Maciej Badora, who comes from Wałbrzych, has become the new President of the Wałbrzych Special Economic Zone “INVEST-PARK”. The function of Deputy President will be fulfilled by Michał Szukała, an entrepreneur and self- government member from Świdnica. The new board was appointed during the general meeting of the zone’s shareholders.
Having graduated from Wrocław University, Maciej Badora completed judge’s training under the jurisdiction of Wałbrzych Provincial Court in Świdnica. He runs a law firm specializing in economic matters in his home town of Wałbrzych. He is also a social activist. He has replaced Barbara Kaśnikowska, who performed this function from 2013.
Michał Szukała graduated from the Faculty of Law of Wrocław University and then completed postgraduate studies in accounting. In the past he was a councilor and chairman of the city council of Świdnica, a board member of municipal companies and president of the company Zremb Świdnica.
The Wałbrzych Special Economic Zone “INVEST-PARK” is the largest among the fourteen SEZs in Poland. 184 companies function within it, which jointly employ 44,300 people and have invested over 21.7 billion zlotys. Every fourth tenant represents the automotive industry. Companies operating in this industry have incurred more than half of all the capital expenditure in the WSEZ and employ 20,000 people. A third of the companies have Polish capital. Almost half of the tenants are micro, small or medium-sized companies.
The Wałbrzych zone covers areas in 48 subzones in south-western Poland in four provinces: Dolnośląskie, Opolskie, Wielkopolskie and Lubuskie. Around 1,300 ha of land is still available to investors. Entrepreneurs functioning in a special economic zone are eligible for public aid. In the WSEZ, tax exemptions oscillate between 25% and 55% of capital expenditure or the labor cost of newly-hired employees in the first two years. They depend on the size of the investor (the smaller the company, the greater the exemption) and the location of the investment project.
The zone offers assistance to entrepreneurs at all stages of the investment process. It provides free training to companies and organizes trade fairs and B2B meetings. It also coordinates the actions of a bulk-purchase group, which led to decreasing the cost of energy by up to 23%. Entrepreneurs can also rent office spaces and manufacturing facilities from the zone.
In recognition of the quality and comprehensiveness of investor care, the WSEZ received a commendation in the prestigious ranking compiled by the fDi Magazine of the Financial Times group. The zone is among the most recommended destinations for investors in Europe.
