C O V E R S TO RY | 29 Photo: Kaspars Garda
AMBERGS Sector: Furniture Founded: 1993 Employees: 18 In 1993, Ritma Ritenberga and her business partner, Ingmārs Tēraudkalns, established their company, Ambergs, in Riga. The main idea was to sell furniture, fitted kitchens and plumbing imported from Germany to Latvia. Today they have more than 60 German partners with brands like Rolf Benz, Hülsta, Pogenpohl, Leicht and Eggersmann of which Ambergs is the exclusive representative in Latvia. The company sells equipment to designers, project developers and real estate agents. For Ritma, 1993 was a turning point – not only in her business but also in her personal life. She was a widowed chemistry teacher who wasn’t earning enough and so desperately needed a change. “When I decided to build my own company, the most important thing was that my two kids got a good education”, she says. Laura Ritenberga-Kinder (35) and Rolands Ritenbergs (30), Ritma’s two children, started work in their mother’s company when they were 9 and 14 years old. “We used to go with my mother to trade shows to represent the company – it was normal for us, we just slipped naturally into the company life”, says Laura. Both kids could not imagine doing anything else. “Back in the day, my children learned from me. Now, with all the new technology around, I actually learn from them”, adds Ritma. As in every other relationship, there are ups and downs. “In a family business though, you have to deal with other family members, you can’t just walk away and get another job, it is another level of conflict management and cooperation”, Rolands says. What Ritma loves most about her company is that she always stays in touch with her children. “As Laura lives in Germany and does her work from there, I don’t get to see her very often, but due to the job we are in contact all the time. I experience both of my adult children more often as it would be in the case of not working together”, she says, smiling. MA
Autumn 2018