In 1991, brothers Jan and Czesław Bogdański decided to try their hand at business. Inspired by new opportunities brought by economic changes and political transformation in Poland, they founded the Bogdański company in Nowy Sącz. Their story is an example of how determination, innovation and the right sense of the market can transform a small family business into a thriving enterprise.
As Czesław Bogdański recalls, the business idea was born from market observation and family experience. Their father ran a recycling store, where the brothers noticed the potential in reusing materials.
“I often went to the West and was struck by how clean and modern the buildings there were. I thought it could be the same here – we just need to offer people good products,” Bogdański recalls in an interview with sadeczanin.info.
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Czesław Bogdański on the beginnings of the company: we saw an opportunity
The establishment of the company is associated with the beginning of the political transformation in Poland. In 1989, actress Joanna Szczepkowska uttered these memorable words: “Ladies and Gentlemen, on June 4, 1989, communism ended in Poland.” As Czesław Bogdański recalls, he and his brother were young people then. “We saw a chance to fit into this new situation in the country and decided to try to start our own company,” he says, admitting that at the beginning they did not believe in success.
They opened their first store near the railway station in Nowy Sącz. It was a bull's-eye – in the 1990s, the construction industry was booming, and residents of southern Poland and Slovakia were intensively building new houses or renovating old ones.
““It's better to be first in the country than second in Rome” – said Bogdański. His company was one of the first in the region to start distributing plastic windows, and shortly thereafter launched their production.
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Bogdański in Nowy Sącz. The difficult beginnings of a family empire. Galloping inflation “pressed” the company
However, it was not without challenges. The galloping inflation and economic instability of the 1990s were a serious test for the young company.
“For example, we bought goods for PLN 100, we applied a margin of 20%, so we sold them for PLN 120. Suddenly, a fax arrived, and sometimes it happened that when receiving the products, we were informed that we had to pay not one hundred but PLN 150 for the goods. We lost money on it, and that's what happened. Then it calmed down, installment systems were introduced, so people could afford to buy on a larger scale,” says Czesław Bogdański.
Despite difficult beginnings, the company survived and began to develop dynamically. In 2000, the Bogdański brothers opened a modern factory. The company specializes in the production of windows, doors, gates, roller shutters and aluminum. Currently, the company sells in seven showrooms in southern Poland: Nowy Sącz, Tarnów, Krynica-Zdrój, Bobowa, Gorlice and Limanowa.
Bogdańki – a window manufacturer as an example of Polish success. “Local entrepreneurial gem”
The German television ARD1 included Bogdański's company in its documentary “Polens Superreiche”, which tells the story of Polish millionaires and entrepreneurs changing the image of the country.
As the cityns.pl portal notes, the presence of a company from Nowy Sącz in the German document is proof that success and entrepreneurship do not end in big cities. It is also a signal that companies from Nowy Sącz can compete with the best, using modern technologies and building a brand based on reliability and trust. A perfect example are other local entrepreneurial gems: Wiśniowski, Fakro, Newag, Koral, and Batim.
Source: sadeczanin.info, poznans.pl, bogdanski.com.pl
