Lodamun

[imperialpearl]

With the company at the openings of profitability amidst its uphill battle towards recapturing much of the market in the otherwise concentrated Nadiyan (formerly Trigunia) crude oil and natural gas market, one might have expected that by posting profits in the millions that said gains would have been reinvested into expanding the company’s physical infrastructure (plant and machinery). Yet, in a surprise announcement, Neftkomp has revealed that it would be committing some 40 million LOD (57 million rubles) to the construction of a threatre and library. The announcement came following the publishing of the company’s annual financial statements, wherein it was revealed that as a result of its operations in extraction and exportation alone, the company had posted some 500 million LOD, before taxation, in profits. At an impromptu press conference held at the company’s headquarters in Zarvosopol, Neftkomp CEO Denis Polyakov stated that although the company’s profit margins were comparatively smaller when compared to its larger, more established contemporaries in the market, it was nonetheless a clear sign that the company’s decisions up to that point were indeed the right ones. 

“There is no doubt that we could have done better and we continue to commit ourselves to doing so, but I think these numbers are, in a sense, vindication and confirmation of the fact that we have made the correct strategic decision up to this point,” Polyakov explained. Polyakov added that the company’s recent success was in part as a result of the dedication of the company’s employees, who he hailed as the ‘bedrock’ of a ‘slow revolution’ within the Nadiyan energy market. It had been previously reported that the company, as part of its broader obligations to CSR (corporate social responsibility), would establish a “culture fund”, which would be used to invest in cultural events and buildings throughout the country. At the very press conference, Polyakov revealed that the company had committed some 100 million of its profits to the company’s recently established “Heritage and Progress Fund”, of which 40 million would be committed to constructing a joint theatre and library building in Svitodar, a coastal satellite city near Zarvosopol.
 
The fund’s manager, Arina Menshchikova, spoke to its plans for the shared threatre/library space in a press release following Polyakov’s announcement. She noted that with assistance from local surveyors and the company itself, the fund was able to secure a sizeable plot of prime real estate near the city’s centre where the proposed development will be constructed. According to Menshchikova, the space which had been formerly occupied by a fish processing facility had been chosen for its centrality to the city’s main transportation hub. The master plan for the site, which had been jointly developed by StudioNadiya and Snezana Architects, would see the otherwise sizeable space be separated by two wings: a public, philanthropically-governed Library and a Theatre/Opera House. 

The proposed library wing features a multi-story space with large, ceiling-to-floor windows. Its interior would be decorated with various pieces of local, national and potentially international art. Menshchikova has revealed that the Fund is currently engaged with a local NGO, which would be responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the library. The proposed threatre/opera house wing would be constructed with a dark steel facade to signify the “black gold”, which had been so crucial in its construction. The master plan has proposed that the facility be able to seat around 750 persons and be designed with modularity in mind, such that it can host both live performances and cinematic screenings. Lodamese and Nadiyan companies are apparently being considered to helm the interior design of the theatre space, as Menshchikova stated that although the building’s exterior was largely modern/minimalist, the interior was preferred to be more lavish and ornate. Construction on the site is likely to begin in the coming months; however, Menshchikova has noted that such a timeline could be altered if consultations with the local community were to go on for an extended period of time.