Bold Decisions Since 1943
Lahti Industrial Society as a Link Between Industry and Business Life Then and Now
Lahti Industrial Society was founded in wartime conditions. The founding meeting was on February 23, 1943. Through single-minded and bold decisions, the Society has grown into a significant influencing and cooperative body in the economic region of Lahti over the past decades.
With the transaction made in January 1945, the Lahti Industrial Society also became the owner of Lahden Seurahuone Oy and thus a significant background force as a developer of hotel and restaurant culture both in the hometown and in the wider country.
The second section of the rules approved at the founding meeting defines the purpose of the Society as follows: “The purpose of the Society is to be the central link of communities and private individuals operating in the field of industry and business in the locality, so that those operating in these fields can familiarize themselves with each other’s industries, and so as to foster sound business principles in the locality”.
Lahden Seurahuone has experienced many renovation and expansion measures over the decades. The recession years of the 90s did not spare Lahden Seurahuone either, the company went bankrupt. However, the Lahden Teollisuusseuran Kiinteistö Oy, founded by the Society, was able to claim ownership of the property and plot. After a few years, SOK’s hotel and restaurant company became the long-term lessee of the property. In the fall of 2011, Industrial Society sold its real estate company to Osuuskauppa Hämeenmaa, which carried out an extensive renovation of the property. In this way, hotel and restaurant operations continue under strong local guidance. Lahti Industrial Society will use the funds received from the sale in accordance with the original operating concept.
Improving transport connections was the central goal of the Lahti Industrial Society in the 1980s and 1990s. The Society worked actively and sparing no effort to get both the Helsinki-Lahti Motorway, the railroad cutoff and the Southern Ring Road VT12 in close cooperation with the city’s decision-makers. We have continued our work to promote the construction of the Lahti Southern Ring Road and the VT12 Highway between Iitti and Tillola.. The Society has supported education in various ways, e.g. by increasing prerequisites for studying mechatronics in Lahti and by supporting several research professorships. The Society has also made numerous donations and awarded scholarships. Lahti Industrial Society’s patron park is the Erkonpuisto playground of the City of Lahti. In the last ten years, the grants and subsidies have mainly been transferred to the activities of the Lahti Industrial Society Foundation.
