On 31 May 2019, the BTC Company hosted the meeting of BTC shareholders, where all the decisions were passed with 100% of the votes. The BTC Company concluded 2018 with the strengthening of its economic system, resulting in a 4.5% increase in income, a 5.8% increase in profit, and 6.5 million Euros of investments in future development. Shareholders will be paid out dividends in the amount of 11 Euros gross per share, which is an increase of 14.6% compared to the previous year. BTC celebrated its 65th anniversary and is ready to introduce the one-tier management system; the company is planning 9.8 million Euros of investments for 2019, while in 2018, it paid off 9.4 million Euros of loans, resulting in the company being debt-free long-term.

The management system in the BTC Company is changing per demand of the two largest owners of the company, whose ownership in total amounts to 94.3%; these two companies are Ajdacom, d. d., and Invest Point, d. o. o. The reason behind the change of the current, two-tier management system to a one-tier one lies in the fact that such a system enables owners, in terms of their strategic decisions, to take part in decision-making, which makes the ownership structure of the BTC Company suitable for a one-tier management system. Consequently, the introduction of a one-tier management system will establish intergenerational cooperation, as the responsibility for company’s business operations and its executive function in the management board will be in the hands of the chief executive director, the current board member, who is in charge of sales and marketing, mag. Damjan Kralj, an employee of the BTC Company since 2003 and previous director of Atlantis Water Park and the director of the largest business unit BTC City in Ljubljana. The decisions of the company’s assembly regarding the introduction of a one-tier system and the elections of members of the management board, as well as the decisions of the management board about the installation of this authority were passed with a suspensive condition and will come into force on the date of their entry into the court register, but not prior to 1 July 2019. On the date of entry, the position of the president of the BTC, d. d., Management Board will be filled by the current president, Jože Mermal, Helena Petrin will act as his deputy, while Andrej Repina will be a member of the Management Board. All three will take the position of non-executive members of the Management Board, which, compliant with the current law on collaboration of employees in the management of the company, is named by the Works Council.

The assembly also passed the decisions on the division of profit in the amount of 16,946,161.45 Euros, of which 2,447,324.00 Euros will be distributed as dividends, whilst the remainder in the amount of 14,498,837.45 Euros will remain undistributed. The decisions on granting the discharge to the Supervisory Board and the Management Board were passed, the same as the naming of the auditor Ernst&Young for years 2019, 2020, and 2021. The decision on giving the management the authority of acquiring own shares in the next three-year period was also adopted.

At the assembly, the president of the BTC, d. d., Management Board, Jože Mermal, presented the business operations of the company in 2018 and added that in the past year, new, successful business stories, which created a dynamic, modern business environment with the emphasis of broad social projects, were written. The investments of the past year, amounting to 6.5 million Euros, also include the revitalisation of the BTC City area with infrastructural improvements and progressive solutions with which an environment, open to global trends, comprising modern business concepts and new technologies is being built. The company has also invested in the construction of an intermodal logistics facility and numerous reconstructions, i.e. the renovation of the old airport tower and the airport building as part of the public-private partnership between the BTC Company and the City Municipality of Ljubljana.

With its responsible relationship toward the environment, the company has achieved numerous improvements in the domain of energy efficiency, the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, whilst supporting no less than 300 widely beneficial social projects, among which are SiTi Teater, BTC Campus, Marathon Franja BTC City, FIS Ski Jumping Ladies Ljubno, Encourage Friendship, Help the City Bee – Flower Up the City, etc.

The president of the BTC, d. d., Management Board also offered a recap of all his and his co-workers’ past activities in his 26 years of presiding over the management board, as the company along with its business partners generated 500 million Euros of investments into the development of BTC City, built up 200,000 m2 of new surfaces and reconstructed 150,000 m2 of existing business surfaces, creating a unique area of BTC City, which combines business, shopping, entertainment, sports, recreational, and cultural domains. With regard to the latter, BTC City is proud to see theatre performances gracing this area for already 19 years. Jože Mermal has also predicted further growth and stable company’s business operations by adding new, attractive contents, which will contribute to further quality of life and the development of the ecosystem of innovations in BTC, as well as to the co-operation with new start-up companies. The potential for further development is shown also by the logistics activity. In 2019, the company is expected to make an investment of up to 10 million Euros. The extent of investments itself speak volumes in favour of further expansion and development of company’s activities.