Cluj-Napoca, Romania, home
to the newest Steelcase
global business center, began
delivering services at the end
of 2011. Located in the heart
of Eastern Europe, once
known for its impoverished
Soviet satellite states, this
historic city is now a place
of hope, enlightenment, and
opportunity. Mark Berghoef,
director of Global Shared Ser-
vices, explains: The workforce
is educated and tech-savvy,
speaks several languages,
possesses financial skills,
and is culturally compatible
with Western Europe. It is
easily accessed within that
region’s time zone, it is rela-
tively cost-effective to do
business there, and the area
has a solid industrial base.
Today, the city is attracting
investment from multinationals,
signaling business develop-
ment opportunities. As the
regional education center,
about a third of Cluj-Napoca’s
population is students—
and potentially, a good talent
pool. Young people, who don’t
come with the cultural bag-
gage of those who lived under
Communism, are open to new
ways of doing things.
OPENING
NEW
EUROPEAN
BUSINESS
FRONTIERS
