When Mats Berg takes up the post of municipal manager in 2016, Boden is a municipality facing headwinds \u2013 fragmented projects, declining self-confidence and a business community that feels overlooked. But in that crisis, something is beginning. A story about Boden \u2013 where growth is planned before it is seen, where people are at the center and where the green social transition gets a face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is not a straightforward journey. When Mats Berg took up the post of head of the municipality of Boden in 2016, he was faced with a question that would follow him far beyond the job interview. The then municipal councilor Inge Andersson (S) looks at him and asks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy do you want this job anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is not a matter of chance. It is a test. Boden faces a future that requires more than management. The municipality needs a shift \u2013 in thought, in courage and in direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is a place in the throes of downsizing, relocation and declining self-confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I was lucky enough to get in when we were at the bottom of the business climate surveys,\u201d says Mats Berg with a wry smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maybe it\u2019s that attitude that makes all the difference \u2013 someone who sees opportunities where others see problems. Who dares to paint with a broad brush, but also with a steady hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Already in his first months, Mats Berg sees the needs: the development projects exist, but they are fragmented, short-lived and lack anchoring. \u201cTomtebloss\u201d, he calls them. From his years in Pite\u00e5, he knows that there is a need for a tool that can bring together politics, administrations and the business community around a common direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe needed a document that politicians would actually want to live with, not just read,\u201d says Mats Berg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2017, the Growth Program is launched \u2013 and nothing is ever quite the same again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Five strategic growth areas are identified: trade and tourism, digital and creative industries, environment and recycling technology, industries that demand green electricity, and the horse industry. The aim is to both capture what already exists and create a breeding ground for new growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the same time, it sets a concrete target: to grow from 28 000 to 30 000 inhabitants by 2025 \u2013 a clear signal of confidence in the future. But it\u2019s not just about targets, it\u2019s about a new way of thinking. Schools, district heating, industrial land and detailed plans are being prepared \u2013 not because they are needed right now, but so that Boden will be ready when the time comes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the pandemic hits in 2020, everything is put to the test. Mats Berg leads a crisis organization that goes beyond the municipality\u2019s usual way of working \u2013 and instead puts agility, coordination and trust at the center. What starts as an emergency solution becomes a seed, and from it grows Bodenxt \u2013 a collaboration platform built to act quickly across sectors and levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then, suddenly, the call comes. In the summer of 2020, the investors behind what will become H2 Green Steel step forward. Boden is on the verge of something bigger than anyone could have imagined: a new steel mill, Europe\u2019s largest hydrogen production, jobs, migration \u2013 an industrial renaissance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mats Berg is there from the start \u2013 in meetings, negotiations and organization building. A collaboration with Lule\u00e5 is being considered, but Boden has prepared better: land, electricity and planning processes are in place and in February 2021 comes the message from Stegra, then H2 Green Steel, we establish the entire business in Boden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“It was not luck. It was the work that had started in the organization as a result of the Growth Programme”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The decision was taken early on to take advantage of the lessons learned from the pandemic and build a project structure that crosses administrative boundaries and involves municipal companies. The project platform is called Bodenxt, a strategic structure based on four themes: living and housing, infrastructure, skills supply and business. Each area will have its own coordinators, working groups and mandate to carry out the steering group\u2019s tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We understood that we had to think in processes \u2013 not in administrations. This required us to put the best people for the job on the job \u2013 not necessarily those with the highest title.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Stegra grows, clarity in cooperation is needed. A cooperation agreement becomes the tool. At first, it focuses on the municipality\u2019s responsibilities: detailed plans, permits and land. Later, it expands to four areas where both parties have roles to play: housing, skills supply, residual flows and community services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We are not on the same team, but we are playing towards the same goal.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At present, there are around 40 different workflows in various constellations together with Stegra. All to ensure that the positive effect for residents is as good as possible. The most obvious is the collaboration on relocation, where the municipality\u2019s relocation service employees work closely with Stegra\u2019s recruitment staff to be able to work proactively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the same time, the municipality is facing an acute reality. By October, around 80 families are expected to move in \u2013 up to 400 people, most of them linked to Stegra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We know who they are, we know what the needs are \u2013 but now we need to vacuum the existing stock. The new production that is ready is basically fully occupied.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The situation is described as a manageable \u201csemi-crisis\u201d. Together with the landlord network, the municipality is actively working on relocation services, matching and temporary solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We need to capture these people and turn them into residents. It is super important.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He reacts strongly to claims that no one wants to move to Boden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“That is the biggest untruth I have heard. Our relocation team has weekly meetings with Stegra and what we hear clearly is that those who are going to work at Stegra in Boden also want to live here in Boden. We have a great attraction value. We should be proud of that.