Ombrelo 18 years – part 7
This is a true story about how we became Ombrelo. First there was an idea. Then one person. Then two. Then a small group who believed in the same direction. It wasn’t clear what this would become. There was only a feeling that things could be done differently—together. This year Ombrelo turns 18. Of age. But this is not a ceremonial speech. This is a 12-part series about how a community is born. How people find each other under the same shelter. How growth is not just about numbers, but about trust. This is our story.
Kokkola – a pen, Facebook and one phone call
The Kokkola story actually began before Ombrelo had even established a presence there. Heini was a speech and language therapist from Kokkola who wanted to work in her home region, but Ombrelo did not yet have a Kela agreement in Central Ostrobothnia. So she became Ombrelo’s first subcontractor and began working in Vaasa. We waited for the right moment.
That moment came in 2013. Ombrelo established a presence in Kokkola, and Heini was finally able to work close to home.
Before long, the team began to grow. The stories of how that happened perhaps say more than anything else about the kind of workplace Ombrelo is.
Elina had met us during one of our university visits to Oulu. She had taken home an Ombrelo pen. Later, when the time came to think about the direction she wanted to take, the pen reminded her that there might be something for her here. Elina got in touch and joined the team.
We found Iina in a different way.
Someone had spotted a Facebook comment mentioning that its author was about to qualify as a speech and language therapist and move to Kokkola. We found her phone number and called her. We told her who we were. Iina came to work with us.
Around the same time, John also joined the Kokkola team. He was our first male speech and language therapist. He has bravely endured working in a team of women – and he is still with us today.
The Kokkola story also includes Minna, who moved to the city with her family and joined us. Before long, Minna’s husband became Ombrelo’s first CEO. Although he later returned to a field that was more familiar to him, he has remained a member of the company’s board ever since. Both of the family’s daughters have also taken turns working as office assistants in Kokkola. A true Ombrelo family!
At Ombrelo, we do not recruit in the traditional way. We meet people. Sometimes they find us, and sometimes we find them – through a pen, a Facebook comment or a single phone call.
Meeting people is also the idea we keep returning to when we reflect together on what we truly value. To us, it means pausing and being genuinely present – looking each other in the eye and truly listening.