The Business Attraction Strategy for Northern Central Finland highlighted the importance of seamless cooperation between municipalities and actors in the region

MDI carried out  a regional placement strategy for the Development Company, Karstula-Region Oy. The aim was to highlight the attractiveness of the area in terms of business location. The strategy emphasises the importance of shared commitment and common rules. Remote workers and specialist entrepreneurs, whose work is location-independent, are seen as providing important new potential for the region. The area of operation includes Kannonkoski, Karstula, Kinnula, Kivijärvi, Pihtipudas and Viitasaari.

The work included detailed proposals for measures and future operating models, as well as new forms of cooperation, measures or tools for the coming years to support the growth and internationalisation of existing companies and attract new innovative companies and investors. Working towards external attraction and rankings is a long-term process while it was acknowledged that ‘quick wins’ are rarely available.

The strategy jointly defines the strengths, opportunities and new development openings and targets of the companies in the region which they specifically want to highlight. The strategy introduces a number of core aspects which are strongly highlighted through the platform and the communications approach supporting ‘Invest in’ operations. The main focus of the strategy is to attract new companies to support the operations of companies in the region, with bioeconomy at the forefront of the marketing push. The essential content of the strategy is also to support the growth of companies operating in the region and to attract additional investments to the region.