Tadeusz Gołębiewski started with Tago sweets. Here is the silhouette of a businessman

“He produced wafers in forms thrown out by the pre -war factorywhich he was welding himself. For kneading mass, mainly from water, oil and soda, he used the Frani washing machine. Cheap production, almost unlimited too, growing profits, which he fully reinvested. In subsequent machines, used, but solid, from Austria, in new products – Andruty, meringues, ice cream cones – in a constantly expanded factory ” – wrote” Newsweek “.

Business was spinning well, and his headquarters had its headquarters in the town of Ciebie near Warsaw. “Forbes” later reminded that In the 70s and 80s, rings of trucks lined up under the plant, which were able to wait for the loading of sweets for up to 24 hours.

The success of Tago was so spectacular that more and more companies began to compete for this market. This is how Gołębiewski competed with Gerard Kolanowski, who in the 1990s opened his own sweets factory near Wołomin, and later sold it for hundreds of millions of zlotys to foreign investors.

Gołębiewski never decided on this movement. In the best times, the company recorded even a dozen or so million zlotys a year, and sometimes it also began to appear in foreign markets.

Even the former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Janusz Piechociński mentioned it. “At Ningbo, Tago sweets were very often asked. I promise a great export success, “he wrote on Twitter, attaching photos of the company's products.

Many people can also associate sweets with television game shows. Tago was one of the sponsors of such programs as “one of ten”. For participants of the game show led by Tadeusz Sznuk Gołębiewski's company funded, among others Special bumps with sweets, but also trips to one of the businessman's hotels.

From sweets at hotels

He allocated profits from the production of sweets to the realization of his dream, i.e. a hotel business. He started in Masuria.

“For saved $ 25,000, plus a loan was built in 1991. A hotel based on the former Tourist House in Mikołajki. It was the first such modern facility in Poland, most companies trained there, played the mafia” – wrote “Forbes” in 2011.

Gołębiewski himself He didn't want to talk too much about the underworld. He admitted that courtesy talks were held in the corridors. – Of course, they concerned financial assistance, but I never accepted it – said the businessman after years.

However, it was just the beginning. Later, further investments appeared, including in Bialystok and Wisła. At the end of the 1990s, the hole in Gołębiewski's stomach was to be drilled by the mayor of Karpacz.

For 11 years he was to persuade the businessman to build one of his giant hotels in one of the Polish capitals of the Giant Mountains. Ultimately he got his way, because In 2010, one of the largest hotels in this part of Europe (it has as many as 900 rooms) was open with a great pump.

Today, even a party was moved there, which – it seemed – it is impossible to move. I am talking about the Economic Forum in Krynica, which has been taking place at the Gołębiewski Hotel in Karpacz since 2020.

See also: 30 years of Economic Forum. Even the place has changed, but not prizes for politicians

This is where the most important people of the world of great business and national policy come to debate about the Polish economy.

Not on the way with you

Paradoxically, Gołębiewski has never been along the way. Often also because of his fault, for example, when he decided to build floors in Karpacz, contrary to building conditions.

“All buildings ended in courts, and usually for trivial matters – In Wisła he did not have a positive opinion of the fire brigade and the Silesian voivode forbade the services there. In Bialystok he was given an order to destroy one floor illegally added. In Karpacz, he must remove two floors. He admits that he has increased the conference room, raised the roof and inserted larger windows. And this meant that the building on the one hand is slightly higher than in plans, but on the front the height was preserved. But he had to enlarge the object, because for him every room is worth its weight in gold and will generate extra money after some time ” – he reminds the argument of the” Forbes “businessman.

Last year, it was loud about his latest child, i.e. a hotel in Pobierowo. This giant is to be one of the largest hotels in this part of the globe, but from the beginning of the investment it aroused great emotions. We have already written more about this in Business Insider Polska.

First of all, its scale arouses controversy: the building with a block referring to the passenger ship has as many as 11 floors and two underground. 1.4 thousand were created in it. rooms, including 80 percent – As the investor assures – overlooking the sea. The hotel is to have its own water intakes, external and internal pools, SPA, restaurants, pub, a public cafe, two theater and cinema rooms.

A Congress Center with a room for 4,000 is also planned. people and smaller conference rooms – in total as many as 16. There will also be courts, a volleyball court, a climbing wall, a six -tail bowling bowling, and A year -round ice rink will operate underground. Thematic playrooms are planned for children. Due to the proximity of the beach, the investor also provides for the construction of a marina and pier.

The investment was suspended by Pandemia, and the situation worsened the war in Ukraine. First a problem with money appeared, while then with employees who returned to fight for their homeland.

As a result, the hotel is to be open with a delay. Initially, it was to be 2022, now we are talking about the first quarter of 2023.

Gołębiewski himself spoke in 2021 in an interview with Wirtualna Polska that if he were to make a decision again, he would not start construction in Pobierów. He also talked about the bankruptcy spectrum, which he looked into his eyes more and more.

Interestingly, both Tago and hotels operated as part of Gołębiewski's business, not the company. So the businessman was responsible for everything with his own property. In Pandemia, he even had to sell out some works of art and set his home to pay salaries to employees.

Golbięwski in the interview said that he sometimes wakes up thinking about whether he is still a millionaire or already bankrupt. But he was not in the habit of tearing the robes.

– How does business fall over, what is the tragedy? None. I can work. I have two hands, I live like everyone. I am after economic studies, so some occupation would definitely be for me. And if not, I would just stay retired. I have paid contributions all my life, today the Social Insurance Institution pays something to me – he said in the interview.

He did not wait to open the hotel in Pobierów. He died in June 2022.

The article was originally published in June 2022 and was updated