponsor, Nowy Styl Group, Koku Sushi, Lobster Restaurant, Medicover, Navigare Foundation, Biały Kotek Non-public kindergarten and Omida Group.

In July 2017, The Energa Group has established the Kropelka Energii Foundation – a blood donation organisation that responds to the needs of saving lives and health. After all, blood saves lives. The Kropelka Energii Foundation was formed from an informal, employee-owned blood donation campaign, the originators of which were Tomasz Rubanowicz and Piotr Krysiński. Thanks to their passion and commitment, Energa Group employees and their friends collected over 850 litres of blood, including 244 litres in 2016.

We invite you to read the next installment of the “Olivia’s Conversations” series, in which Monika Bogdanowicz presents the creators of the social initiative “A Drop of Blood”, who prove how great the power lies in integrating the community and the willingness to help people in need of support.

Monika Bogdanowicz (Komunikacja Olivia Business Centre): Since when has the topic of voluntary blood donation been present in your life?

Tomasz Rubanowicz: My beginnings in blood donation date back to high school, when I turned 18 and met the minimum requirement to become a donor. One day, after class, I persuaded my classmates to come with me for a while to a stationary blood collection point. I just wanted to get some basic information, and the situation turned out so that I donated blood. It was so well organized that I didn’t have time to think about it, and I was already sitting in the chair and the blood was flowing into the bag. After fifteen years and more than 20 liters, I have very fond memories of that moment. To this day, it has defined the social side of my life.

Piotr Krysiński: Since 2001, the first donation after 20 years of living in fear of the needle. Satisfaction quickly gave way to reflection: why did I wait so long? To date, I have 34 donations, which in my case is 15.1 liters.

Monika Bogdanowicz: Why did you decide to promote the idea of voluntary blood donation?

Tomasz Rubanowicz: In a sense, voluntary blood donation is a lifestyle that also requires proper physical preparation. Apparently, after donating blood, the body feels as if it has run a marathon of 42 km in 5-6 minutes. That impresses me. An Honorary Blood Donor must take care of himself, and when a person is healthy, he or she has a lot of positive energy, which is worth releasing in order to infect others with the idea of helping other people. Anyway, a good model for a satisfying life is worth recommending to everyone, and above all, blood donation rebuilds honor in people, and this is beautiful.

Piotr Krysiński: Once overcome, one’s own fear of the needle, a long period of this fear, a sense of wasted time, motivated one to catch up by encouraging others. Initially, I donated blood after work, until the next donation asked me why I didn’t come before noon, because then my blood could be used for children, which requires more time for processing. I felt like a superplus donor, because this is how only blood with very good parameters is processed.

^{Fig. Joanna “Frota” Kurkowska, Olivia Business Centre}

Monika Bogdanowicz: What were the beginnings of your informal activity in the field of organizing blood donations in your work environment?

Tomasz Rubanowicz: From the moment I joined the company, I have been looking for the Honorary Blood Donors Club within the structures of the Energa Group. It wasn’t easy, because the company is large and scattered around the country. That’s how I was directed to Piotr Krysiński, who was known for involving his colleagues in joint trips to the RCKiK station. We talked, took up the challenge and organized the first mobile blood donation campaign with the fear that there would not be enough volunteers (at least 20 people). Much more came than the ambulance could hold. And so it has remained to this day, and we do our best to make sure that all participants are satisfied. Together with Donors and Friends, we develop this beautiful idea of helping people based on the needs of the Blood Bank.

Piotr Krysiński: After a successful donation, you will receive a package of chocolates, in a decorative box with an inscription thanking you for donating blood. Taking it to work to show and offer the contents was a good foundation for promoting blood donation. After obtaining the consent of my superiors, I started to organize trips to the nearby RCKiK during my working hours. The returning group with a chocolate bar was greeted with appreciation and enthusiasm. You could feel the positive energy!

Monika Bogdanowicz: How do you manage to combine social activity with professional work? What is the biggest challenge and what gives the greatest satisfaction in combining these activities?

Tomasz Rubanowicz: Oh, the beginnings were difficult. Piotr had to take a vacation, while I had to work overtime to be able to devote 100% of the entire action, which lasted up to 7 hours. It would be much simpler if the Labour Code gave every employer the tools to delegate their employees for the purposes of employee volunteering. Running such a foundation as Kropelka Energii, we feel very obliged to each of our Donors and Partners of the campaign, who have trusted us and support us in various ways. We devote our private time to the development of the Foundation after working hours to an unlimited extent. It is a social work, but it requires high-quality management of many aspects, according to project standards, as in a normal enterprise. The biggest organizational challenge is to reach potential donors with our messages about the campaign. Without the help of Olivia Business Centre, there would not have been so many participants of the campaign.

Monika Bogdanowicz: What gives you the greatest satisfaction in developing this campaign?

