Boden is testing a new method for business start-ups to strengthen the business structure and the growth of the municipality. The result is a brand new start-up that was presented at Friday’s business breakfast.
The municipality has reversed the allocation process and worked with in-depth establishment dialogues to identify the establishment that best complements the local business community in a larger perspective. The result: a strategic match that now leads to Wist Last & Buss, part of the Persson Invest Group, starting up in Boden with a new workshop for heavy vehicles.
Strategic selection strengthens the whole
Traditionally, establishments are based on the need for premises and availability. Boden has chosen to start at the other end – with in-depth analysis of what will strengthen the municipality’s business structure in the long term.
After interviews and needs analysis, the choice fell on Wist Last & Buss, the largest independent Volvo dealer for trucks and buses in the Nordic region. The company will open its new workshop in the vehicle and transport program’s former premises at Torpgärdan’s industrial area. After the turn of the year, premises adaptation and renovation will begin, with a planned start of operations in May 2026.
– We see Boden as an expansive area with development opportunities and confidence in the future. With the investments made in premises and equipment, we can offer service and repairs for most types of heavy vehicles,” says Per Sundberg, CEO of Wist Last & Buss.
A Boden that chooses the way forward
For the municipality of Boden, the establishment is not just a new business – it marks a new way of thinking about growth and collaboration between business and the municipality.
– “We wanted to look beyond individual square meters and instead ask ourselves what kind of business actually strengthens the whole. Wist Last & Buss adds both expertise and service that benefits the entire business community in Boden,” says Ellinor Isaksson Larsson, Head of Planning and Development in Boden Municipality.
Béatrice Öman, Chair of the Municipal Executive Board, sees the initiative as an example of how Boden continues to develop through active and long-term choices.
– When we match establishments from a holistic perspective, we build a more diversified and more robust business community. This is a concrete step in our strategy to create more synergies and sustainable growth – and it shows that Boden is a municipality that acts proactively to strengthen its business community,” she says.
