You Can’t Build a Community by Email

Lukáš Petřík, Director of the District Chamber of Commerce Opava (Okresní hospodářská komora Opava – OHK Opava), holds around 500 meetings with businesspeople every year. Perhaps that is why the Chamber now has more than 250 members, whose companies employ nearly 15,000 people, with 25 new members joining in the first quarter alone. In this interview, he explains what is driving this growth, how the Chamber genuinely helps businesses today, why he does not consider personal contact a thing of the past – and what, by contrast, he does.

How exceptional is this rate of membership growth?

In recent years, we have been one of the most dynamically developing chambers of commerce in the Czech Republic. At the same time, we are building on more than thirty years of history. We do not want to throw everything old away and start again, but rather preserve what has value while adding greater momentum, new formats and services that reflect the way business is done today. For me, the number of members itself is not the finishing line. Above all, it is an indicator of whether what we do genuinely makes sense to businesses.

Why are companies from outside the Opava region also choosing to join your chamber?

Companies today are not concerned solely with district boundaries. What matters to them is the environment they are entering, the people they will meet there and, above all, the tangible benefits of membership. Membership is voluntary, although several business owners have told me, with some surprise, that they thought being a member of the Chamber was a requirement for running a business. From the perspective of growing our membership base, I would of course quite like such a model, but that is not how it works in the Czech Republic. That makes it all the more important for us to demonstrate the value of membership every single day. Business owners expect contacts, business opportunities, help with specific problems, training or an introduction to the right person. We also pay considerable attention to sole traders and smaller companies. They often do not have their own in–house specialists, and this is precisely where individual mentoring, practical advice or a quick introduction can make a significant difference. What I do consider a thing of the past, however, is the idea of a chamber as a formal institution that operates the same way it did twenty years ago.

What do you do differently that makes companies come knocking on your door?

One of the most important decisions was to spend much more time out meeting businesspeople. I personally attend around 500 business meetings and other professional gatherings a year. In my view, there is no substitute for this – if you want to understand companies, you need to sit down regularly with their owners, managing directors and managers. It is precisely these conversations that give rise to new formats, company visits and expert discussions. One example is our Summer Business Gathering, which attracts more than 300 guests and was created through our excellent cooperation with the Statutory City of Opava. The city is a genuine partner for us, and I believe this kind of connection between the city and the business community should not be taken for granted. In our case, it is one of the things that other regions may quite rightly envy us for. The second change was to make greater use of feedback: we develop what works and change what does not. After all, you cannot create a community on paper – it grows out of trust and regular contact. In some areas, we are finding our own way, while at the same time working with other chambers in the region and sharing our experience.

What are the biggest concerns for businesses today?

The issue companies most often face today is peopleparticularly a shortage of skilled workers and, looking ahead, the availability of labour itself. Other major concerns include the predictability of the business environment, administrative burdens and regulation. Every new obligation comes at a cost, and that ultimately affects companies’ operating costs, investment and prices for customers. AI, automation and the use of data are also major topics. But it is not about adopting every new development; it is about identifying what genuinely makes sense for a particular company. Succession will also become increasingly important – passing on businesses, know–how, relationships and responsibility. In my view, the role of the Chamber is not simply to respond to problems that everyone can already see, but also to raise issues that companies will be dealing with in earnest two or three years from now.

Where does the Moravian–Silesian Region have an advantage when it comes to attracting investors, and where is it falling behind?

Personally, I think that in some areas we have fallen somewhat behind and are now trying to catch up. We only need to look across the border to Poland and see the development that has taken place there over the past ten years in infrastructure, business zones and the areas surrounding major cities. At the same time, the Moravian–Silesian Region has strong foundations – high–quality companies, successful entrepreneurs, technical know–how and a strong industrial tradition. But when it comes to new investment, the price of land or labour is not the only deciding factor. Investors need sites that are ready for development, sufficient energy and utility capacity, good transport links, an available workforce and a predictable permitting process. We therefore need to make better use of brownfield sites, prepare business zones and shorten the journey from an investment proposal to its implementation. The potential is here; now it is about creating the right conditions so that companies have a reason to grow here and talented people have a reason to stay or return.

Where would you like to take the Chamber in the coming years?

Over the past few years, we have significantly expanded our membership base. Today, we organise more than forty events a year, and in the first half of this year alone, more than 1,100 people attended them. We want to continue building on that. I want OHK Opava to be seen as a strong partner for businesses – one that brings companies together in a targeted way, facilitates the sharing of know–how, raises important issues and helps find practical solutions. We are open to new partnerships whenever they make sense for businesses and the region. Personally, however, I hope that as the Opava Chamber continues to grow, it will not lose its identity. I want it to remain a place where businesspeople feel comfortable calling for advice, where they enjoy meeting one another and where they know they do not have to face their problems alone.