28.06.2023

I AM KRONUS — Jana Ķimenīte, Client Account Manager

Bella Trifsika-Dzeguze

Chief Human Resources Officer

For the fifth “I am KRONUS” interview, we’ve invited Jana Ķimenīte, client account manager for Nordic countries. She only works with us for seven months but has already proven herself to be reliable and eager to learn. Jana is an active colleague who always helps others and takes her duties very seriously. During our chat, we found out about her everyday routine at work and how she spends her free time, which is currently largely devoted to her service in the National Guard.

What do you associate KRONUS with?

I’ve always thought of KRONUS as a tree, but in a “live” sense. Not tree products, but live trees, and I can’t really explain why. Before, I worked for a logistics company where I knew that pallets were a thing and that people wanted us to transport them back. Now, working for KRONUS, this approach certainly seems very logical to me. Another association is the good work culture, as I had heard about that before.

How did your career at KRONUS start?

I applied for a job at KRONUS because I realised that I had exhausted my potential at my previous position and company. I decided that I wanted to work specifically at KRONUS. During the entirety of my job search, I sent my CV to only four places. And KRONUS was a priority from the start. As I mentioned, people saying good things about the work culture and respect for employees played an important role. The application process was very smooth. I was warned that the applicant selection took a fairly long time, because there were more selection stages than in other companies. But when I started to get to know the team, I gained an even deeper understanding of why the selection process is the way it is. It really makes sense! Of course, everyone has their own personality and opinion, but when you walk into the office, you can feel the positive mood, with all the teams working together. You are surrounded by very positive and supportive people. The long selection process is appropriate and very well-designed.

What does a typical working day look like for you?

I’ve put it all nicely on my calendar. Of course, not everything happens according to schedule, but I mostly arrive at work rather early. I like to have a leisurely cup of coffee, chat with colleagues, and get ready for the day. I first check my e-mails to see if there are any last-minute changes. Then I start contacting new clients to add them to my portfolio. Can’t forget about lunch – I often combine it with a little walk around the office to clear my head a bit. I spend the rest of the day contacting clients and setting up new partnerships. There are also projects I work on at the same time, and all the information has to be entered into the system.

What are your immediate duties, what does your everyday life at work look like?

Essentially, my main job is to build and maintain business relationships with existing clients, but because my client portfolio is not at a very high level yet, I also do active sales. This means calling clients in Sweden, Finland, and also some in Norway. I look for new clients in the Nordic market.

What do you like best about your job?

Actually, I think I like everything! Of course, there have been some minor situations, where all was not 100% perfect. I’m lucky to be able to do what I love and what I am good at. And working with clients, being in a team with great colleagues is basically what creates this positive mood at KRONUS. I have not had any tasks or projects that have been at all unpleasant or inconvenient. I love that I can combine working with existing clients and talking to potential ones. It’s also nice to be able to use my technical knowledge. I come to work with a smile on my face!

What was your first paid job?

It’s probably considered illegal now, but it was commonplace when I was little. I lived in the countryside, and we had to work at the collective farm hoeing beetroots. You stand at the end of a furrow and see it going all the way into the horizon. So we worked there all summer. We also had to help at our own farm. All the money was spent preparing for school and buying the things we needed.

How do you spend your free time?

I’ve taken a little break from Capoeira, which is a Brazilian martial art with dance elements. It has a lot of acrobatic elements, handstands, rolls, bridge stretches, and so on. I usually go twice a week. I’m learning to play the guitar in the evenings, I’ve finished a course, but I could definitely use some more practice. I am also learning Swedish now, which has always been a bit of a dream for me, and now I have an actual reason to do it. It’s not just interesting, but also very useful for my work, given that I work with the Nordic market. I ride a motorbike in summer, and I actively participate in the National Guard.

Why did you choose to join the National Guard?

When I graduated from secondary school, I thought about the army as a profession. It was 1998, and the situation in the army was, to put it simply, not very good. The idea of joining the army was always there, but I kept putting it off somehow. If you want to serve in the army, you have to enrol before you’re 40, something I didn’t know about, and when I turned 40 in August, I realised it was too late. Then I became interested in the National Guard. I worked at a hotel then and had very few days off to fit it in. On the morning Russia invaded Ukraine, I was completely shocked. Then I realised that if things could change like that in one day, I had to go and do something. After the war began, my former colleagues and friends in Italy said that I could take my whole family to live with them, but I am not leaving Latvia. I also know that being a civilian who understands nothing about such situations is an impediment for the army. That was the moment when I realised that I indeed didn’t understand anything about these things, but I didn’t want to leave the country, and now I’ve been in the National Guard for a year.

