From Norway to the world

摘要

There are few places to match Alesund on the coast of Norway for stunning beauty, as it nestles within a combination of spectacular fjords and big, shaggy mountains. But the price of this beauty is that there is very little land to farm or build on. Legend has it that the shortage of land and a growing population drove the Vikings to expand out of the region just before the turn of the first millennium. They also make a good case in Alesund that the Queen of England is descended from Rollo, a local boy made good. While Vikings had a reputation for fearsome violence, they also mastered the art of the team. Getting 20 people across a sea in an open boat is most certainly a team effort, and it is the team that comes through in conversations with CEO Per Henning Vaagen and his colleagues on a visit to the factory next to the Stortfjord and Geirangerfjord in early March.