Since 1994 the number of members, observers and guests has increased getting to the next structure: 23 founding members, 140 members, 25 observers, 45 guests. This was due to the development of services offered to the members and the opening of two branches of CAT at: Bistrita and Zalau.

CAT’s activities were performed in 4 departments: The Group of Consulting, The Department of Design, The Department of Relations – Administration and The Student’s Placement Center. The member companies, local and governmental authorities as well as native and foreign organizations sustained these activities.

Next we have the pleasure to present you the main achievements of each department:

 I. The Consulting Group:
The main activities that this department focused on in 1995 were the programs of financial assistance: credits according with G.D. 805 and PHARE non-reimbursable credits.

The total number of granted hours was 4800. Approximately 12 companies/week received consulting services from CAT’s experts.

There were accomplished:
a). 8 feasibility studies/business plans (G.D. 805) asked by the companies: INEV, TRANSCOM, BISOMCOM, ROLLSTAR, SAMICO, MD SERVICE, INTRANSCO, NAPOSINT, ALIAT TRANS.

There were approved 3 projects developed through “Ion Tiriac” Bank and Mindbank. In accomplishing this program our cooperation with B.C.R. wasn’t materialized.

b) The demands for elaborating documentation for PHARE grants were numerous, but there only two projects were finalized. These were approved by CRIMM-Bucuresti, but they couldn’t be runned because of the lack of founds. Consulting services for PHARE program were given to more than 50 enterprises.

One of the consulting group’s achievements was the seminar “Small and Medium Sized Enterprises Investments: Financing, Co-financing, Guarantees, Insurances” to which participated: A.R.D. Bucuresti, CODIF, C.D.C., ERNEST & YOUNG, Rural Credit Fund of Guarantee, Roman-German Foundation, I.E.S.C., K.P.M.G. Romania, Land O’Lakes and a great number of small and medium enterprises from the area.
Abroad, the Consulting Group took part to “Business Association” seminar in Sofia and “Donors Committee” seminar in Budapest.

There was granted consultancy to joint-venture companies for obtaining ARD recommendations and investments certificates.

II. The Department of Design:
The department focused on Transylvania Business Center’s dissemination activities in country and abroad.

The ways of promoting CAT’s image were in the first place: economic missions, exhibitions and cultural activities.

1. Economic missions and external exhibitions:
a) Denmark: this mission was realized in collaboration with the Minister of Commerce. There were approximately 40 companies from Romania and 12 companies from Cluj. The dellegation was received at the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Chamber of Commerce, the Danish Agency for Development for concluding contracts with Danish companies interested to invest in Romania.
b) New York – WORLD TRADE CENTER: The mission was leaded by the Minister of Commerce being obtained for our companies an expositional surface of 300 square meters. From Cluj-Napoca participated 20 firms joining other 70 Romanian firms achieving a series of collaborations and meetings with American firms.
c) The preparation of the economic mission in February 1996 in Japan.

2. Internal exhibtions realized:
a) Transilvania Computers ’95 exhibition in collaboration with SUNNY company.
b) The launching of Tuborg Beer in Romania in collaboration with DAM IMPERIAL company.

3. Promotional activities for small and medium sized enterprises:
a) Transilvania Fashion – the summer edition, for companies from fashion design industry;
b) Transilvania Fashion – the winter edition, and the editing of the first fashion catalogue;
c) Transilvanian Tastes – food exhibition and the editing of the first gastronomically catalogue;
d) The Great Opera Prome – charity cultural manifestation;
e) CAT Catalogue – containing the SME sfrom the area;
f) KARAOKE program for teenagers.
The CAT’s programs: Transilvania Fashion (the summer and winter edition), Transilvanian Tastes and the CAT-Catalogue obtained PHARE co-financing through the CRIMM foundation.

III. The Department of Relations – Administration
In 1995 the department focused on:
1. Promoting the member companies on internal and external market, attracting Romanian and foreign business people towards the CAT’s member companies, banks and other companies from the area.
2.  Sending the demands-offers and the business correspondence to Transilvania Commodity Exchange and the interested members for achieving direct contacts.
3. The opening of new branches: CAT – Bistrita and CAT – Zalau as well as starting the opening preparation of new branches at: Alba-Iulia, Deva, Sibiu, Brasov, Oradea and Baia Mare.
4. Organizing the monthly business people’s COCKTAIL to which were invited representative of Romanian and foreign private companies, local officials, Romanian and international VIPs. These meetings were held with the support of the following companies: SALTO, SOREX, IZA, V-TOTAL, PAVAL, URSUS, REX CONDA, CRIS, CASTELLARI, CLUB 100, NERA MURESAN, MELODY, MARY’S, MAESTRO, SUN, BIANCO & NERO, CONTINENTAL.
5. Organizing the forum “Small and Medium Sized Enterprises Investments: Financing, Co-financing, Guarantees, Insurances” in May 1995, to which participated over 30 consulting and financing organizations, talking about 40 projects of investments prepared by the firms from Cluj.
6. Supporting cultural institutions from Cluj by taking part at the organization of the Jazz Festival, the Exhibition of the painter Nicolae Maniu, theatre, opera and concerts; sponsoring some student organizations;
7. Spreading business informations for CAT member companies;
8. Arranging the CAT headquarters and equipping it with high performance equipments;
9. Preparing and launching the CAT’s project – Building – one of CAT’s main objective.

IV. The Student’s Placement Center:
This department of Transilvania Business Center is the result of the collaboration between Babes-Bolyai University, Peace Corps USA and CAT.
The financial assistance was assured by the Democracy Commission throough USIS from USA as well as CAT as a starting point for this project. The University provided the necessary space for the development of the SPEC activity.
The main actions realized by the student’s group are:

• Organizing a seminar together with AIESEC for preparing SPEC volunteers;
• Creating a data base which contains offers and demands of work; launching a strong advertising campaign;
• Organizing the first interviews and seminars;
• Making the first market survey concerning the reactions of companies and students regarding the SPEC activity and their placement;
• Opening a working place at Bistrita; creating new divisions: commercial traveller, messenger, labour law;
• Designing and presenting Work Force Placement in Germany Project under AU-PAIR program

It was registered a difference of 3.416.800 ROL representing the remaining members’ subscriptions which will be recovered in 1996. It was decided to exclude from CAT’s members those companies which don’t pay their subscriptions in a period of six months.

Conclusions:

Transilvania Business Centre’s activity has developed, being able to become a viable organization supporting the private initiative and attracting foreign investments in Cluj-Napoca and in the Transilvania area.

In conclusion, we use this privilege to thank CAT members for their contribution to the development of our association, as well to our personnel, co-workers which assured a good activity development. Also we thank CRIMM-Phare, as well as US Democracy Commission/Peace Corp for financial and technical assistance that they offered us for achieving our purposes and finalising our projects.

                                   Dr. Radu-Adrian Mlesnita
                                                    President

Mircea Fodoca                                                              Lia Chira
General Manager                                                         Tresorery
 

Translated by Ioana-Maria Sampetrean, LBC Informatica