THE BIG ACHIEVEMENTS OF A SMALL TOWN

Maybe Nizhnekamsk is really what it seems to be — a clean and compact town. The most convenient town to live in the whole country in fact. It's not a coincidence that the famous politician Zhirinovsky was outraged when he visited the town. The locals still laugh when they recall how Zhirinovsky who visited their town in an attempt to win more votes for election was shouting: «You have entrenched yourselves here! There are only oligarchs in your town! If I come into power I will take you out of your cars and put you straight on the donkeys!»

THE BIG ACHIEVEMENTS OF A SMALL TOWN

A CRIME AGAINST THE LANDSCAPE

Nizhnekamsk, which in English would be translated as Low Kama, is a small town by modern standards with a population of slightly over 200 thousand people. True to its name, the town is located in the flood-lands of lower Kama. Its an exceptionally picturesque area, with thousands of lakes, verdant meadows, groves and fir tree forests with tall and mighty pine trees. In fact the contrast with the petrochemical complex that sprawls nearby is shocking.

Gazing at the top of the hill one's eye is suddenly caught by the plant's ominous silhouette. It looks like the castle of Koschey Scrag, a character from Russian fairy tales, as depicted in the films of Alexander Row. It is an instant mood-spoiler — Why did it have to be built here of all places?!

It takes some time to get used to a «neighbor» like this. It took the locals forty years.

The first tractor-and-sled train brought the builders of the future petrochemicals giant across the virgin land to this place in December 1960. And in 2002 «Nizhnekamskneftekhim» (which at the time was just one workshop of Nizhnekamsk Tire Plant) celebrated its 35'th anniversary counting from the date when it produced the first hydrocarbons for further processing into isoprene, isobutene and isobutylene.

A CHEMISTS' BREADBASKET

Forty years ago there was nothing other than steppe and foundation trenches. Back then the plan was simple and clear: «Tatar oil from Almetyevsk — synthetic rubber — automobile tires». But very soon the petrochemical workshop outgrew its purpose and felt restricted by this narrow plan. The government decided to spin it off into a separate enterprise. At present OAO «Nizhnekamskneftekhim» comprises ten factories, three representative offices — in Moscow, Samara and Ufa, and five affiliates — «Medico» plant and four departments of ethylene pipeline transportation.

Based on statistics the petrochemicals specialists from Nizhnekamsk could be called the suppliers of all other chemists. This is an honorable role, although its a well- known fact that when we buy bread the lions share of the money we pay goes to bakers and shops selling bread rather than to the peasants who collected the grain or the millers who turn the grain into flour. Invariably the finished product is several times more expensive than the raw materials or even semi-finished goods. This sad fact is well known to both the government of Tatarstan and President Shaimiyev's administration. The leaders of the Tatarstan republic seek to turn their country from a provider of raw materials and semi-finished goods into a seller of finished products. This is the essence of «separatist» trends observed in Kazan. Strangely, this trend is supported in Nizhnekamsk. Vladimir Busygin, general director of «Nizhnekamskneftekhim» says that the enterprises Board of Directors has already developed a program to involve small and medium businesses based in Tatarstan in production using materials supplied by the plant. It would be foolish to give away heaps of money to third-party producers of packaging materials, dashboards, plastic bowls, soap trays, furniture and many other goods. Moreover, an oil refinery is being built on the territory of the complex in partnership with Tatneft, which will produce its own petrol. In other words, this is all logical and correct.

GREEN CONTROLLERS

But its still upsetting somehow. It's not enough to have a petrochemical enterprise here — they want to start molding bowls in this gorgeous landscape!

But there was a dim suspicion, which kept growing in me as I went from the enterprise to the town (a journey of about 8 kilometers) looking at the green pine and fir trees. All ecologists know that needle-leaved trees are the most sensitive pollution indicator. In this place they should have been yellow rather than green, their needles should have been falling, but in actual fact they were green and looked very healthy, as if they were teasing me with the green branches and saying — go ahead, there are many more surprises in store.

The town was also rather green, tranquil and surprisingly clean. «Looks like they never spit on the road here», I thought to myself with some consternation. And my annoyance reached a peak when I learned that in 2001 Nizhnekamsk was named No. 1 town in Russia in terms of living standards.

«This cannot be true, it must be some kind of Potemkin village», — I thought.

