Four new tenants join “Business Garden Rīga”
Business Garden Rīga’s community is ever-growing – four new tenants have recently joined this Class A office campus developed by Vastint Latvia: renewable electricity producer Utilitas Wind, international tour operator Tez Tour, egg production company APF Holdings, and food manufacturer Mantinga. Active across different industries, the tenants share high business standards and the belief that a modern office is a must for effective teamwork and growth.
For most of the new tenants, moving to the Business Garden is an important step for their business development. When searching for new, roomier offices, they knew what they were looking for: everything had to meet exceptional standards, from the ventilation system that ensures the pure air quality needed for productive work, to the doorbell phone system and automatic contactless doors.
Utilitas Wind, a Utilitas renewable energy group company, is the largest producer of wind power in Latvia, owning the Tārgale and Grobiņa wind farms. The group is headquartered in Estonia and with its new development projects spread across Latvia, an office in a convenient location is essential. The location and modern look of Business Garden initially caught the attention of Utilitas management, and the positive impression was only strengthened on arrival.
“Business Garden Riga is fully in line with the essence of the 21st-century workspace, where we no longer have to adapt to the office but instead the office adapts to us. We love our spacious new premises and appreciate the exclusive tenant privileges on offer, such as the possibility to use the Lounge space both in Riga and in other Business Garden campuses in Europe,” says Marta Balode, Project Manager at Utilitas Wind.
For its 178 m2 office, which is significantly larger than its previous premises, the company opted for a mixed layout, with an open plan workspace, three separate offices, a conference room for weekly face-to-face meetings, two call booths, and a kitchen. The interior was decorated with a lively touch with accents of the company logo colours – orange, red and green – in the carpets, green chairs, and other elements. The character and coziness of the office is enhanced by the bookshelves and houseplants, embodying sustainable thinking as a core value of the company.
Last year, international tour operator Tez Tour decided to move its administrative centre, which had been located in another office complex in Marupe since 2009, to Business Garden. It was important to maintain a location close to the airport, and Business Garden was a perfect fit. Rapidly rising utility costs last winter gave an additional incentive to look for a more energy-efficient workplace. In the new 225 m2 space, the Tez Tour team works in a hybrid mode, splitting their time between office and home. In addition to an open-plan workspace and offices, the interior also has a lounge and kitchen area. A combination of dark and light woods is richly used in the doors and finishes throughout to create a space designed to be both elegant and homely.
“This office campus is very modern and makes extensive use of environmentally friendly technologies. Business Garden is very warm in winter, and decentralized heating allows one to separately adapt the climate in each room, which turns out to be equally helpful in the summer heat. We appreciate that the lighting in the new office can be dimmed, making it more eye-friendly and energy-efficient. In addition to energy efficiency and a wide range of amenities, the publicity and networking opportunities provided by Business Garden are also very important to us. For instance, last summer we supported the Business Garden Rīga Garden Festival featuring a concert by our friend Intars Busulis, where we announced our plans to join the Business Garden community. The office’s location on one of Riga’s main traffic arteries also offers a major advantage – the light box with our logo on the facade can be seen by everyone who drives from the airport to the city center along Kārlis Ulmanis Avenue,” comments Tez Tour Finance Director Maksims Pipkevičs.
For Lithuania-based bakery, snacks, and frozen food manufacturer Mantinga, the move to Business Garden was a strategic step in an ambitious expansion process: last year, the company acquired its first production facility outside Lithuania. When looking for a new office, the needs of the employees were key, so both a convenient location and a modern working environment were crucial.
“We knew we wanted a Class A office in a high-rise building. When it came to the most convenient location for our employees, Business Garden was the optimal spot. We were attracted by the new technology, the landscaped outdoor space and the tenant privileges. We can safely say that we made the right choice – now we go to work with much bigger smiles,” says Rolands Lovniks, Head of HoReCa at Mantinga.
The company’s new office has 242 m2 of space and 14 regular employees. The office layout and design follow the company’s guidelines. It features seven working rooms with partly glazed walls, a meeting room, an archive room and a kitchen. The interior is dominated by soft, light tones, complemented by natural wood accents and indoor plants.
APF Holdings is best known as the owner of the Oluksne egg brand, which seven years ago acquired the Aluksne poultry farm built in 1961 and which shortly became the second-largest egg producer in the Baltics. In addition to egg production, the company is developing innovative solutions in the field of alternative energy: biogas from poultry manure and waste-free production.
“Over the past few years, we have grown from a start-up into a fully-fledged business, currently preparing for an initial public offering (IPO) on the Nasdaq Baltic market. Our previous office did not suit our spirit for quite some time, so we actively looked for a solid space with a modern ambience and infrastructure. We were very attracted by Business Garden’s facilities: micro-mobility options, changing rooms with showers, the Lounge area which allows you to change your scene and working environment, the possibility to charge an electric car while in the office. The location conveniently connects our production facilities with the company’s management centre. Neighbours are also important, as being among successful international companies gives you the incentive to succeed,” explains Diliara Valitova, Corporate Relations and Sustainable Development Manager at APF Holdings.
The spacious 300 m2 office has both open working areas and separate rooms. The interior design has a strong focus on creating a comfortable feel. The glass doors of the offices embody the company’s culture: every employee can speak to management about their concerns or initiatives. The walls are decorated with works by Latvian contemporary artists, part of the company’s growing collection.
All the new tenants praised the collaboration with Vastint – the friendly demonstration of the Business Garden premises, the responsive and productive communication during the moving process, the respect shown to employees’ requests and requirements, the efficient technical support, and their responsiveness in unexpected situations.
“We are pleased to see Business Garden Rīga developing into an international business hub thanks to our tenants, and we will soon announce more new companies joining our community,” summarises Romāns Astahovs, Managing Director of Vastint Latvia.
