1. Many years of your career were dedicated to tourism in Warmia and Masuria. How did you end up at Gromada and what was it like when you were starting out?
Everything started with a meeting at the theater in Olsztyn in February 1992 with Zbigniew Skała, the then Director of the Kormoran hotel. Mr. Jan Błoński, the former President of the OST Gromada Board, tasked Mr. Skaba with finding a candidate for the Director of the Tourist Office in Olsztyn. At that time, the company I worked for - Mazur Tourist, was undergoing liquidation, and I was preparing to set up my own travel agency. Director Skaba persuaded me to go to Warsaw and interview for the job. Long story short, that's what I did. And so began my 17 years at Gromada.
2. What roles did you work in at OST Gromada?
I started working as a travel agency director in Olsztyn. Later I took the position of hotel director in Olsztyn. Not long after, OST Gromada was reorganized into regions. This restructuring put hotels, resorts, and tourist offices from a given geographical area into one single department. It was around that time that was offered the position of Director of the Masurian Region, which undoubtedly was a promotion. I later become the Director of the entire Northern region. After that, I was Deputy Director for Sales and Marketing, Director of Sales and Marketing, as well as Chief Operating Officer. Your job involved moving to Warsaw and lots of travel. As a Director, I very often personally visited and supervised the entities I was responsible for. These of course included hotels, resorts and travel agencies.
3. What were the biggest challenges for you at that time?
Who were the travel agency's clients, hotel guests? Did the hotel also host foreign tourists? How did we acquire them?When I was working at the travel agency, my goal was to make the Gromada Tourist Office in Olsztyn profitable. Additionally, my goal was to acquire new clients and nurture existing relationships. After starting work at Gromada, I used my contacts with a German partner to organize stays for German groups in hotels in the Warmia and Masuria region. For many years, an important revenue stream both for our hotels and tourist offices was the so-called German sentimental tourism for former inhabitants of Warmia and Masuria. At the Gromada Hotel in Olsztyn, as part of the Olsztyn Theater Meetings, we hosted theaters from Poland and abroad for many years. We also hosted stars of the Polish stage, such as Maja Komorowska, Irena Kwiatkowska, Ewa Błaszczyk, Jerzy Bończak... And if that wasn't enough, we also had the opportunity to welcome representatives of NATO Command as guests.
4. Currently, you are serving as the Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of OST Gromada. What challenges are associated with this job?
Establishing good cooperation between the members of the Board and the Supervisory Board with the Management is critical. This ensures that both statutory bodies can help and cooperate for the benefit of Gromada and all its members. In other words, you monitor the work of the Board and at the same time support the Board if there is such a need. This is especially true in difficult times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic or the war in Ukraine.
5. You mentioned the pandemic. How did Gromada cope with the pandemic?
And how is it managing in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine? Although Gromada recorded a significant decrease in revenue in 2020-2021 due to the lockdowns and sanitary restrictions caused by Covid, it can be said that, all all thins considered, we have gotten through this period relatively unscathed. Considering the economic climate, business plans were verified, costs were reduced. However, the decision to continue investment and renovation works was kept in place, so as to ensure that our accommodation base remained at an appropriate level. This, in turn, ensured that our interests were well looked after in the long run. The completion of the investment in Busko-Zdroj and the opening of the Treatment Resort were significant accomplishments. Both can undoubtedly be considered the success of both management and staff. Our challenge now is to increase revenue and minimize the impact of externalities, so that they do not pose a threat to the Gromada family. It is important to make sensible decisions and manage financial resources properly. In these activities, the Board has been and continues to be supported by the Council. Gromada's finances in the last year were positive. We finished the fiscal year with a profit of 4 million zlotys. We nonetheless must act in such a way so as to maintain financial liquidity. And we must also keep in mind that we are not necessarily out of the woods relating to difficult economic conditions. Unexpected circumstances may still occur. We must be prepared for them.
6. Do you have any interesting anecdotes you could share with our readers?
Once upon a time, a client came to the Travel Agency and asked for a vacation offer by the sea in Hungary. The office employee explained that Hungary is a landlocked country, but that it does have the largest lake in Central Europe and that she would be happy to present a vacation offer on Lake Balaton. In the end, the client said that she will go to a travel agency that will be able to offer them a trip to the seaside in Hungary.
7. Any wishes for OST Gromada on the occasion of its 85th anniversary?
Further success, development, and satisfied guests, both in its hotels and tourist offices. I also wish for employees to feel pride in the fact that they work for Gromada. What's more, I would like for members of the Cooperative to be proud owners of a dynamic, economically stable and nationally recognized company.
