The firm "Virginia" has been in operation in the Republic of Mari-El since 1995. It's primary focus has been on travel services and introduction services. More than 300 citizens from 20 countries of the world have visited Yoshkar-Ola and been hosted by Virginia, including people from the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Australia New Zealand, Israel, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Netherlands, France, India, and Japan.

The firm Raisalee is a relative newcomer to Mari-El. It was founded by Kenneth Lee, a US citizen who came to Yoshkar-Ola in 1999 and married a Russian woman. He took up residence and has been living here since before the New Millenium. His firm is primarily focused on promoting local artists and marketing and exporting Russian art, sculpture and crafts.