New "Healthy" Slovenian Business Club
Marjan Batagelj, the head of the operator of the Postojna Cave and the club's president during the first year, told the press that accession standards will be very high, as membership will be denied to individuals involved in tycoon scandals and managers connected to politics.
Sole proprietors as well as limited companies are welcome to join in what is also an effort "to cooperate in forays into foreign markets in order to overcome the envy that is present in Slovenia," Batagelj added.
Japec Jakopin of boat maker Seaway noted that the club was mostly about individuals who started out in their own garages. He argued that SMEs were an engine of society and that the club needed to boost Slovenia's image.
Batagelj rejected concerns that the Slovenian Business Club would rival the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS), saying that all members are and would remain GZS members. "The GZS should not fear us, but it should feel free to turn to us for advice," he said.
Another prominent club member, Joc Pečečnik of gaming company Elektronček Group, expects the club's membership to triple within a year.
The Slovenian Business Club is the brainchild of the former popular host of current affairs show Pogledi Slovenije Uroš Slak, who conceived it upon Pečečnik's initiative.