Interview - Paw Kristensen of 3P Logistics Group 🇩🇰

Paw Kristensen is CEO and Major Shareholder of 3P Logistics Group whose main HQ is in Kolding, Denmark, although the group has offices in several European countries.  Their business centres around road, sea and air freight and there are several sub-parts and branches of the business. Their website is here: https://www.3pl.dk/

Paw - let's start at the beginning...first and foremost,  you're a businessman - can you tell me a bit about your background...where you're from in Denmark and what your business interests are?

“Thanks for having me, Michael, it is greatly appreciated.

 

I am born and raised in Grindsted on the west side of Denmark, but I left the town in the late 90’s. I went to Esbjerg to try my luck as a football player and had some success with that for 3 years, until injuries put a stop to that. Hereafter is where my business direction started to come into place as I got a position as a ship broker trainee in an Esbjerg company, and that was the first jump into the shipping industry. After some successful years in that company, I decided to go on my own and started 3P Logistics Group in 2005. At that time Esbjerg was a narrow business environment, and to get a fresh start I decided to open my company in Kolding and leave Esbjerg behind me.

 

Today in 2023, the 3PLGROUP of companies has activities within airfreight, ocean freight, European transport and logistics, and project logistics. The group employs more than 100 people in 8 offices across the European continent."

How and when did you become interested in speedway?

"My interest in speedway developed very early in my life, as my father took my 2 brothers and me for speedway matches around Denmark from a very young age. I remember clearly that the most important for us 3 young kids were to collect bottles and sell them at the hot dog and beer stands for a small amount, which was spent on buying candy. So speedway really came into myself at a very young age. I would say around 5-6 years old. We had all kinds of games, and even our old mopeds, where we raced in our garden, on our homemade track, trying to be Erik Gundersen, Hans Nielsen, Mark Loram, Tomasz Gollob and many more."

What made you want to get involved in sponsorship of riders?    

"When my companies started to become solid and profitable, I started to look around for ways to profile my companies. The easy thing would be to handover money to a football or handball club, but it was not really what I wanted. With such sponsorship you just become a little sponsor among many others, and it is not what 3PL is about. I want to make remarkable campaigns and not just ordinary, like the rest. I want my company to be tougher than the rest. My old passion for speedway popped up and one of the early sponsor contracts was made with Nicki Pedersen around 2010. From then on I felt that we had found a good way to market our companies."

You've built up an impressive portfolio of riders you're supporting in one way or another - is there a particular characteristic you look for before deciding to offer help to a rider?

"I am a guy of relation and meaning, so all my sponsorships must give some kind of meaning to either myself and my own thinking or to the company and its marketing direction. I am very concerned about my own and my companies’ image, so it is important for me that the riders share the values from inside my companies. Then, of course I also look into the business perspective of sponsoring and what other sponsors the rider already has on his chest. I do believe we as sponsors can make an even bigger difference, if we support each other's businesses, with the rider as our meeting point. Too many riders and clubs are just trying to squeeze out more money without giving something back – and this is wrong. If you want to have a strong business and sponsor portfolio for a long time, you need to bring your sponsors together and get them to work together around you, both as a rider or club." 

I understand you helped facilitate Nicki's move to Grindsted...

“Nicki and I have known each other for many years and we got together again around speedway when we signed the main sponsor deal with the Danish national team. In many ways Nicki and I share the same old fashioned and “down to earth” values and I liked that he went for the national coach position. Nicki came over to my office in Kolding one day and we had a talk about the Grindsted adventure, and I felt Nicki’s passion to go for it, and show that he decides when the fat mama sings. Grindsted could not perform sufficient finances in order for Nicki to sign the deal. But I committed to cover a big chunk of the Grindsted deal in order for Nicki to be positive and go for it.

 

I am from Grindsted and I wanted to give the town and citizens of the town some thrills and something to be proud of. Now Grindsted is connected with a world legend athlete, and I trust that the many people in the town and around the town are very proud of this.

