Why Batumi? An Engineer-Investor's Perspective

On the eastern shore of the Black Sea, Batumi — once a quiet port town — has become almost unrecognisable over the past twenty years. I have followed that transformation closely, both as a civil engineer and as an investor, and I chose to take part in it. People often ask me: “Why Batumi?” My answer begins with a habit my profession taught me: I look at the ground first.

For an engineer, the ground is the guarantee of everything you build on top of it. For an investor, that “ground” is a country's stability, its location and the direction of its growth. Georgia sits at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, with an open economy and a fast-moving investment climate. Batumi is one of those rare cities where tourism, healthcare and real estate are all growing at once. For me these are not three separate opportunities; they are a single ecosystem that feeds itself.

On the healthcare side, that vision took shape with BAU International Hospital. I am one of the co-founders of this internationally accredited, multi-profile hospital, which has been operating in Batumi since 2016. I believe that before a city can truly attract investment, it first needs safe, high-quality healthcare infrastructure. We continue to expand the hospital today, because demand in the region responds quickly when the right service is offered.

On the real estate side, the discipline of my profession showed most clearly in the Porta Batumi Tower project. This 164-metre, 43-storey seafront tower was delivered with an international architectural team. What mattered to me was not its height, but whether the building could still hold its original quality years later. That is exactly what engineering is: building not what catches the eye, but what endures.

For years I ran projects in places like Libya, Qatar and Kazakhstan, often under difficult conditions. If that experience taught me one thing, it is patience. Investments that chase quick gains usually lose just as quickly. I believe in long-term value that you can build something upon — much like a solid foundation.

The short answer to “Why Batumi?” is this: because here, both my engineer's side and my investor's side speak the same language. On the right ground, with the right patience, lasting work is possible. In the period ahead, my focus will stay the same: making a long-term contribution to this city and region, in healthcare and real estate.