I came to Jyväskylä in the autumn of 1995 as a visitor, but not as a stranger. Nobody needs to come to Jyväskylä as a stranger, because here people are accustomed to new faces and to the fact that they may well bring something new with them.
As a student town Jyväskylä has always attracted people from all over the country. Indeed the city could be called the melting pot of Finnish tribes. Here the various Finnish character traits are to be found in different combinations.
When it was time for me to move I was asked whether I fully grasped what I was doing. I was born after all in Helsinki and had lived all my life in and around the capital, in fact as a second generation native of Helsinki. I had a challenging position in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, but I had no qualms about taking on new opportunities as the first managing director of Jyväskylä Regional Development Company Jykes Ltd. My husband was already living in Jyväskylä and had spent his childhood just down the road in Korpilahti, so I did not arrive as a complete alien.
At the time I started in my new position Finland was in the grip of a severe recession. I quickly noticed people's desire for change, however. The recession years had dented their self-confidence and made them unnecessarily humble. Specialists in their respective branches had to begin to believe in their abilities again and trust each other. Through hard work results began to materialize and interest in Jyväskylä started to grow elsewhere in Finland. People asked about us and we outlined our models. As business life and firms experienced an upswing, so the general feeling brightened up.
Jyväskylä is now a small city with a big-city feel. We have sufficient expertise to qualify as a big city, but remain flexible and capable of taking fast decisions. Networking is simple, since the key figures know each other personally.
I had put in a lot of effort at the Ministry of Trade and Industry promoting foreign trade and companies' export efforts. Internationalization has always been important to me and still is. We function extremely well in international networks from our Jyväskylä base. If I travel to Brussels in the morning, by the evening I am home again.
Settling in Jyväskylä did not change just my work. Quality of life outside my work rose to a totally new level. In addition to the fact that my husband and I got to live under the same roof, many things are now different after work.
Five minutes after closing the door to my office I can be at home admiring the lake scenery. In winter I can set off from my back garden and enjoy skiing in total peace at my own speed. In summer there are magic moments to be savoured on a number of beautiful golf courses. My relatives continue to live in the Helsinki area and naturally I miss them. The problem is not a big one, however, since I travel to Helsinki regularly on business. An easy journey it is, too.
Disappointment is one thing I have never experienced as a consequence of moving to Jyväskylä. This is my real home. Now and in years to come.
Ritva Nirkkonen, Managing Director,
Jyväskylä Regional Develoment Company Jykes Ltd.