On the anniversary of the founding of Latvia on 18th November 2020 Head of Zemgales tehnoloģiskais centrs Māris Avotiņš was awarded the highest award of Jelgava City Council – the Decoration of Honour.

Presented in a ceremony in Jelgava at the moument to the first president of Latvia, Māris Avotiņš was awarded the honour for the contribution in development of business, implementation of innovative technologies and creation of jobs in Jelgava City.



Māris Avotiņš comments on receiving the hounour:
“Do your job as best as you can and that will be your greatest contribution. The most important thing is for each of us to be in the right place, to enjoy what you are doing – otherwise we cannot inspire others. I have been involved in entrepreneurial endeavors since 1980s and founded SIA “Zemgales tehnoloģiskais centrs” in 1991. It is worth noting that I still have colleagues on my team I have been with from day one of this company. Today there are about 50 people working in the company, which play a role not only in the development of the company and implementation of innovative technologies but also adding to the city budget. Our business is mostly working for the international market and we can be proud to make the name of Jelgava known beyond our country. Though we have to admit there is still work to be done to educate people locally on the many values of wood. I am happy to see it becoming a more common building material in the environment of Jelgava City.”