Skanderborg has a bit of everything

Skanderborg has all that one could possibly want from a town with 22,000 inhabitants. The town and the municipality have struck a good balance between private residential areas and the needs of trade and industry, so the area has plenty on offer for both parties. These are the words of Esben Karstensen, and as he sits behind his desk in his spacious and high-ceilinged office, there is no doubt that he means what he says – both when he speaks as a private person and as the chief executive of Elvirasminde A/S, the Danish manufacturer of chocolate-coated cream puffs. Esben Karstensen was born and grew up in Præstø on southern Zealand. Having studied engineering in Haslev and finance at the business university in Nykøbing F., he set up the company Danpor together with his brother in 1986. The company was founded at their

parents’ farm in Præstø where the two brothers started processing and treating vegetables. Two years later Esben Karstensen’s brother took over the enterprise, while Esben Karstensen embarked on a career as an independent business consultant, his clients including a number of major supermarket chains. At about the same time he joined the Danish Liberal Party’s business policy unit at Christiansborg, of which he remains a member.

With this background Esben Karstensen came to Elvirasminde in 1991. He took over as chief executive in 2000. “Compared with other towns and municipalities, the business climate in Skanderborg is very healthy. Everybody is open to change, and the municipality and the local authorities are helpful and genuinely interested in finding solutions to any problems,” says Esben Karstensen. “Thanks to its attractive location and its

many schools and colleges, Skanderborg is at the same time attracting new citizens, many of whom are highly qualified employees for local businesses. It is far easier to attract the right employees here in Skanderborg than in a lot of other small towns.” When Esben Karstensen became chief executive of Elvirasminde, he and his family decided to leave Præstø where they had been living until then, and move to Højvangen in Skanderborg. “We feel that Skanderborg is an extremely pleasant place to live and we are very pleased to be here. Skanderborg has everything that one could possibly want and we have felt very welcome as newcomers. It is very easy to get involved with the leisure scene here. I play chess, for instance, and we are also members of the sailing club. Skanderborg fully lives up to its image,” Esben Karstensen concludes.