Boden is testing a new method for business establishments to strengthen the business structure and the municipality’s growth. The result is a completely new establishment that was presented at Friday’s business breakfast.
The municipality has reversed the traditional allocation process, engaging in in-depth dialogues to identify the type of business that best complements Boden’s existing industries from a broader perspective. The outcome: a strategic match that has led to Wist Last & Buss, part of the Persson Invest Group, establishing a new workshop for heavy vehicles in Boden.
Strategic selection strengthens the whole
Traditionally, business establishments are driven by companies’ own needs for space and availability. In Boden, the process has started from the opposite direction – with a thorough analysis of what will best strengthen the municipality’s business structure in the long term.
Following a series of interviews and needs assessments, the choice fell on, the choice fell on Wist Last & Buss, the Nordic region’s largest independent Volvo dealer for trucks and buses. The company is opening its new workshop in the former premises of the vehicle and transport program at the Torpgärdan industrial area. After the turn of the year, premises adaptation and renovation will begin, with planned operational start in May 2026.
– We see Boden as an expansive area with development opportunities and confidence in the future. With the investments being made in premises and equipment, we can offer service and repairs for most types of heavy vehicles, says Per Sundberg, CEO of Wist Last & Buss.
A Boden choosing its own path forward
For Boden municipality, the establishment is not just a new business – it marks a new way of thinking about growth and collaboration between business and municipality.
– We wanted to look beyond individual square meters and instead ask ourselves what type of business actually strengthens the whole. Wist Last & Buss brings both expertise and service that benefits the entire business community in Boden, says Ellinor Isaksson Larsson, planning and development manager in Boden municipality.
Municipal council chairperson Beatrice Öman sees the investment as an example of how Boden continues to develop through active and long-term choices.
– When we match establishments from a holistic perspective, we build a more diversified and robust business community. This is a concrete step in our strategy to create more synergies and sustainable growth – and it shows that Boden is a municipality that acts proactively to strengthen its business community, she says.
Beatrice Öman, municipal council chairperson. Photo: Mats Engfors/Fotographic