But no matter how much I sniffed the air I could not detect the smell of chemicals, no matter how hard I tried. A suspicion rose in my mind, but I had to dismiss it — you can't pay for the air over a particular territory to be circulated can you? This must be the reason why «Nizhnekamskneftekhim» is spending money on sports.

«GENERALS» SPORTS

The small town has its own football team which plays in the first division competing for the Russian national cup, and there is a hockey team, which plays in the super-league. The teams cost five million dollars a year, of which three million is spent on the hockey team and two million is spent on the football team.

Having spoken to Nail Gizatullin, the president of the Football Club «Neftekhimik», I discovered that he was not happy with the two million. It turns out that according to the rules a first league team should have a budget of at least three million dollars. However «general» Busygin (in Russia the general directors of the big enterprises around which towns and cities are built are often called «generals») does not give enough money, explaining that he does not have it at the moment. That's why the club has to sell its players to the Moscow-based «Torpedo» and Kazan-based «Rubin», to earn the missing million. There is even one player from Nizhnekamsk with the Russian national team. Thankfully the organizing bodies of Russian football are turning a blind eye to the disgraceful poverty of «Neftekhimik». The «general» found money for the hockey team, since he plans to build a huge sports palace for them. Finnish engineers and construction managers are already in town. «If we could have about five million, — says Nail dreamily. — We would buy some stars and win the Russian championship. Football is a game that you have to know how to play».

The most offensive comment I could think of was: «So you're saying you want to buy outsiders because you can't play?»

Nail smiled: «Why don't you check out the local sports school for kids?»

CATCHING WATER MELONS, THE NIZHNEKAMSK WAY

At the address I was given, I found a football field with turf worthy of «Wembley» stadium. On the field there were a number of boys slightly taller than the football. I smiled at the sight of the three miniature players forming a wall of defense — covering up their privates in a very adult fashion — while Alyosha the goal-keeper hollered at them: «Make it denser, Damir, move to the left!»

The mini-forward took a run and kicked the ball. The shot was worthy of an adult. The ball hit the wall and Damir fell.

— Up! — shouted the coach. — Stop sobbing, it's not the end of the world!

Ilsur Husmetdinov has not been coaching for long. Formerly he played with «Neftekhimik» and was with the team through good times and bad. In 1999 the team was relegated to the second division, but a year later it returned to the first and set a record by not losing a single game that season.

— Rustam, you have to catch the ball clean. It's not a melon you're catching, — commented Ilsur to another goalie slightly older than Alyosha.

The boys on the field broke out laughing.

— Watermelon, watermelon!, — they shouted pointing at the goalie.

It seemed as though poor Rustam had just received a nickname that would stick.

ZHIRINOVSKYS OUTRAGE

A scrawny boy was running around the main football pitch in Nizhnekamsk. At times he seemed almost to glide over the surface. At times he took long, powerful strides while at others he hunched forward in energetic spurts. It was already dinnertime and the sun was setting, the terrace cast a long shadow on the ground, but the boy carried on running like a maniac.

He was not mad, however. Sasha Fedorov, a short boy with a pleasant smile is the European championship silver medal winner in the 10,000 m race. The boy is coached by his father, Nikolay, who is also a decorated sportsman (he won the veteran world championship in Durban, Africa). «I don't like Moscow and I would not want to live there, it's so shiny as if it's not a Russian city at all», — said Sasha.

Imagine a Muscovite hearing this in the Tatar town Nizhnekamsk! Actually these words were the straw that broke the camels back. I was amazed. Perhaps after all Nizhnekamsk really is what it seems to be — a clean and compact town. The most convenient town in the whole country. Its not a coincidence that the famous politician Zhirinovsky was outraged when he visited. The locals still laugh when they recall how Zhirinovsky, who had come in an attempt to win more votes for election, shouted: «You have entrenched yourselves here! There are only oligarchs in your town! If I come into power I will take you out of your cars and put you straight onto donkeys!»

CARPET FROM MOSCOW

In other words, it was time for me to think. Perhaps «general» Busygin was not guided by his ambitions after all when he spent corporate funds on top-class football and hockey players.

