Demaco co-owner Jaroslav Kaizr leveraged his Paskov roots to transform a former coal mine into a rail-focused logistics hub
Industrial developer Demaco has completed the construction of the DMC 2 building within DMC Paskov industrial park, located on the former Paskov coal mine site in the Moravian-Silesian region. The development has transformed a long-dormant brownfield between Paskov and Ostrava into modern facilities serving Škoda Auto and Lenzing Biocel Paskov. With the completion of DMC2, the park is fully operational and strategically prepared for further expansion.
Built across two phases since 2022, the project currently leverages direct access to PKP Cargo International’s rail cargo terminal—a strategic advantage that drove the commitments of both tenants.
This is one of those developments that has a personal angle. Demaco co-owner Jaroslav Kaizr grew up in Paskov, giving him first-hand knowledge of local infrastructure and opportunities. “When Škoda Auto approached us in 2021 looking for logistics space near rail cargo terminal in Moravia-Silesia, the answer was obvious,” Kaizr says. “I knew there was an available site for development next to the rail cargo terminal,” he recounts. Within weeks, Demaco secured the site and eventually delivered the first building DMC 1 for Škoda’s automotive components operations.
The second phase took shape when Lenzing Biocel Paskov decided to consolidate its warehousing operations, previously spread across five locations around Ostrava. Demaco worked closely with municipal, regional, and state authorities to amend the master plan for the land adjacent to the Škoda Auto site. The entire planning and permitting process vas completed within an exceptionally short timeframe of just 15 months.
The Lenzing facility now supports the company’s dissolving wood pulp exports, with goods moving directly from the warehouse to the rail terminal for international shipment, primarily to Asian markets.
As both tenants prioritized proximity to rail infrastructure, Demaco designed the buildings with technical specifications optimized for rail cargo operations. This includes provisions for a rail spur connection that will allow direct loading from warehouse to train.
“Many developers start with a predefined land bank or focus on proximity to major cities,” Kaizr says. “We start with the user. We identify where their operation works best, and then we stay in that location long term—developing industrial parks step by step and contributing to the positive transformation of the wider area. Each project is approached individually, and our dmc construct 4.2 technical standard is always tailored to the specific requirements of the tenant’s operation.”
While many municipalities resist new industrial developments, brownfield sites often allow for broader consensus. Kaizr describes the original site as a “black hole on the map” that once separated Paskov from Ostrava—definitely a place residents actively avoided, even though natural vegetation had reclaimed portions of the property over the years. To improve the area further, Demaco is now working on pedestrian and cycling routes through the industrial park, reconnecting the two towns and further integrating the site into the surrounding landscape.
In Paskov, local knowledge helped Kaizr recognize the opportunity, but he sees Demaco’s broader strength in its flexibility and owner-driven approach to business.
“We see ourselves as entrepreneurs rather than managers – we are owners,” he says. “When Demaco was still a relatively unknown name, flexibility wasn’t a choice; it was essential for us to earning trust and winning business”
That mindset proved decisive in Demaco’s cooperation with automotive supplier Forvia. The company initially approached Demaco based on a strong reference for a challenging project in Pardubice. Forvia then sought to replicate the experience at its site in Nýřany, owned by a fund managed by CBRE Investment Management.
As the investor required a single point of responsibility, Demaco stepped in as general contractor—meeting a demanding set of technical, financial, and governance criteria in the process. Successfully delivering Forvia’s project marked a turning point for Demaco and helped accelerate its growth. Today, acting as a general contractor for third-party investors has become one of the core pillars of its business model.
This evolution also shaped Demaco’s internal philosophy. “We learned that if you want to stay flexible, you need partners rather than layers of management,” Kaizr says. “Flexibility is our competitive advantage—and we are determined to protect it.”
That same owner-driven approach also shaped how Demaco structured its growth. Rather than expanding into a large managerial organization, the two partners chose to remain lean and entrepreneurial. Their most important addition was bringing in Zdeněk Raus as CFO and minority partner to strengthen the financial backbone of the company without compromising agility.
From an investment perspective, Demaco’s ambition—at DMC Paskov and across its projects—has never been to build a long-term portfolio. Instead, the partners have sought to develop assets to an institutional standard and prepare them for potential sale, while retaining management responsibilities. That strategy remains valid.
However, as the portfolio has grown and Demaco built its in-house property management and energy teams, the balance has shifted. Rather than pursuing individual exits project by project, the company now focuses on further portfolio growth and operational optimization. As Kaizr notes, the question today is less about whether to sell and more about when—and under what conditions.
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