Intel N O R T H N O T A B L E S
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PROMOTION
KJELL BERGH
B O R T O N V O LV O A N D B O R T O N O V E R S E A S Kjell Bergh’s résumé is four pages long. It includes a master’s thesis on a whaling crisis, listings for hosting royal audiences, awards received (“Favorite Norwegian of the Year”), his royal decorations (knighted by H.M. King Harald V of Norway), and so many directorships that they are organized into categories. The freelance journalist who ended up in America by way of Oslo didn’t necessarily plan to stay. He took a job selling cars at Borton Volvo in 1967 and this year celebrates his golden anniversary — half a century, climbing from sales to proprietorship. Ever the Renaissance man, Bergh has expanded his reach. “I got very successful selling Volvos for delivery to Americans traveling in Europe, either on assignment for the military or on vacation,” he explains. “Because my customers knew I was from Norway, they figured I could
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Magazine of the North
take care of their travel plans, too, which I was glad to do.” So he bought a third-generation travel agency and transformed it into Borton Overseas, which has since become one of the largest travel providers to Norway. That grew to encompass a resort, then a safari lodge and photo service in Tanzania. And Borton Volvo has expanded to Rochester as well as Delray Beach, Florida. Five decades in, Bergh shows no signs of slowing down, though he has sold some of the travel businesses. Last year, for instance, he built a gleaming new Borton Volvo in Golden Valley with modern amenities. And no, he’s never regretted putting down roots here and spreading the branches wide. “A Norwegian accent in Minnesota is like a second coming,” he says. “You’re received with open arms. I fit right in.”