To show gratitude to the entrepreneurs in Sandefjord, an honor for making Sandefjord the city it is today, they have got their own entrepreneur star on the sidewalk in the city. The entrepreneur's artist, Knut Allan Sand, has designed the stars that have been cast in bronze, so that the stars do not disappear. The stars will continue to be visible through several generations in the cityscape.
Entrepreneur "Walk of fame" 2023
Sandefjord's entrepreneur star Øystein Seim
1974
On a winter's day in 1974, on 11 January, Øystein Seim was born as the youngest of three siblings. He grew up on a farm at Store Bergan in Sandefjord, where he learned the value of hard work early on. His father, Kåre, was an ambitious businessman and farmer, while his mother, Astrid, was generous and had a heart of gold. Øystein has taken both the generosity and business instinct from his childhood home into his own entrepreneurial journey. In the classroom, Øystein was known as the clown, the spreader of joy and the troublemaker at the back of the class. School books and homework were not among his favorite activities, but he had an unstoppable work ethic and an exuberant temper. Already at the age of 10, he started buying and selling goods, and when he had barely turned 16, he established his own sole proprietorship. The school had to give way the last week before Christmas because then he sold Christmas trees. Two years later, he had a total of eight outlets!
Sandefjord's entrepreneur star Øivind Allum
1947
Øivind, born Larsen on 14 February 1947, has an impressive entrepreneurial history. Through his creative and unifying personality, he has played a central role in the establishment and development of engineering companies that have ensured that the competence in the shipping and shipbuilding industry in Sandefjord has been preserved, further developed and anchored in the city. Today, the engineering cluster in Sandefjord is among the strongest in the country and is considered a hub for high-skill workplaces.
Sandefjord's entrepreneur star Dorothea von der Lippe Christensen
1847
Housekeeping teacher and cookbook author Dorothea von der Lippe Christensen was born on 19 December 1847 at Veøy in Molde. Her father, Christian Frost, was a priest deeply rooted in Enlightenment ideals and rationalist thinking. With a burning passion for school and public education, Dorothea spent a lot of time in her father's library. Dorothea was a woman who made a difference through practical reforms and distinguished herself early on as a knowledgeable and warm-hearted personality. Her father has undoubtedly been a great source of inspiration in her struggle for practical reforms and desire to spread knowledge to the people. At the age of just four, Dorothea experienced the heartbreaking loss of her mother. A few years later, when she was only 15 years old, she unfortunately also experienced the passing of her father.
Sandefjord's entrepreneur star Carl Christian Fon
1963
Carl Christian Fon was born on 8 August 1963 on an idyllic family farm on Østerøya. As the first and oldest grandchild on the farm, he was surrounded by love and learning from an impatient and wise grandfather who wanted to see him become an independent farm boy as early as possible. Already at the age of five, Carl Christian was put on the tractor, and work became his playground and source of invaluable experience and work ethic. With curiosity and great courage, he tried his hand at various professions as a young man, but business and agriculture became his great passion. He therefore chose the "blue line" at the gymnasium and continued with the agricultural school to learn more about running farms and to expand the family business. But Carl Christian had ambitions that extended beyond the family farm; he wanted to start his own business. He started with big expenses and a solid dose of patience to follow his dream. With the support of his wife Ingunn, he managed to build up several successful companies alongside the farm.
Sandefjord's entrepreneur star Guttorm Gran sr
1908
Guttorm Gran Sr. was a colorful and strong-willed man known for being one of Sandefjord's most prominent figures. He was born in 1908 and grew up at Torget in Sandefjord, where his father ran a colonial business. After finishing secondary school, he started working at Sandefjord Brewery. With his commitment and work ethic, he was quickly promoted. Guttorm Gran had bigger ambitions and chose to expand his knowledge by studying at Bryggerihøyskolen in Copenhagen and got an internship at Carlsberg and Tuborg. He was trained as a brewmaster in 1932 and worked as a brewmaster in Bodø, where he also met his wife. In 1938 he moved to Larvik to start his own yeast factory. During the war, he was asked to take over as brewmaster at Sandefjord Brewery, where he had previously worked. In 1949, Gran bought up the shares in the brewery and converted it into a personal company. In the 1960s, he fought against cartels and sales restrictions to maintain the independence of Sandefjord Bryggeri, which was later renamed Grans Bryggeri A/S in 1965.
Sandefjord's entrepreneur star Olga Kulms
1895
Olga Pauline Andrea Johnsen was born in the small town of Fauske in Nordland on September 29, 1895. Her life story is an inspiration to everyone who strives for success, no matter where they come from or what they may encounter on their way. As an assistant cook in Sulitjelma's mines as a 14-15-year-old, Olga Kulms already showed an early commitment and work ethic that would later characterize her as a hotel owner. Having worked her way up from being a waitress at the Grand Hotel in Oslo to becoming the owner of the Hotel Atlantic, she faced challenges that were enormous, but tackled them with prudence and strong will. In 1920, King Haakon VII was to visit Sandefjord. Hotel Atlantic asked for assistance from the Grand Hotel in Oslo. Olga was sent and that's how she got to know Sandefjord and Hotel Atlantic. At the Grand Hotel she met Wilhelm Ernst Gustav Kulms, who later became her husband. They spent a few years in the man's home country, Germany, before she returned to Norway with her two children, but without a husband.