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps what most defines Mats Berg\u2019s leadership is his view of people. Much of his focus has been on lowering the thresholds between residents and the municipality of Boden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“When I arrived, there was already good cooperation between civil servants and politicians, and that experience has followed me throughout my time. It has facilitated the work of creating platforms for cooperation between the municipality, civil society and the business community \u2013 for example Boden Tillsammans.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He has also led as he has learned. The office chair has often been empty \u2013 according to him, that\u2019s not where the job is best done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I strongly believe in meeting people and building relationships. Regardless of whether it\u2019s entrepreneurs who are potential actors in Boden or whether it\u2019s employees. It is clear that there has been a lot of meeting time, but I also believe that it has made the job more efficient.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The vision that officials and politicians developed is along the same lines: The Good Life. But according to Mats Berg, it is more than a vision \u2013 it is an approach. This made it quite natural that area development, settlement services, security and culture are now discussed in the same breath as industry and electricity grids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“This is about people\u2019s everyday lives \u2013 where they live, how they feel and whether they feel part of the change.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“It\u2019s when childcare, leisure centers and football pitches get as much attention as a new substation that we build something that will stand the test of time \u2013 and that makes me proud.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In connection with the adoption of the vision, it was also decided to work according to a strategic plan. A plan that meant that the municipality in practice agreed to work to ensure that the establishment of Stegra would go from proposal to reality. It also meant an increased financial investment, as the municipality was now expected to grow even more in population \u2013 a consequence that is currently being discussed loudly in the media, which worries him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We knew already in 2022, when the decision was taken, that this is coming. We said from the beginning that we need to go through a period of investment before we see the fruits. But this is the test \u2013 whether we are really serious about putting people first.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One concrete action he returns to is the territorial development of residential areas \u2013 and why it is important to continue making bold decisions even in difficult times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“What if we invest 75 billion in an area that is already socio-economically strong and forget the rest \u2013 what happens to the balance of society?” he asks rhetorically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to him, the development of Sveaf\u00e4ltet, Torpg\u00e4rdan and Lunda are crucial pieces of the puzzle in reducing exclusion and creating a sense of belonging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“That\u2019s how we build trust \u2013 and that\u2019s how we build Boden,\u201d says Mats Berg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the biggest challenges over these years has been housing supply. In a short time, detailed plans have been drawn up, land allocations have been restructured and cooperation with property owners has intensified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What worries him most right now is not the slowdown in migration \u2013 it\u2019s the pace of construction. In 2022, all buildable plots near the city center were booked up, and overnight everything stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We know that people will come. But we also know that new construction is now at least 18 months away \u2013 which could ultimately cost us future taxpayers,\u201d says Mats Berg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The municipality is therefore working on four fronts: temporary entrepreneurial housing, new construction, mobile housing and efficient use of existing stock. The housing service matches needs with housing on a weekly basis \u2013 in close contact with the Stegra recruitment team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“This is not traditional housing brokerage. It\u2019s operational community planning on a weekly basis,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We need to make sure that there is a mix \u2013 that we build for different wallets and different life situations. Otherwise we will have growing pains instead of development.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mats Berg describes the keys to leadership as \u201ckind\u201d and \u201cclear\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“In Boden, I have had the privilege of working with some of the best civil servants in Sweden. It has always been about creating safe and courageous environments where people dare to think new and take responsibility,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He cites the Boden Industrial Park detailed plan as an example \u2013 developed in 16 months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“It would never have been possible without brave employees who dare to challenge old ways of working and confident managers who support them when the going gets tough.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, Boden is no longer a backward option. It is a role model \u2013 a laboratory for green industry. Since Stegra announced its investment, 38 new companies have set up shop in the municipality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“They would not have come here otherwise. We are making this development possible through hard work \u2013 but we also know that it will never happen without the green industry as a driver.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On June 30, he will leave his role as head of business, but will remain in the municipality of Boden as CEO of municipal enterprises until December 30. He brings with him unique experiences that he does not share with many in this country: leading a municipality from crisis to crisis. On one side, a negative crisis \u2013 with out-migration and cutbacks. On the other, immigration, growth and confidence in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his own crystal ball, he predicts a bright future for Boden:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“In ten years\u2019 time, we will be known not just for starting something big \u2013 but for doing it. The steel mill has become the steel mill of Boden. We have two fully occupied industrial areas in Boden Industrial Park 1 and 2. We are full at the Boden Cleantech Center. But above all, we have lifted our residential areas. We have a cultural center where both creative and productive people can meet. And community life \u2013 it\u2019s still the glue that holds everything together.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, and in ten years BBK will be playing in the Allsvenskan,\u201d he says, laughing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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