How does one join the National Guard? Can you combine it with work?

You first write an application saying you want to do it. You also need to pass a medical check because you must be physically able to do things. Obviously, since they give access to weapons and you are trained to shoot, you have to be mentally stable, which is why a medical check is required. If they find you fit, there’s training before your oath where you are actually told what it’s about, what’s in store for you, if you can carry that burden, if you have the desire and the strength. Then we take an oath to defend our country, its land, and its people with our health and lives. Then there is basic training. We get our uniforms and gear. The basic training turns a candidate into a National Guards person, but it doesn’t end there. There are all sorts of other training courses then, and the more you attend, the more you learn. You continue learning, building up your emotional and physical stamina, being able to work alone and in a group, hike, spend nights in the forest, and follow orders. You can take part in National Guard training on weekends, or you can learn everything in one month if you want. Currently, the additional training takes place mostly on weekends, so combining it with your main job does not create any problems.

What has been your most memorable moment from the National Guard so far?

The craziest challenge probably is marching with a backpack. It’s not because I can’t pick the bag up or carry it, but when you go alone at your own pace, it is much easier. Here you have to go in a group and at a certain rhythm, and it’s hard when you feel that you are the slowest one. This rhythm sets the speed of the whole group and how well you will do with the given task.

What challenges do you face in your everyday work?

I must say that many things are still challenging, but I was very surprised how quickly I adapted to our data processing system, which is a big and complex piece of software. When I first saw it, I thought I would never learn it in my life. Now I am working with it and everything’s fine. Can’t complain about the rest. Big companies of course have their own particular procedures, but there are descriptions and explanations for everything. The management, my team and other departments never refuse to help, and I have never felt abandoned or neglected. It’s important to figure out the big picture of how the company works, which is different for every company, but once it’s done, everything works as it should. I don’t see problems, I see challenges, and it is my nature to overcome them.

What are your career goals?

Having never worked for a manufacturing company before, I find it important to understand this field in general. I, of course, can’t imagine my life without growing as a person, and my idea of this is to eventually become a manager for major clients, also working on important projects. I know that I still have a lot to learn and to master. This is the next level that I’d like to reach!

What is your motto?

You have to adapt these kinds of mottos for them to apply to real life, but I remember my dad saying, ‘Never do to others what you wouldn’t want them to do to you’ since I was a child. I actually base my entire life on this idea, and it covers virtually everything. That’s how I live. Recently, I’ve had another one: ‘Work is not finished when things get tough. Work is finished when it’s done.’

I AM KRONUS – Oskars Toniņš, Teamleader

16.08.2023

We have prepared the seventh interview within the project “I am KRONUS” in which we were joined by Oskars Toniņš, the teamleader of the 7th hinge production workshop, who has been working in the company for six years already. Oskars’ team describes him as an open and helpful leader. In the interview, we learned more about his approach to work, daily routine and how he has created a wonderful recreation place for his family out of nothing. He started in KRONUS as a plant operator but now he is responsible for the 7th workshop.

I AM KRONUS – Artemijs Timošenko, Operations Manager

27.07.2023

We invited Artemijs Timošenko, the new KRONUS operations manager, to the project's half-year anniversary conversation. He has been with the company since 7 February and has also familiarised himself with production during this period. Artemijs officially started his duties as manager on 1 July. During the conversation, we discussed his growth and how he came to this position, what improvements he plans to make in the company, and tips from Artemijs for staying motivated.

I AM KRONUS – Ritvars Kalniņš, saw operator

16.05.2023

The fourth conversation of the “I am KRONUS” project was held with Ritvars Kalniņš. He has been with the company for more than 10 years and is a saw operator at our production site in Ulbroka. You may have heard of Ritvars, as he is an active runner and last year set the Latvian record in the 24-hour race. We discussed how he did it, how he combines running with work and what records he still wants to achieve.