Piotr Brzózka: Business and cycling have common points

As a mountain biker, he was the world runner-up. Today, Piotr Brzózka is one of the shareholders of the family company JBG2 and is active in many businesses. Now, he is involved in photovoltaics, and the JBG PV brand has become a partner of Tour de Pologne. – This is a great event that everyone is talking about, it is shown in many countries around the world, it has huge media coverage. So everything fits. And this is cycling, and this sport is always close to us – says Piotr Brzózka, one of the shareholders of the family business.

As a mountain biker, you have reached the world vice-championship of the junior mountain biking. Today you are a businessman. Can you compare it somehow?

Here and here you have to pursue specific goals, so there are common points. Cycling taught me a regime, work and motivation, today more in business.

Do you feel a bit unsatisfied when you think about your sports career?

No, not today. Although, I’m still racing. I take part in amateur events. I also compete in the Polish championship. I like it, to feel the emotions at the start, and then get beaten by the best. And going back to the times when I raced professionally, it probably might have happened differently. When I made the decision to end up in professional sport, I wasn’t unsatisfied. Contrary, I did as much as I could. Today, sometimes the thought recurs that it was possible to try for another year or two. I have more experience now, I know my body better, but I think I did everything at the right time. I focus on new challenges.

You are developing a family business. Was it a big leap or was it all happening naturally?

Everything happened naturally. I have been with the company since I was a child, and so was my brother. And there is Dad, still in command. I dealt with various things. First, I took care of a hotel in Wisła and managed to bring it to the three-star category. Later, I worked on developing cryotherapy in a single cabin. Since last year, I have been working with renewable energy sources, so I deal with photovoltaic panels and heat pumps.

Solar panels are a huge market.

The market is difficult. The increase in photovoltaic power in Poland is one of the biggest in Europe, although for us, as Polish producers, and there are few of them, because there are three or four, it is difficult to beat the prices. The Chinese ship a lot of containers to Europe. We try to find our niche, we offer individual solutions.

Is there a difference in quality?

We have full quality control, but I don’t want to say that Chinese products are bad and that’s it. There are good products, but also weak ones. We know the power of each of our panels, we also test the competition and see how they distort and the customer pays for the power in the panel. Either way, the market is huge and will continue to grow. And “price is king”, everyone is looking for savings. On the other hand, we are a reliable guarantor and if we give a guarantee, we fulfil it. The market standard is 25 years. We know that since our company has been operating for 30 years, it will continue for the next. Importers from Asia not necessarily. Customers do not take into account that in the near future such a company may disappear, and there will be no one to turn to with the guarantee. Another issue is the cost of waste management. We include it in the price. And this will be a challenge for the whole Europe, because the panels will have to be recycled one day. Usually, importers do not take this into account, and someday the costs will pass to the customer.

You’re in big business, but cycling is still close. Now, as the JBG PV brand, you have joined the Tour de Pologne.

The idea was born from the fact that I and Czesław Lang have known each other for years. Previously, our activities were not aimed at the end customer, but rather at a supermarket chain. However, panels are a mass product. We talked and found a way to cooperate. It all started with the fact that … we installed the panels at Czesław’s house. Tour de Pologne is a great event that everyone is talking about, it is shown in many countries around the world, it has a great media coverage. So everything fits! And this is cycling, and this sport is always close to us.