Tero Pitkämäki and Antti Ruuskanen started a tough competition again – “These guys are tough to take booze”

When the chairman of a forest service company is a world champion Tero Pitkämäki and European champion as managing director Antti Ruuskanenso the slogan is naturally Masterful forestry.

– When both are top athletes, in a certain way they are entrepreneurs, Ruuskanen explains the history of the joint company.

Founded at the end of 2021, Pitkämäki & Ruuskanen Forest Oy offers forest machinery contracting services in the North Savo region and carries out thinning and renewal felling. In addition, it offers forest owners ash fertilization by helicopter all over Finland.

Pitkämäki, 40, ended his javelin career in the fall of 2019 as a seven-time medalist. In addition to European Championship gold, Ruuskanen, 39, who also won Olympic silver and European bronze, continued for a couple of years longer.

– It was likely that when both of our careers end, somehow we will become entrepreneurs. But what field it would be, we couldn’t say when we were still competing.

– Then, through cooperation patterns and our close circle, we found this clear domain and our interest. The forest has played an important role for us throughout our childhood and top sports career and even after that. In the end, the decision was easy, Ruuskanen describes the joining of forces.

– We stopped competing against each other and decided to do it together and compete against others. The most competitive industry was chosen, says Pitkämäki in a sarcastic tone.

Strong growth

The two own half of the company through their companies. In addition, it has three other owners, including Ruuskanen’s sports years manager Jarno Lindblom belongs.

The company indirectly employs several people.

– On the forestry side, we have 4–5 loggers and business owners, and sometimes closer to ten. We also use purchasing services on the fertilization side, explains Lindblom.

The company seeks growth above all from aerial fertilization. According to its website, ash fertilization can increase tree growth by an average of three cubic meters per hectare per year, and the effect lasts up to 40 years.

– This year, the operating models are being tested, and there are more than 500 hectares. Next year, the goal is for it to at least triple or even tenfold, Lindblom says.

Not to the helicopter

Spearmen work on many company matters together, but the division of labor is also clear.

Ruuskanen, who is more present at his home in Pohjois Savo, focuses on managing the company’s forestry machinery business and sometimes does forest work himself.

– I do like clearing and planting, but the main thing is contacting new and old customers, looking at their premises, planning and honing various cooperation patterns. The day is made up of these pieces one after another.

Fertilization, where the company sees more growth potential, is Pitkämäki’s area of ​​responsibility.

– There are fewer actors, but there are challenges on that side as well, he states.

– Quite a lot of operators have had to stop their work. You also have to plan well and do things carefully if you want to succeed.

– I take care of customers and everything related to it, but I don’t fly the helicopter. It’s a specific job for professionals, and you can’t go there to practice.

Liquor at the fair

The duo has already encountered surprises in the business world.

– When the company was founded and calculations were made, the price of fuel oil suddenly skyrocketed. All costs went up really high. You just had to know how to deal with it and make the changes accordingly, Ruuskanen says.

– Nitrogen fertilizers were at pretty high prices when we started doing this work, Pitkämäki says about the effects of the war in Ukraine.

– Actually, it was good that there was a year-long familiarization period with this fertilizer market. We got in well and solved the problem areas. We have prepared well, as we now start the first fertilization sites in practice. Quite a good buzz on that side, he rejoices.

Pitkämäki came across a kind of surprise, if you can count it as such, while representing the company at the trade fair.

– These machine entrepreneurs are hard to take booze, he says with a laugh.

– We were already at a good pace there before the party even started. I personally thought it better to move to the side in good time, when I had a long journey the next day. Had to do this this time.

The line of twenty

In the first accounting period, the company’s turnover was 200,000 euros, and despite the initial difficulties, the result remained on the positive side. The profit was 13,000 euros.

The company has its own fleet of one forest machine and one driving machine.

– The first year was training, and this is the actual operating year for us. Lindblom plans to take another chain of machines for logging at the end of the summer, and then we’ll see if there will be a third next year.

As in sports, also in business, the goals of the spear men are high.

– If the matter is described in terms of spears, then yes we will go to at least the 10th line and even over it, Pitkämäki thunders.

– In forest machinery contracting, you can’t expand very big, but we have tough goals on the fertilization side, Ruuskanen agrees.

– Our goal is to someday be the market leader.

Coaching work

Pitkämäki also works as a javelin thrower by Oliver Helander as a coach. Helander, who broke his record last summer to 89.83, is also aiming for a top 10 mark and thus a medal at the end of August at the World Championships in Budapest.

– These are very compatible. There is enough time for both tasks. I am fully involved in coaching with Oliver and also in the company’s affairs, says Pitkämäki.

– Even in our sports career, things were always finished with different professionals to get them right. The same is now implemented in business operations, i.e. together we make a result.