There is an eternal truth that the very best people leave this world while being on the peak of their glory, strength and capability. As if an unfamiliar force is willing to save their greatness from oblivion. Facing strong challenges, realistic for the future, dedicated to his family, and always bright and generous throughout his life...The day the Ilija Kamchev left this world was incredibly shattering for all of us who had the honour and privilege to learn from a man with a generous heart. A visionary, who succeeded in creating one of the most recognizable companies that we are all proud of. We regretfully announce that Ilija Kamchev passed away on August 14th, 2009.

For him, nothing was impossible. With a strong belief and potential he always managed to find a solution for each problem. Owing it to his visionary power, dedication and unselfishness, Orka reached the highest level on the scale among today’s most successful companies, whose brands are a synonym for success, quality and reliability. His abilities, virtues and humanity are the inspiration and motivation all of us who had the privilege to be part of his life.
With pride and remembrance we speak about his life achievements starting from his very beginnings. His story is an example of how with ones’ own work, dedication and knowledge can a highly valued and respected company be created, raised and maintained.
Ilija Kamchev was born on December 6th, 1937 in the village Marena near Kavadarci, Macedonia. In severe financial conditions, with financial support only from his father, in 1944 the seven-member family moves to the capital - Skopje. After completing primary and secondary education, the young man with a great deal of enthusiasm enrols at the Faculty of Economics and graduates with excellent results. His first working experience is in the import and export department at one of the biggest production companies at that time specialized in textile import and export - Makoteks.

In the years that followed, Kamchev was devoted to developing his entrepreneurial skills. One of the major successes that we want to share dates from the year of 1976, when as an employee of Makedonija Koop, Ilija Kamchev established a representative office of the company in Sofia - Bulgaria, making him the youngest representative in all of Yugoslavia. After returning to Macedonia, he joins the firm Tehnometal in the import and export division as Director of representative offices and re-export. His success continues at the factory for sports equipment and trade Makedonija Sport. Appointed head of the company with a status before liquidation Kamchev was placed before a big challenge - to decide the fate of the factory and its 230 employees. During those extremely difficult times for Makedonija Sport, owing it all to the strong will, exceptional dedication and knowledge of Ilija Kamchev, the firm failed to vanish. Being someone who always strived to provide quality products and services, Ilija Kamchev opened a completely new factory, using cutting-edge technological equipment, launching contemporary stores where clients recognized quality. The factory and stores employed over 600 people. The investments in the production and sales capacities, together with the investments in human resources, were achieved without getting into any debt. Ilija Kamchev worked as general manager of Makedonija Sport until 1989, when he moved to Belgrade to work for a short period of time in the firm Centrotekstil.

January 30, 1990 is written in the hearts of the Kamchev family, as the date when Ilija Kamchev founded his own private company Orka. The beginning of the year 1990 was also the beginning of a new era in the Macedonian economy. That very day, a dream became reality, and that reality is still alive today. Ilija Kamchev created a powerful company with his capital and hard work. The successes of Orka that we today are proud of precede hard work, selfless investment and skilled management, trust and reliability which the Founder offered Orka’s partners, employees and clients. Our strategist was placed before an enormous responsibility as well as challenge. Orka began modestly with a team of 60 employees working in production and in one shop. Over time the company expanded its capacities following world trends of work and promoting a successful model of corporate governance.

During his 40-year working life, Ilija Kamchev dearly loved and respected his country, employees and his family. He managed to create a successful team who is committed and tirelessly continues working following his ideas, strategies and principles. He will remain in our memories primarily as a man with a big heart. It is unarguably simple to continue managing a company which is based on the principles of honesty, vision, commitment, quality and trust. We want to emphasize that it is our immense pleasure and honour that we were his associates.