Six questions. Six answers. It's simple.

 

Why us

In our work we form very close teams with our clients. We share our methods of work, our passion and drive and clients share their challenges and concerns. We work together, co-create and co-develop, argue, resolve problems, share the joy and become friends.

We’ve had clients with whom we haven’t been able to do this. We’ve had partners with whom we haven’t been able to do this. But we have not and will not stop trying. Relationships, trust and a positive atmosphere are critical factors for success in any challenging work.

We are economic development enthusiasts. We believe in what we do. We live for it. And this is our competitive advantage. There are others who can fill paper with words, data and charts. We can do that too. But it’s not the main reason for working with us. Come give us a try.

What we want

We want to share the passion we have for economic development, innovation and competitiveness. We want to see the change that results from assisting our clients in their challenging projects. We want to be rewarded by seeing that we have helped transform local, regional and national economic systems. We want to learn from our customers, partners and people we meet as much as we hope they can learn from us. We want to spread a positive atmosphere and energy that empowers people and makes them believe that things can be done and should be done. We want to position ourselves as the number one regional economic development consultancy in Central and Eastern Europe.

We want to enjoy what we are doing and we want those who work with us to feel the same way. So far, we’ve been very fortunate in being on the right track. Come join us, help us achieve our goals!

What we believe

We believe that our customers have the talent, resources, intellectual capacity and internal motivation that will enable them to address even the most difficult social and economic issues. We believe that globalization creates opportunities for every region on the planet to get organized and start to benefit. We believe that even the most advanced economies need to work hard to sustain their sources of competitive advantage in the long run (and maybe they need to work even harder). We believe that the interactions among academia, firms and government can create national and regional environments that will encourage the emergence of an innovation-based dynamic competitive advantage. We believe that efforts to maximize productivity increases at the company level can unlock the whole region’s potential for economic growth and thus lead to increased quality of life for citizens. Come join us in doing what we believe in!

 
 

Where we came from

Berman Group was established in the United States of America in 1985 by Mr. Norton L. Berman as an economic development services firm assisting cities in economic development strategic planning. Mr. Berman, an international development consultant and former Minister of Economy of the State of Michigan was later invited to come to Prague in 1995 to manage a USAID-sponsored municipal economic development strategic planning project. The Berman Group team operated as an independent office under USAID contractor Barents Group (later established as BearingPoint), a wholly owned subsidiary of KPMG. When the project was over the company registered its branch in Prague in 1997 and later it was re-established as a limited liability company. In 2003 the four Czech partners at Berman Group bought Mr. Berman out and since that moment the company has been operating as a Czech entity with four equal share owners.

Who trusts us

Over the years we have worked with a number of different organizations from different sectors and territories. To name just a few, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Bank, the European Commission (DG INFSO, DG REGIO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Czech Ministry for Regional Development, the Czech Ministry of Education, CzechInvest, the National Training Fund, the South Moravian Innovation Centre, Regional Development Agency Ostrava, the South Moravian Region, the Olomouc Region, the Moravia-Silesia Region, the Karlovy Vary Region, the cities of Olomouc, Trutnov, Bratislava, Trnava, Mioveni, Caracal, Braila, Iasi, Valjevo, Zrenjanin, Pavlograd, Severodonetsk and dozens of others in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Serbia, Romania, Georgia, Germany, Poland, Croatia, Albania and Bulgaria.

What they say

These are comments from people who have worked with us. We feel very honoured.

"Berman Group is one of the best economic development consultancies I have ever worked with. They understand economic development and have a special gift of making it accessible to those with whom they work. I enjoy working with Dusan and his team."
--Howard Ockman, Chief of Party, Local Investment National Competitiveness Project, Ukraine
"We work with Berman Group when we have an assignment that is completely new to us and requires a fresh external view. They are great at creating messages and delivering them to our constituents."
Jiří Hudeček, CEO, South Moravian Innovation Centre, Czech Republic