Page 32 - World Of Nurol Magazine-27

management in my mind. Towards the end of
2010 I had all my work on track. Companies I
owned and the establishments I was a partner
of were performing their activities and there
were high quality managers in all of them. We
are fairly comfortable financially. I had been
putting effort into business life for so long
that I wanted to take some time out and spend
more time with my family and children.Of
course, I was following the daily agenda and the
bidding as an outsider. A great project indeed.
We always had bond of communion with Mr.
Nurettin. Mr. Nurettin, Mr. Erol, Mr. Oguz, they
all are people we respect deeply and are proud
of the fact that they all have high humanitarian
values. On a personal scale, it was a home for
me to which my father took me trustfully 40
years ago.

I was very happy to see that Nurol won the
bidding. Afterwards, I received this offer and
I stated that I was unable to accept it due to
reasons I just mentioned. We kept in touch for
a few months. Finally I met with Mr. Oguz in
Istanbul. Mr. Oguz insisted me so much that he
said “Consider this as a national service”. I was
deeply touched. In addition, it was impossible
to endure the desirability of the project.

The structure contained six partners – Yüksel
was also in then- and partnerships are not easy
at all. Six different disciplines, six different
business management styles; a six-partnered
structure is not easy to manage. Upon Mr.
Oguz saying “There are not many people to
May we please get to know you? financially and I worked there for about 4 manage this and you do not really have the
or 4.5 years. After I got back from Libya, I right to reject”, I stopped resisting. He said “You
I was born in Arhavi in 1956. My father was joined to Bayindir Group as a co-founder. will come in the beginning and get the place
a banker and we moved to Ankara in 1960. I organized in a couple of years, have the system
studied primary, secondary and high schools Actually it seems to be a young age to be an in place and you may leave after that if you still
in Aydınlıkevler. Afterwards, I chose and employer. How did this happen? want to”. It has been six years and I am still
entered METU Mechanical Engineering and here…
graduated in 1979. I am married and I have a Bayindir Construction was founded in 1984
daughter, Ceren, and a son, Yigit. as a multi-partner establishment. I also You are implementing one of the greatest
joined this establishment as one of the co- projects of Turkey and also one of the most
Since our employers are also from Arhavi, founders when I was twenty-eight years important infrastructure projects in the world.
have you known them before you joined old. Bayindir developed and grew in a short Isn’t it very proud and exciting?
this project? period of time. As it developed further,
so did we. We gained great experience in Of course, the facts that the extent of the
Of course I have. Our houses are in the same different sectors. I took the Vice Presidency project is really large, the project is a world
neighborhood in Arhavi. Our elders have of the Executive Board and General Directory project and it is the greatest project in the
known each other for a long time. Nurol when I was thirty-five. In 1997, I and other history of the Republic of Turkey have been
is a great holding that we are proud of. three friends of mine left Bayindir. very exciting during the process. We engineers
Interestingly indeed, my acquaintance with are drawn by the fascination of the work after
the group dates long back in time. Here it becomes obvious where you got a short while. On one hand there are works
When I was at METU, the university was your success in managing partnerships. to do and I was having worries about how to
closed due to boycott and it was uncertain Your experiences always took place in spend time with my family and children; on
when it was going to be opened again. My multi-partnered structures. What did you the other hand there is this fascination of the
father took me to Mr. Nurettin and said: do afterwards as four partners? work, building the greatest bridge of the world,
“My son is a successful student but the highways, tunnels… Step by step it becomes
university is closed so he started to loaf As four partners leaving Bayindir, we a kind of “challenge” and finally this feeling
around. It would be better for him if he takes established ENER Group and we continued overwhelmed me. It was just the beginning
some time out and sees the business world.” our activities in construction, energy and of the year 2011; I accepted the job with
Thus, Mr. Nurettin took me to Ayaş tunnel tourism fields. Coming to 2003, in addition excitement and happiness.
immediately. I worked there as an intern for to ENER Group, I established Defne
six months as an intern. That is where I first Agriculture and Eni Energy Construction as I was agreeing to what Mr. Oguz said earlier. I
learned and loved site work. family companies and I continued working. was planning and hoping to create the system
primarily, set things in place and then leave.
What did you do after university? Did you In which stage have you joined the project However, it turned out to be not that easy. In
enter the business world right afterwards? and how did this happen? the beginning we encountered very important
difficulties and challenges for a few years.
After graduation I did master’s degree in Since I got back from Libya, that is, since Nevertheless, thank God, now it is all in the
the same department. However, I went to Bayindir was founded in 1984, I had past. Now, with the opening of Phase-I, which
Libya before I finished my master’s degree continued my life as employer. Therefore, includes the bridge, the most critical threshold
because I did not want to burden my family naturally I never had professional of the project is passed with success.

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