Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

In his speech at the award ceremony, TOBB President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu expressed his excitement at being presented an entrepreneurship award as someone who usually presents them and said, “This is a great honor for me. Thank you.”

Stating that Manisa is a joyful city, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Manisa means hope; it is where your morale is boosted. I’ve gone around the world many 8 times. I’ve been to every single one of the 81 provinces and worked with the chambers and exchanges there. One of the cities that always return from recharged is Manisa.”

- Manisa is a great industrial city

“Allah has given you greatly prosperous lands,” said the TOBB President and went on, “You are contributing to the prosperity of Turkey and Manisa. While one of the great centers of agriculture you became one of the most important industrial cities. It is one of the cities I often cite as exemplary. Manisa, once a farming city, has become an industrial city. It is concrete evidence of Turkey’s transformation. It is not without reason that Sultan’s sons were educated here before taking the Ottoman rule. Manisa is great industrial city today in my opinion.”

Stating that the OIZ is very successful, Hisarcıklıoğlu went on, “I would like to congratulate its board of directors beginning with Bülent Koşmaz. It is an exemplary industrial zone in Turkey. It has also been selected as the first among industrial zones by the Financial Times.

Our elders say ‘there is grace and prosperity in unity; anguish in dissent’. If you stand united you will succeed. The cities that were able to move in unity won.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the Manisa UMEM project is ongoing and that the service and agricultural sectors have been added to the project.

- Praise for BALO

Talking about the new Incentives System, TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “I want to speak to you especially in regards to the changes the new incentives law bring. In the new incentive, the lot investment location appropriations will be free of charge. If you do it in the OIZ, the government will pay for 4 points of it. When you consider that credit interest is 12 with the government paying for 4. In regards to employment incentives, the government will pay for insurance for 5 years, 6 if it is in an OIZ.

Stating that Manisa is also pioneering in another manner, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “We as TOBB fully support this project. 74 of our chambers and exchanges have partnered to this. The BALO project, which will connect Manisa to the heart of Europe, was started by the Manisa TSO and we have become partners. This is a beneficent business. I congratulate them.”

- “We are writing an extraordinary success story in entrepreneurship”

Stating that he is originally from Kayseri, Hisarcıklıoğlu explained how trade would be conducted.

“Not to boast, but I am from Kayseri. It is hard to explain. I will tell you that the whole thing begins with a dream. Throughout your life, the freest you will ever be will be in your dreams. Do not be afraid to dream. Do not be afraid to think big in your dreams.

You must have a goal for your dreams. Without a goal, you cannot bring your dreams to reality. If you wish to cross the chasm you mustn’t take little steps; you must take bounding steps across it. Don’t be afraid to take big steps. Take big steps.

No wind can aid a ship without a course. You can’t get anywhere without a goal. You have dreams, you have a goal, but still you can’t have anything without working. Success comes to those who are willing to make sacrifices. You can’t work and have fun and reach your goal.

Turkey needs something. Germany and Japan, defeated in WWII, were reborn from their ashes. This was achieved with entrepreneurship. After the war, these people took to entrepreneurship again and brought their countries to where they are today.

If we have a stake then there is 1 fact, and that is entrepreneurship. We are creating an extraordinary story of success in entrepreneurship. I’ll say clearly why we insist on entrepreneurship: Only governments prosper from natural resources. If you want for 74 million to prosper then you must support entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs provide work and food to people. Work and food means content people. It is said that if you are a proper merchant, you will be judged on the level of a martyr in the afterlife.”

- “Every winning is turned into investment by entrepreneurs”

TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu touching on the number of entrepreneurs in Turkey, said, “There are 1.3 million entrepreneurs in Turkey. We are behind Japan by half. We are lacking entrepreneurs. 750,000 new people join the workforce every year in Turkey with its increasing population. Turkey must find employment to 750,000 of her children each year. We already have 2.5 million in need of jobs.

We can only gain entrepreneurs by supporting them in Turkey. Every winning is turned into investment by entrepreneurs. This is an obsession for the industrialist. Every investment is a job for someone. We don’t want money or baubles. All we want is to compete on equal footing with our competitors. We want to play on a level field.

The participation of women to entrepreneurship is 6%; participation of women to the workforce is 28% in Turkey, 68% in the world. We educate our women very well; we send them to good universities; we marry them off to a good husband once they graduate. As a Muslim, we take the Revered Prophet as our role model. While the wife our Revered Prophet, Mother Hatice was one of the biggest merchants of Mecca, why do we not bring up our women to be entrepreneurs?

- Bülent Koşmaz: We are living the technology revolution

TOBB Board Vice President and Manisa Chamber of Commerce and Industry Board President Bülent Koşmaz stated that Turkey is the world’s third fastest growing country and said, “In the last 2 years in Europe 4 prime ministers have stepped down and 10 governments have resigned. In Africa and the Middle East 4 presidents left office. Our country, situated in the middle of this geography of economic and political crises, is the Europe’s fastest and the world’s third fastest growing economy after China and Argentina with a rate of 8.5% in 2011. Our GDP reached 772 billion Dollars. Private consumption and investments contributed 11.5% to this record growth while the public administration investment and spending contributed only 1.2%. It is clear that the private sector is largely responsible for growth. This was possible through the efforts of Turkish businessmen all over the world and the entrepreneur spirit of our people.

On behalf of myself, the Manisa Chamber of Commerce and Industry Board and Council members, I would like to congratulate TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu on being elected the entrepreneur of the year of 2011 for raising awareness to entrepreneurship and supporting efforts to this end.”
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