On 1 September 2023, the Kanal Ri TV channel’s show titled “Bilanca uspjeha” (Balance of Success) held the first-ever Entrepreneurship Award ceremony for Primorje-Gorski Kotar County at the Crystal Hall ballroom of Hotel Kvarner in Opatija. Among those awarded was JGL, which won the award for Best Entrepreneur in the City of Rijeka. CEO Mislav Vučić received the award on behalf of the company from Rijeka Mayor Marko Filipović.
Revenue data of the top ten companies from each unit of local self-government in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County was collected from the annual financial statements that businesses have to submit to the Croatian Financial Agency (FINA) for public disclosure. Other criteria considered in addition to revenue included the EBITDA margin, foreign sales revenue and gross investments in new non-current assets.
The selection methodology, as determined by an expert committee headed by Prof. Saša Drezgić, PhD, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business in Rijeka, was based on weighting the indicators listed above, with the highest-valued criteria being revenue and the EBITDA margin. The winners from every city, town and municipality in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County were selected based on the sum of all the weighted values, and the same selection criteria were used to determine the overall winner in the county.
There were 15 award categories, and 36 awards were presented to entrepreneurs in every unit of local self-government.
Over 200 of the biggest companies in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County attended the ceremony, which also served as an opportunity to give back to the community. Sports memorabilia belonging to some of the most famous Croatian athletes was auctioned off with the support of ACI, and in partnership with the “Your Post” Foundation of the Croatian Post. All of the funds raised from the auction and a portion of the funds raised from ticket sales will be donated to the Social Services Centre for Children Without Adequate Parental Care.