Leading the company Sterile, which sets new standards in the fight against microbes, is an inventive and successful young woman. In parallel she manages sales at the Junior Hotel and is active in the Hellenic Business Association of Serbia, and she achieves everything thanks to the support of her family
We have many products in our offer that help our business with their quality and comparative advantages and at the same time respond to the needs of our clients – says Ms Sliousaregko and singles out the stars of Sterile’s offering – SteriForce SafeAir and the Midea 5-phase filter.
Sterile was founded in 2020, at a particularly delicate moment for Serbia, but also for the rest of the world. Did the primordial need to provide a safer working and living environment for those around you lead you to this?
At the outbreak of the pandemic, the focus of our business was the Junior Hotel. In the months that followed, we realized that both our needs and the needs of our guests would change in a number of ways.
The period that followed was very challenging for hospitality industry and required many adjustments, especially in health and safety measures.
A not so great situation gave birth to, I would say, a brilliant business idea. Thanks to the support of our investors from Greece, we intensively researched the market to find the best quality products and solutions that will provide our staff and guests with a healthy and safe environment, and for us to continue our business uninterrupted.
How much did the fact that you approached this from the hotel industry, which implies impeccable hygiene, help you in the search and selection of the best quality products for disinfection and sterilization?
The hotel industry and the specific rules that we had to follow definitely set the guidelines for finding the best solutions. For the needs of our hotel, we purchased disinfectants that were available on our market at that time, but we soon realized that the amount of chemicals used would cause all kinds of challenges in our daily business. This led us to buy the products for which we are now representatives and distributors. The first product we bought to protect our guests and staff was a disinfectant spray for surface and air protection in small droplets and with minimal use of chemicals. This product not only made our work much easier, but also motivated us to become its importer for the hospitality sector. In a very short time that followed, the need for disinfection solutions also spread to medical and educational institutions, which today we include in our client list, including hotels and restaurants.
You decided very quickly to offer your products on a web shop. What motivated you to start expanding the portfolio with specific air purification devices and water filters? And why Eva?
Since our research was aimed at finding suitable protection against the materis harmful to health, we enriched the range with products of similar purpose such as water, air and surface purifiers, which unfortunately nowadays are becoming a necessary part of all premises, home, business etc…
The expanded portfolio and the needs of the modern customer soon led to the launch of the web shop, which is known today as Eva. And why Eva? Because this word means life, and as such is associated with cleanliness and safety, and represents our entire portfolio.
You mentioned that your range consists of water, air and surface purifiers. Would you single out any product as the star of Sterile’s offering? Are there perhaps several of them and which devices are they?
Our offering includes a number of products that, with their quality and comparative advantages, help our business and at the same time respond to the needs of our clients. One of them is surely SteriForce SafeAir, a device for cleaning and disinfecting air and surfaces without the use of chemicals and without ozone. Its main advantage is that it neutralizes more than 99.9% of airborne bacteria and viruses, while also preventing the growth of fungi and removing odors, allergens and volatile organic compounds, (VOC).
The need for disinfection also spread to medical and educational institutions, which today we include on our list of our clients, besides several hotels
I should also mention our, as you put it, star among water purification devices, the Midea 5-phase filter based on reverse osmosis, which neutralizes as much as 97% of harmful elements that can contaminate tap water.
If we understand correctly, you manage sales at the Junior Hotel and are in parallel the director of Sterile doo. Today’s women are super- women?
I believe that in the difficult times we are all going through, you need to be more flexible, and invest more time and effort in your work in order to respond to the increasing and different needs of the market, work and competition. Adapting to new conditions requires constant perseverance and the development of new skills, which are an inevitable part of my business growth. It is important to note that, skills aside, I am fortunate to work with amazing people.
They give me motivation and support, and are the reason why I have stayed in the same company for many years. Although it may sound like a cliché, I think it is very important that our colleagues support us. Otherwise, there is no possibility of development and advancement, neither for the company nor for us personally. All of these are actually the reasons why I manage to be involved in the management of both companies.
What is more accurate in your case: “You successfully handle two jobs even though you have a husband and children” or “You successfully handle two jobs because you find strength and inspiration in your family”?
Family is the reason for every step I take. I personally believe that if the family is in balance, it becomes the perfect motivation to fight, move forward and achieve our goals. While I was walking through life alone, there were mornings when I simply didn’t have the strength to get going. Then they came into my life and that feeling disappeared. The children have become my inexhaustible source of strength and will, from where I draw the necessary mental energy every day. Also my husband, who is my mentor, role model, and my supporter. Together they have made me much more productive, happy, and satisfied person, and are the reason I’m where I am today.
What else connects you to Greece, apart from your surname and membership in the Hellenic Economic Association of Serbia?
My love for Greece has existed for a long time, even when it was just my favorite travel destination. Now, along with my marriage, it has become my second home. My connection with the country was completed with a professional career in two Greek companies that are part of a large Greek business group. Then there is naturally a connection with HBA and cooperation with many Greek companies operating in Serbia. As a result and crown of that collaboration, many wonderful friendships were made outside of the business environment as well. Finally, when we are talking about Greece, I would like to mention something that my husband likes to say, “Oποία πέτρα κι αν σάχώσεις, Περισμός από Παρμον Ελλάδας“, or in a loose translation – Whatever stone you turn over, savour the scent of Greece beneath.