Entrepreneur "Walk of fame" 2022
Sandefjord's entrepreneur star Christen Christensen
1845- 1923
Christen was interested in shipbuilding. In 1868 the schooner "Sleipner" went on the water, and the adventure began. In the following decades, he acquired several small shipyards, and it became Framnæs Mek. Workshop from 1878. Christen now began to get involved in seal hunting and bottlenose hunting, and founded several companies, such as AS Oceana where the captain, C.A. Larsen, traveled to Antarctica to explore the whaling opportunities there. A factory ship was used, first in the north, and from 1905 in Antarctic waters. This was the start of the pelagic whaling and era that contributed greatly to Sandefjord's increasing prosperity.
Sandefjord's entrepreneur star Thor Dahl
1862 – 1920
Thor Dahl saved money while serving at P.C. Pedersen, which had the largest grocery store in the city. Thor started for himself when he was 25 years old, and took over P.C. Pedersen's business and real estate. Thor invested in bottlenose and other whaling in the north, and he founded several companies and invested in others. In 1908, together with catch manager Ingvald Byrde, he started the partnership "Byrde and Dahl's Whaling Company", which was granted a license in South Georgia. Thor became the richest man in Sandefjord, and as the richest man he built a new business building on Brygga which was taken into use in 1911. In 1912, at the company's 25th anniversary, Thor contributed large sums to non-profit purposes, such as Roald Amundsen's South Pole expedition, the National Gallery and missionary work, sports, old people's homes, sailors, orphanages, Blindern Student Home, and more. Thor put in addition to almost 600,000 kroner for various legacies, and almost as much for individuals.
Sandefjord's entrepreneur star Heinrich Arnold Thaulow
1808 – 1894
Heinrich began his career as a pharmacy apprentice. He was enrolled as a medical student at the University of Kiel in 1829, and already the following year he was employed as an amanuensis in physics and chemistry at the University of Christiania. Heinrich was the city's first doctor, and started Sandefjord Bad, his private medical practice. He saw that there were good conditions for a spa, and together with town bailiff Olsen and merchant Sørensen, he invited to a share subscription. Construction of the bathroom began in 1837, and the number of bathers increased throughout the 1850s. The bathroom needed many employees, and became the city's largest company. Heinrich moved out of the city in 1939, but his interest in Sandefjord was strong, and with good investments he made good money so that in 1874-75 he bought all the shares in Sandefjord Bad and renewed the building and expanded the business there, and at his other bath, Bad mode. Sandefjord Bad was one of the most important driving forces at this time.
Sandefjord's entrepreneur star Eric Sandtrø
1972
Eric established his first company, Norek, in 1989, at the age of 16. Together with his friend, Morten Halvorsen, he imported floppy disks and mouse pads from Hong Kong. The minimum order was larger than what they needed and the demand was great in the market, so on the customer list were friends and local computer retailers in the Sandefjord region. Norek merged with Komplett Data, which later changed its name to Komplett. The company was listed on the stock exchange in the year 2000, and Eric was then the youngest in Norway to lead a listed company. Eric has shaped the e-commerce industry and is Norway's e-commerce king, with large companies such as Komplett, Jollyroom and Fjellsport on the merit list. Many jobs have been created. Eric has also invested in both hotel operations and real estate in recent years.
Sandefjord's entrepreneur star Anders August Jahre
1891 – 1982
Anders studied law in Kristiania, and became an assistant judge. In 1916, he established a law firm in Sandefjord, and became involved in various whaling and shipping companies. "Anders Jahren's shipping company" was registered in 1922. Anders started planning a modern factory ship, a cookery, to raise capital. In 1928, Kosmos AS was founded, and the cookery was also called Kosmos. The expedition in capture in 1929 was a success, and Cosmos II was ordered. "Anders Jahren's shipping company" and "Kosmos" expanded, and in 1950 Anders was the Nordic region's largest tanker shipowner. Thousands of jobs were created. In the 50's, the Park Hotel was built, as a collaborative project between the city's shipowners and business owners. New times came, and Anders came up with new ideas – "Jahren Line", ferry cruise ship, became a success. Anders was generous and founded several foundations and prizes, at the same time as he gave Pukkestad farm to Sandefjord municipality as a city museum, donated money to Ekeberg crematorium, and paid half of the building sum for Sandefjord Town Hall. Anders also gave money to those who needed a helping hand.
Sandefjord's entrepreneur star Odd Gleditsch
1894 – 1990
In 1920, Odd started a paint shop and ship supply business, and already the second year he received large orders from whaling companies. He was an agent for "Gimle oljemølle" and "Jotun Kemiske Fabrik" which was owned by Johan Byrde. These went bankrupt in 1925, and Odd now saw the possibility of his own production. "Jotun Kemiske Fabriker A / S" was founded in 1926, with Odd as managing director. He secured a patent for "Arcanol" in 1931. Jotun developed into a significant company, with a profit of over 104,000 kroner in 1939. Good times came for the factory with whaling and shipping. With Odd as leader, Jotun was willing to invest, so that turnover increased. The investment abroad, mergers and further development to what Jotun is today, is thanks to Odd Gleditsch who in the 20s saw the possibilities. Jotun has become a large workplace, and provides large sponsorship funds to the city.
You can read more about Sandefjords "Entrepreneur Walk of Fame" here (NB! In Norwegian).