The enterprise earns a healthy income of more than $600 million per year, but the net sales profit is $88 million. It has to make payments under its current and long-term liabilities as well as invest in its own development. Against this backdrop five million seems like a lot of money. I believe that the general director has to account for the funds spent before the Board of Directors and the meeting of shareholders. And the company's principal shareholders are all serious entities. Other than the limited partnership «Nizhnekamskneftekhim and Co» (15,6%), the shareholders include the State Property Committee of Tatarstan (with a blocking stake of 35,2%) and ОАО «Tatarstan-US Investment and Finance» (10%). And if they don't object to this kind of investment then there must be something in it. I imagine that the Tatarstan business generals are too busy to have seen how the young football players and their future brides from the artistic gymnastics section train.

It's not immediately clear which of these girls is the coach. Nelly Giniyatova, the master of sports, is 21 years old, but she looks no older than 14. It is strange to see how this girl frowns: «When did I win the prize at the Tatarstan championship? I really don't remember. I think it was 1998». Nelly is clearly proud of her covered gym. «The carpet for gymnasts was brought straight from Moscow. I have not seen carpet like this one even at the championship in Kazan». 3 thousand children train in 16 sports at the palace of Sports. When the population of the town is two hundred thousand people this means practically all children.

In the hardest years the enterprise did not lay off a single coach from children's sports schools. Yes, they sold, sell and will be selling accomplished players from the football and hockey clubs. And they will ask a lot of money for them and haggle hard. But we are talking big sport and it has its own laws. Mass sport however (without the promise of world records) is protected in Nizhnekamsk like a rare flower in a greenhouse. Maybe this is the reason why there are so many slim, pretty girls and well-built boys on the streets of Nizhnekamsk. And the men who work at the enterprise and who used to do sports but didn't make the ranks of world champions have no habit of drinking after work hours. Perhaps this is why there are so many private cars in the town which so outraged Vladimir Zhirinovsky.

INTERIOR SCENE

Big, modern-day businesses have a document known as the «Company's Portrait». It is uncannily similar to the portfolios of Hollywood stars. But the impressive-looking folder does not contain flashy pictures, but rather lists the main characteristics of the enterprise. Essentially these are like photos of a company taken at different angles, close-ups and long distance shots. The first page has a map of Russia that reads «OAO «Nizhnekamskneftekhim» has a good location in one of the most stable regions of Russia, which is appealing to investors — the Republic of Tatarstan».

As they say in foreign films, this is truth and nothing but the truth. But there is more to it than that. I would have enclosed a picture of the young football player Damir, in this corporate portfolio, who frowns and pulls himself to his feet after stopping a penalty. And a photo of gymnastics coach Nelly Giniyatova with her little students. And a photo of Sasha Fedorov pounding along the stadium track. Of the exquisite Lilia Islamova, a European champion in free-style wrestling. And Nikolay Afanasiev, six-time decathlon national champion, along with his wife and coach, Yelena, also a world-class athlete. And I would also take pictures of a simple yard off a simple street or of pedestrians in the street. And the main thing — and I apologize to the citizens of Nizhnekamsk for my uninvited piece of advice — but were I to take a photograph of «general» Vladimir Busygin he would not be dressed in suit and tie sitting in his study surrounded by telephones.

I remember seeing Vladimir sitting in the stadium when his team was playing the «Spartak» team from Nalchik. The «Petrochemists» were loosing the game and it was very painful and foolish to loose 0:2 at home.

In the rostrum opposite Vladimir the local «torsida» (fans) were going wild — they were whistling, waving the green white and red flags and shouting abuse at their favourite team and the referee. The «general» was leaning forward. His normally friendly face had turned to stone and his eyes read: «Bastards, what are you doing? Go, boys, go! Victory is hard work. Only the strongest win in this life».

CHAMPIONS NEVER LOOSE

«General» Busygin knows the price of victories and success better than anyone. In 2000 «Nizhnekamskneftekhim» was awarded the prize «Russian National Olympus». And under the Olympic system, as everyone knows, the looser is out of the competition immediately. Once this prize had been awarded there was no way back — they had to prove their Olympic class in big business. So far the enterprise has been successful: in 2001 the Russian government declared it one of Russia's top ten enterprises and in the same year it was awarded the prize «Russia's Best Exporter» by the Ministry of Economics. This year it has won the «Enterprise of the XXI century» and « Manager of the XXI century» (actually awarded to Vladimir Busygin himself), which are approved by the European Council.

In other words, the petrochemists from Nizhnekamsk have cornered themselves with their passion for sport and champions' ambitions. Now they have to keep winning, because true champions never loose. They can only give in.

Sergey PETUKHOV