(Introduction by zemeunvalsts.lv) There is such a wide variety of information in different news sources and statistics. There are people drawn to the Riga region, there are people drawn to other major Latvian cities, and there are districts and parishes (Smiltene, Kārķi) inviting people to consider settling down in a rural homestead. Continuing with entrepreneurs in Latvian regions...
Good things are heard about Stanislavs Maļkevičs from time to time: he has restored various wooden structures in local churches, he is an entrepreneur developing his operations, writing projects and implementing ever-new ideas, and he tirelessly continues to promote Dagda as a place where he lives himself – recommending that others consider and evaluate the opportunities for building their lives in the region.
Simple, but of high quality
Recently, the company SIA “Staisons”, established and managed by Stanislavs, has specialised more in the construction of camping pods. You can see many pictures on the internet of what these modular cabins look like; they can be transported and placed exactly where needed. Inside, you can build whatever is required – whether it is just a bedroom, or equipped to provide other functions necessary for a campsite – a kitchen, shower, or toilet. In the Daugavpils area, the “Beibuks” guest house installed 15 such cabins a couple of years ago: ten living units, one for a shower, one for toilets, as well as a garage, sauna, and one administrative office unit. Cabins have also been made for the “Adamova” campsite near Krāslava. Such cabins can also be spotted in other campsites in Latgale and beyond. However, they are not yet being exported abroad – for now, everything remains here, in Latvia.
That is not where the work ends. “We operate on a 'from foundation to key' principle. We can build an entire house, starting from project development, then the foundations and walls, roof, floors, interior finish, windows, doors, kitchen, and furniture,” Stanislavs confidently lists. SIA “Staisons” is a small company that, when necessary, works closely with Stanislavs' father's firm, SIA “Līgaiši”, which has a broader operational profile and also works in road construction across Latvia – in design and construction supervision. That sector is known for significant seasonality, so the cooperation is beneficial for both companies. The houses are built in the Dagda area and neighbouring districts, but there was also an order for prefabricated houses for Norway. Everything is manufactured here in Latvia, then transported there, where it is assembled and installed accordingly. This is not the cheapest construction option, but it is very fast – your dream home can be ready within a month!
Although the range of services Stanislavs offers is broad, he personally has had to work more with furniture development – that is where he has the most experience. Having graduated from the Rēzekne School of Art and Design as a wood product designer, he also acquired restoration skills. Stanislavs would also very much like to do this kind of work, but it is harder to organise: “In principle, we have so far carried out restorations more as a donation – they pay for the materials, and we contribute our work as volunteers. You can try to do that for churches, but for private clients – if you need to restore a wardrobe, after calculating the costs, making a new one is often the same price or even cheaper. That kind of service is more for those who can afford to pay extra. From time to time, an interesting order for furniture restoration comes in. We have mainly restored wardrobes, dowry chests, and chest-of-drawers. That is work more for the winter, when there is less to do.”
Inherited from grandfathers
In various television programmes, Stanislavs has managed to talk about his wooden 'udiņas' – these are small fishing rods for catching fish in winter or from a boat in summer. Upon finishing the Rēzekne Academy of Technologies, Stanislavs studied the development prospects of this product in detail for his diploma thesis. A new concept for the product's presentation has even been devised, complete with a story or message. A relatively simple piece of wood placed on a shop counter behind glass might be an incomprehensible object to many – what is it and what do you do with it? State President Egils Levits was also prompted with a similar question when he received one as a gift during Entrepreneur Days. Stanislavs patiently demonstrated the technique for using the fishing rod, and also explained that it can be used to play with a cat; children really enjoy playing with it practically, just like a toy. “My boy plays with one at home – there is a bell tied to the end, and the cat has something to do.”
One of the options intended for packaging this kind of fishing rod is a dried hogweed (latvānis) stem. It can be made into a sort of case. It would be cheaper to just order cardboard boxes, but the product needs a more original look.
I am immediately interested in the price so that we could purchase it as a souvenir or gift. “If you look in a shop, then a normal (small) fishing rod costs more than 20, the cheap ones around 5 euros. So my product needs to be 'somewhere in the middle'. A practical item that can be taken as a gift. We can do custom printing as the client wishes. On the side of the rod's handle, we can write a name, a saying, or a pike-perch – for good luck!”
Where did he get the idea for reviving such an ancient tool in a new way?
“It comes from my 'dzed' (grandfather). We were always going fishing together, and he would use a wooden one like this, while I used a plastic one. Mine was always breaking, but grandad just kept catching them. As soon as something bit, he would pull it out. Mine would break or snap off. Grandad and I made one for me too. That is how it started. Then an acquaintance asked for one for themselves. I made a couple – I sold them. Later, I submitted a project to the Rural Support Service to start processing with a milling machine. Now I can offer a lower price for the final product; otherwise, it would be twice as expensive.”