 

I did not do it for Grindsted Speedway, but for the city and people of the town, and the sport in general."

Your business has a base in Poland, so do you anticipate having the chance to watch some speedway over in Poland in 2024?

“We have 3P Logistics™ and 3PLFRIGO™ offices in both Gdansk and Warsaw, so I am in two pretty good locations to get myself into some speedway stadiums around Poland in 2024. I do really admire the enthusiasm and support towards speedway in Poland, and I enjoy both GPs, Ekstraliga and 1 division meetings."

How do you rate Denmark's chances of team success in 2024? Can they do well at the SoN event in July?

“First of all, I would like to state that I had hoped that the Team World Cup would be back on the program every year. If the organisation would like to run both Team World Cup and SoN every year it would be fine, but for sure I do prefer Team World Cup against SoN. I think Denmark is always a country and team to count in on the podium in any competition, so yes, as the main sponsor of the Danish National Team, I do expect the Danish Team to perform well in all competitions. You know Michael, there is no such thing as free dinners."  

Do you plan further expansion of sponsorship to more riders in the future, either Danish or otherwise?

“I do think I have 2024 in a good place, when it comes to my main sponsorships within speedway, both clubs and riders. However, if something interesting should come up, then I always take a very serious look at it and take it from there. I love the sport and I will do whatever I can, to be a good supporter, of the sport, at all times."  

Going back to your list of supported riders, many of them are group members here. I asked some of them for their thoughts about the way you help them. Here are their replies: 

Nicki Pedersen: "I've known Paw for many years and he's a really good guy who has a big heart and who loves his speedway. 

The Danish National Team were fortunate to have Paw and his company sponsor our clothing last year and we look forward to more great collaboration next year. Paw also will be a main sponsor for me in my new team in Grindsted and I really look forward to working with him in this new chapter for me in Denmark. 

I'm very grateful to Paw for his help and support!"

Rasmus Jensen: "Having Paw is a great person to have on board for sure. Not only is his help financially important but other stuff him and 3PL are doing is also great to be a part of.

During the season he also follows pretty much everything I do. So that’s another pretty cool thing so I’m very pleased to have him on board."

Erik Gundersen: "I have known Paw for many many years Michael, and he is an amazing friend, and he loves his speedway from his heart! He is heavy involved in the club at Grindsted and also with the DMU, and many riders, when he gets involved he goes all in, in the most valued way, for all concerned, he has helped me in so many ways! I do wish that there were more people like Paw, he is just amazing as a business man , but most important as the man he is - he is all heart!"

Nicolai Klindt: "Paw and his company 3P Logistics started their backing back in the middle of 2018 and have been on the journey with me since then.

He is a very honest and loyal sponsor, who has been with me through up and downs. He's very forward thinking and always got lots of ideas of how to do things better, which is very similar to how I think when it comes to my racing. The backing, help and advice that I've had from Paw over the last 6 years has been a massive help for me and my race programme, which I'm more than grateful for."

Martin Vaculik: "Actually we have started our cooperation not so long ago but 3PL Group has been a great support for me. There are not to many people especially in this sport that are willing to help a wide range of riders. Paw is a great person who loves this sport and I am lucky to be part of his team. Riders can successfully compete only with their sponsors support so my success this year was greatly influenced by Paw and his company. So it is our success and I am extremely thankful to my friend Paw. I hope and truly believe that we can do even better in future."

Luke Becker: “Having Paw join and be a part of my team next year is something I’m really excited about. We only just met a few months ago and I can already see how good of a guy he is to have in your corner. Paw seems to have a different mind set when it comes to wanting to grow the sport helping all the riders he does, but also helping them as individuals off the track. I admire his work ethic and his story of what it took to be as successful as he is. I am really looking forward to working with him in the new year and representing his companies in 2024.”

Thank you Paw for the interview, and thanks to all the riders who gave me their replies above. 

Michael Purves, December 2023