T

urkey's ESBAS (the Aegean Free Zone) rests at a prime business location: the crossroads of Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Nestled into the city of Izmir, Turkey's third- largest city and No. 1 exporting seaport, ESBAS offers state of the art infrastructure, attractive financial incentives and an exceptional quality of life for western executives and their families.
   It's impossible to overstate ESBAS' desirability as a logistics hub. With its strategic position and easy access to Europe and Asia, Turkey has long attracted U.S. and European businesses eager to establish a foothold in these regions.
   ESBAS attracts more foreign direct investment and employs more workers than any of Turkey's 20 other Free Zones. With its infrastructure- ready sites and ready- to- use manufacturing facilities, the master- planned industrial park is a site selection hotbed. Recent expansions by powerhouses like Hugo Boss, Delphi and Eldor have swelled the ESBAS' work force to more than 14,000 workers. Most impressively, in 2005 the zone generated more than US$3.7 billion in international trade.
   Moreover, ESBAS offers the arresting appeal of Izmir, a modern, European- style city renowned for it's beauty. Much of Izmir was destroyed in Turkey's fight for liberation in the first half of the 20th century. When the city was subsequently rebuilt, attracting international investment was a central focus. That emphasis is clearly evident in today's Izmir, a city of palm- lined promenades, avenues and green parks, all set in sweeping curves along the bay. Izmir is known, in fact, as "the Pearl of the Aegean."
   ESBAS was founded in 1990 by Kaya Tuncer, a Turkish- American entrepreneur educated in the United States and a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Mr. Tuncer enhances the AFZ's appeal by offering foreign firms the same exacting design standards found in the U.S. and Western Europe.
   Companies operating in ESBAS enjoy substantial tax advantages and financial incentives: Manufacturing companies are exempt from corporate tax, earnings and revenues can freely be transferred, there are no VAT tax on Turkish goods and services for ESBAS users, no duties or tariffs for goods imported into ESBAS from abroad, imports can remain in ESBAS without time limitations, direct sales are allowed to Turkey, and there are no limits on proportion of capital participation in the zone.
   Building for lease in the Zone are provided on a turnkey basis, satisfying the most demanding tenant requirements from form height, floor capacity and lighting to heating and ventilation. ESBAS has long stressed corporate security, adding to the comfort and peace of mind for those living and working in the zone. ESBAS is a secure, fenced- in development, staffed by its own industrial security of 40 uniformed officers, who patrol the zone around the clock. Additionally, ESBAS has its own fire department, and customs services at the entry gates.
   Naturally, ESBAS offers all the essential business basics, including electricity, water, telecommunications and natural gas to all sites. ESBAS supplies a wide array of supplemental services as well, including loading and unloading, equipment rental, stock control, construction, repair and maintenance, customs brokerage, and port- related services. They'll even provide assistance with your labor recruitment!
   ESBAS tenants enjoy still more advantageous amenities, including:
   • The ESBAS Technology Center, a 250- seat conference center that provides seminar rooms and a product showroom for tenant companies. In addition, the facility offers simultaneous translation, multi- media and teleconferencing capabilities.
   • The ESBAS Concert & Sports Hall, a 96,000- sq.- ft. (8,900- sq.m.) complex with both indoor and outdoor venues. Activities include musical events, plus volleyball and basketball competitions between company teams.
   • The Child Care Center, which provides 16 classrooms for as many as 240 children from 45 days to 6 years old. The center has a permanent staff of professionals, as well as a music room, a library, indoor and outdoor playgrounds, and an amphitheater.
   • The Medical/Dental Clinic, staffed by two physicians, an internist, a dentist and two nurses, open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
   • The Antique Car Museum, a pleasant diversion for visitors and busy executives, featuring 15 rare, mint- condition autos, including a 1928 Ford Model A Coupe, a 1937 Packard Sedan and a 1940 Cadillac La Salle.
   • The ESBAS Sculpture Garden.
   • Space Camp Turkey, a facility of some 90,000- sq.- ft. (8,000- sq.m.) where young people from many nations come together for programs that combine science education, fun, and friendship.
   Turkey's potential accession into the European Union only heightens ESBAS' attractiveness to Western corporations. With its exceptional amenities, outstanding quality of life and unmatched positioning as a logistics hub, The Aegean Free Zone can expect to remain the regional location of choice for corporate site seekers.