Women in Business with Monika Vintrlíková

The Embassy of the Czech Republic hosted an online talk as part of its series, Women in Business, with one of the most accomplished Czech businesswomen in America today - Monika Vintrlíková, CEO of Albaform, Inc., on September 19, 2023. In the interview, Monika Vintrlíková elaborated on what brought her business over the Atlantic and shared the lessons learned from that experience which led to success. 

 

Monika Vintrlíková heads ALBAform, a second-generation family business with 30+ years of experience in forming, welding, and assembling metal components for the automotive, agriculture, and e‑mobility sectors. It has manufacturing locations in the Czech Republic as well as the United States, where it boasts a facility employing over 150 employees.

 

Monika Vintrlíková spoke about the company’s start in 1992, its expansion into America, and its hopeful future in Mexico. Vintrlíková offered insight on the importance of being close to your customers, especially when transportation costs are taken into consideration. She offered advice in that companies coming from the Czech Republic should not expect incentives but should focus on the location of their business in the United States instead. She also emphasized that one must invest heavily into the business to succeed as the American market is large compared to the Czech Republic.

 

Being partial to the South East, Vintrlíková emphasized Georgia’s booming economy and its reliable workforce. She spoke about collaboration with local technical schools as well as the major universities around Atlanta. Vintrlíková accentuated the importance of having support from Albaform’s Czech employees when starting out in Atlanta as well as the dual language capability of locally based employees to communicate with the factory in the Czech Republic.

 

As the Women in Business series celebrates Czech women doing business in America, Vintrlíková opened up about her experience as a woman working in the automobile industry. She stressed that her upbringing in the family business gave her the knowhow to be able to be successful and she never felt any setbacks as a woman, despite balancing work and family life. She is proud to be a leader in the industry.

 

Monika Vintrlíková currently also serves as the Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic in Atlanta, Georgia. The Czech Embassy is extremely honored to collaborate with her in this position in bringing Czech delegations and companies to her jurisdiction, as her knowledge of the American market is invaluable.

 

The Women in Business series is a part of the Czech Embassy’s Mutual Inspirations Festival 2023 – Eliška Junková. Eliška Junková, who was born in what is today the Czech Republic, was famously known as the “Queen of the Steering Wheel.” Although she only raced for 5 years in the 1920s, she went up against the world’s top male drivers, revolutionized racing preparation, and became the first woman to win a Grand Prix. Junková was also a great businesswoman – who combined business with her love of travel. Her entrepreneurial spirit inspired the Women in Business series. 

 

To watch the interview in its entirety, please click HERE.