Tomasz Rubanowicz: The greatest satisfaction is the large number of satisfied donors waving a box full of chocolate (laughs). It is also satisfying to see a smile on the face of a participant of the action when he comes out of the ambulance after donating blood and says that he wants more! And also when someone casually thanks us for helping us with a blood donation. After these few human gestures, we have our own batteries charged and we are highly motivated for the next action.

Monika Bogdanowicz: What impact did the presence of the project have on the development of the “Kropelka Energii” initiative and on the number of litres of blood collected?

Tomasz Rubanowicz: It is crucial, because from the very beginning our actions have been gathering an increasing number of participants in a natural way, as the OBC complex expands. At that time, the managers understood our initiative and were 100% committed to providing parking spaces for ambulances, providing access to electrical infrastructure for emergency power supply, tables and chairs, and security to ensure the safety of participants.

Monika Bogdanowicz: The year 2017 ends for you with the beginning of a new chapter in the history of your activity for the idea of blood donation. The Kropelka Energii Foundation was established, which inaugurated its public activity with a gala at the Olivia Sky Club. What new goals do you have for the coming 2018?

Tomasz Rubanowicz: From the very beginning, we have had a lot of ideas for the development of Kropelka Energii. We are primarily inspired by our Donors, who report their comments to us on an ongoing basis, and we implement them in life. It’s the best cooperation, because we don’t do anything by force. Thanks to this, many Givers and Friends are involved in the development of the Energy Droplet. This year, we reached the point where we had to make a final decision on whether or not to set up a foundation. And today we can say that it was one of the best ideas. On December 6, 2017, at Olivia Sky Club, we had the opportunity to present many of our activities, and above all, to solemnly thank the Donors for donating blood, handing them the Badges of Meritorious Blood Donors of the Polish Red Cross. About 50 people took part in the meeting. We would like to thank the Donors for their support and dedication to the idea. This is a huge help in saving the health and lives of many people every day.

In the New Year, we would like to exceed 1000 liters of blood, this is an ambitious plan, so for this purpose we will increase the number of shares to six. We are currently agreeing on the dates of the action with RCKiK, which will be published on our Facebook and LinkedIn social media profiles. Additional information can be obtained by writing an e-mail to: ekropelka@energa.pl

See you at the next blood donation campaigns in 2018!

–/ —

^{Tomasz Rubanowicz – a graduate of the Military University of Technology in Warsaw (2006) in the field of Mechatronics. He completed postgraduate studies in the field of innovative project management at the University of Gdańsk. Currently, he is an employee of the Energa Group, where he pursues his professional goals in the field of wholesale trade in electricity generated also from Renewable Energy Sources. For several years, he also conducted scientific research at the Faculty of Electrical and Control Engineering of the Gdańsk University of Technology in the field of prediction of the generation capacity of wind farms. Author of many publications in this field. His areas of scientific research and professional interests include: the application of artificial intelligence methods for the purposes of forecasting the dynamics of renewable energy sources generation, the electricity and gaseous fuel market, offshore wind energy technology. For over 15 years, he has been socially active in various initiatives, and recently involved in the development project of the Kropelka Energii Foundation.}

^{Piotr Krysiński – born in 1963, a graduate (1989) of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the Gdańsk University of Technology, majoring in Electrical Devices and Machines. He has been involved in the energy sector since 1996, starting his career at the Gdańsk Power Plant, currently an employee of the Energa Group. Hobbies: travelling, technology, DIY. Since 2001 active blood donor, promoter and organizer of the Kropelka Club at ELNORD SA.}

–/–

About Blob of Energy

Over the course of five years of operation, Kropelka Energii has collected over 850 litres of blood. The project was initiated by Piotr Krysiński and Tomasz Rubanowicz, employees of the Energa Group. It is over 1900 donations – 450 ml each – made during 20 ambulance campaigns organized at the Olivia Business Centre in Gdańsk. On average, 140 donors take part in them, including about 20 first-time donors. The number of people willing to share this priceless gift is constantly increasing. In 2017, 735 people participated in 5 “Kropelka Energii” collections, donating 273.1 liters of blood (including 464 men and 143 women). This is 66 people and 29.7 litres more than in 2016. The collected blood was sent to hospitals for surgery and transfusions for cancer patients.

A drop of energy in numbers:

• 20 – this is the number of collections with the participation of RCKiK ambulances since 2012
• 47 – this is the number of people transported by the Energa Group to WCKiK by electric vehicles
• 490 – this is the number of women who donated blood in all campaigns
• 867 – this is the number of litres of blood collected by “Kropelka Energii” since the beginning of its activity
• 887 – this is the number of people who cooperate with the Foundation on a permanent basis
• 1438 – this is the number of men who donated blood in all actions
• 1928 – this is the number of donations of 450 ml each
• 2550 – this is the number of participants in the campaign so far

Inaugural Gala of the Kropelka Energii Foundation