Slovenia's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) honoured four business executives with its annual awards for outstanding achievements on 5 March. The winners come from silicon maker Siliko, shades maker Roletarstvo Medle, metallurgy company Kolding and flanges manufacturer Megras.

The GZS has been handing out the awards since 1969. Including the latest four laureates, the oldest business awards in Slovenia have been presented to nearly 400 business executives over the course of 56 years.

This year, they went to Janko Koprivec of Siliko, Robert Medle of Roletarstvo Medle, Milan Košeljnik of Kolding and Dragan Mešič of Megras.

Koprivec established Siliko in Vrhnika in 1984. The company has become a developer and supplier of elastomer and thermoplastic components to companies in over 30 markets. Employing nearly 600 people, the company generated €105 million in revenue last year and posted €11 million in pre-tax profit.

A supplier to German car manufacturers, Siliko has extraordinary insight into development and new trends in the industry. By positioning itself as a high-tech solution partner, Siliko has built the foundation for future growth, the chamber said.

Medle runs the family business his father established 47 years ago. The company specialises in production of shades and intermediary products for shades and windows. Under his management, Roletarstvo Medle grew from 50 employees to 200, generating €43 million in revenue and €8 million in pre-tax profit last year.

Over the past three years, the company increased its output by 30%, with the GZS saying that this was the result of multiplier effects of investments and development of products and services.

Kolding was established in 1993 and has become a reputable manufacturer of high-quality rollers, spare parts and other metallurgical components. It is also active in energy, mining and engineering. Under Košeljnik, the company generated €10 million in revenue last year and €900,000 in pre-tax profit.

Employing 44 people, the company lost its main market, Russia, in 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine. Owing to its extraordinary adaptability, the company refocused on EU markets, the US, Egypt and India, seeing its exports increase by 25% between 2020 and 2022.

Megras was established in 1991 and has made a name for itself as a suppler of flanges. Under Mešič, the company remained stable during the past years and even improved its revenue by focusing on boosting flange sales to its existing partners in Germany, Austria, Italy, Turkey and Slovenia, and sales in new markets.

The company employs 40 people and is known for developing innovative solutions together with clients. In 2023, Megras generated over €6.5 million in revenue and €866,000 in pre-tax profit.