With the new equipment, Stanislavs also makes various signs for a French company currently operating in Dagda. However, one has to be very careful there – all the texts are sent in French; Stanislavs enters them into the programme and sends them to the client for approval so that there are no mistakes. He has already made several hundred such signs for the French. They, in turn, actively export their final products.
Stanislavs' farm also has a pelletiser. At first, it was purchased with the intention of processing wood shavings into fuel. “However, I mostly use it to prepare fish feed. A neighbour has a grain dryer, and after sieving, there are various leftovers remaining, with some grains falling through. You put that mass through the pelletiser and in the end, you get a good product for feeding both fish and livestock. One worker has work all winter long. I still need to buy a couple more pieces of equipment – a crusher and a humidifier, so that this doesn't have to be done manually and checked all the time to ensure it isn't too wet or too dry, so the final result is good.” Ecological zero-waste production.
Speaking of using natural materials, Stanislavs has something to tell about reed and wood shingle roofs. His company also offers to install them. If there is an order, he hires a knowledgeable master for that time as needed. “Even though we know how to install them ourselves, we still call in an expert to ensure there is quality advice. At the same time, work supervision is carried out to ensure the quality of the work is good. The guys already know what needs to be done, but it is good to have another pair of eyes to keep watch and not allow any shortcuts.”
A word is important
“If you are going to do it, do it right. Perhaps someone occasionally complains that our price is a bit higher. You could make it cheaply, but then it will only last a short time – something will soon break or the whole thing will have to be redone. I don't want that.”
Stanislavs admits that it has happened – things are made not exactly as he would want, but cheaper, as the client wished, at their own risk; a document is even prepared so that there are no claims afterwards. “It is better to pay those few extra percent of the total cost and have a good result! Well, but many still want it as cheaply as possible. It happens that at first, they ask us for a price, find something cheaper elsewhere, and get it done there. Afterwards, they call me again and ask: 'Could you redo it?' In the end, it turns out twice as expensive!”
That is why Stanislavs does not make the camping pods mentioned at the beginning of the article in the popular 'barrel' shape. If it is a barrel, it also needs a hoop; otherwise, sooner or later it will fall apart like an old bast shoe – cracks and gaps will appear, or it will simply burst. Anti-advertising is not needed. Someone else just takes a metal barrel and boards it up from both sides. There was something in that barrel before – oil, petrol, or diesel fuel. How can one sit, stay, or live in such an airless container?
Stanislavs' restored works are in many churches: in Dagda, Andrupene, Andzeļi, and also in the Dagda Health and Social Services Centre, where a separate prayer room has been created. “My study diploma project is on display there. During my studies, many things were also done in other churches: altars, crucifixes, and crosses were prepared, and windows were restored. A pretty good portfolio has already been gathered,” smiles the hero of our article.
How did he come up with such an unusual company name – Staisons?
“I had a nickname like that – from the name Stanislavs. When the company needed a name, I remembered it. The name 'Tyson' is still well known to everyone and associated with strength; you just add one letter. At least it stands out from the others. We will make sure it is recognisable, too. I want to develop. We are thinking about various products. For example, we also make children's tables and chairs with adjustable heights – a very practical item.”
Returning home
Stanislavs already has two grown-up sons – the family lives in the house he built himself. “At first, my father was building it, where he himself would live with us children. But we all grew up quickly, and he didn't even manage to finish everything. So I had to go and help. I finished it and started living there myself with my own family,” says Stanislavs.
He has also travelled the world, but that was mostly before he established the company. Now there is no free time left, and travelling has also practically come to an end. Together with his wife and children, he is now planning to tour Latvia.
Stanislavs has been described to everyone as a good example – a young guy who hasn't run off anywhere, stayed in his native region, has a large family, and has built his own business. Why do other young people still explore where to leave?
“It turns into a chase after the unattainable. Going somewhere to earn more money. You finish school, and then you're off abroad! We managed to intercept a few – at least for now they are staying. I also let them learn. They don't have any great skills at first, but they learn little by little. I was a 'green cucumber' myself, too. I, of course, was lucky that I could learn from my father.”
Stanislavs Maļkevičs lives here and is slowly going his own way. Self-sufficient, but perhaps one could say – happy?
“Happy? Of course, I am. The family is wonderful. Everyone is healthy, fed, we live in harmony. But, as always, you want even more, yet I don't intend to go anywhere. It is best in one's own land.”
Article first published in the “Baltijas Koks” October 2021 issue.
Photographs from Stanislavs Maļkevičs' personal archive