Joki's partner company Akseli Kiinteistöpalvelut wants to take care of young people by offering them jobs and internship opportunities, as well as by guiding them to exercise. Responsibility must be genuine…
Responsibility must be genuine; it must come from the heart, and you must invest money in it. This is what Akseli Kiinteistöpalvelut believes, and they implement this idea by investing in the young people of their operating area in many ways. The theme is also closely related to the company's values, and the core of its operations is summarized in the phrase "We take care".
– Our industry takes care of Finland's national wealth, the real estate. That is where much of people's assets are tied up. Furthermore, as a company, we want to take care of our customers, our employees, and the young people in our area, says Akseli Kiinteistöpalvelut's CEO Teemu Halenius.
Akseli Kiinteistöpalvelut, which has operated for a long time in Varissuo and Lauste, has now expanded its operations from East Turku to the entire city area as well as Kaarina. The company is the largest local operator in its field in the Turku region, and it has grown at a steady pace, partly due to acquisitions in recent years.
The company, which employs about 130 people, hires up to 30–40 summer employees annually so that the permanent staff can take their vacations whenever they want.
Our industry takes care of Finland's national wealth, the real estate.
– We could manage with a much smaller team if vacations were organized more strictly, but we don't want to go that way. We want to employ young people. For many of them, this is their first job in life and therefore a really valuable thing, says Halenius. In addition to the summer job path, young people come to Akseli Kiinteistöpalvelut through educational cooperation and internships.
Halenius always reminds young people that every internship and summer job should be treated with respect and seriousness. You never know where that path will lead. Halenius is himself an excellent example: he joined Akseli Kiinteistöpalvelut as a summer employee right after his matriculation exams, then started studying to be an engineer, while doing summer and part-time work. After graduating, Halenius immediately got a permanent job at the company, and has now risen to become the company's CEO after numerous different tasks and additional studies.
An important part of responsibility is investing in youth sports. Akseli Kiinteistöpalvelut has long collaborated with the sports club FC Inter by organizing "Lähiöpeli" events. In these, Inter players come to play ball at the Varissuo sports field with the local children. Now, the activity has also expanded into the InterAction school game tour, which reaches different parts of Turku with several events. The purpose is to offer low-threshold exercise opportunities for children and families.
– We support the tour because we want to inspire and guide young people into sports, says Halenius.
The investment in young people has also paid off reciprocally. Halenius says that Akseli Kiinteistöpalvelut has never suffered from a labor shortage. Skilled workers have always been available in the reserve.
– We do really valuable work, but the industry is highly competitive and operations are low-margin. The industry does indeed need more appreciation. I believe that these investments of ours influence people's attitudes and ensure that this industry is also seen as an attractive option for a workplace. Talent is always needed in our industry.
Akseli Kiinteistöpalvelut Oy Group
Industry: Real estate
Established: 1976
Employees: 130
Revenue: €10 million (2022)