In Irkutsk, the results of the competition among entrepreneurs, held by the city authorities since 2000, were summed up. This year special attention was given to manufacturing enterprises. Beresten, the Irkutsk Bread Factory, Enni Baby and other companies were recognized as the best, and student business projects were also noted. The competition showed how small and medium business affects the city economy, creates jobs and shapes its positive image.

The city authorities have been holding the competition among entrepreneurs since 2000; last year, enterprises and projects related to the manufacturing sector were invited to take part in it. Such businesses account for 13% of the total number of small and medium-sized enterprises in Irkutsk.
As noted by Deputy Mayor and Chairman of the Committee for Economics of the city administration Alexey Almukhamedov, today 30% of Irkutsk’s working population is employed at small and medium-sized businesses. This sector of the economy provides one quarter of the city budget’s revenues.
“Entrepreneurship is a serious pillar of the city’s economy: it creates jobs, pays taxes into the budget, and provides services to the public,” said Alexey Almukhamedov. “We have supported and will continue to support the city’s small and medium-sized enterprises through municipal contracts, grants, and competitions. Our priorities are manufacturing enterprises and social business. We are confident that the number of such enterprises will grow. The goal of the competition is to showcase ‘success stories’ and help create a positive image of the entrepreneur.”
Today, in a ceremonial setting, the city mayor’s diplomas, cash prizes of 75,000 rubles, and valuable gifts were presented to entrepreneurs in five competition categories.
The best entrepreneur in the city of Irkutsk was recognized as Petr Bogdanov, head of the small enterprise “Beresten.” It produces souvenir items made from birch bark. According to the head, orders come from various cities in Russia and even from abroad. It is important to note that the enterprise employs people with disabilities. The competition committee highly valued the enterprise’s social significance and the manager’s business activity. As noted by a member of the competition committee, Vice President of the Nonprofit Partnership of Commodity Producers and Entrepreneurs of the Irkutsk Region Andrey Efimov, “Beresten” has enormous potential for increasing production volumes. With certain support, it could become the city’s calling card.
The winner in the category “Best Small Business Enterprise of Irkutsk” was LLC “Irkutsk Bread Factory” (Director Alexey Osintsev). In the “Debut” category, the winner was the enterprise producing children’s clothing and furniture — LLC “Enni Baby” (managers Irina and Viktor Ivanov). In the “Patriarch” category, LLC “Specialized Design Bureau of Electrical Instrument Engineering” won — an innovative enterprise producing unique instruments for measuring voltage.
The competition committee also decided to award LLC “Irkutsk Experimental Jewelry Factory ‘Karat’” for active participation in social events held by the city administration and for producing souvenir items.
The winners among student business projects were determined: 1st place was awarded to the project “Innovative Technology in Log House Construction” by SAPEU student Andrey Nazarov and NI IrGTU student Pavel Sorokopud; 2nd place went to the project “Justification of the Feasibility of Building a Plant for the Production of Peat Blocks ‘Geokar’” by BSUEL students Zoya Urenskaya and Ekaterina Zdot; 3rd place was awarded to the project “Justification of the Commercial Efficiency of Creating an Enterprise for the Production of Polymers and Polymer-Sand Tiles” by BSUEL students Irina Novikova and Maksim Vashchuk. The winners were presented with the mayor’s diplomas, certificates to a computer equipment store, and cash prizes of 30, 25, and 15 thousand rubles respectively.
Based on materials from the press service of the Irkutsk city administration