‘Exposure to some light - and then ask 10 cents more’
sustainability and labour. There is also a clear difference: “Your sector has too many inter- mediate links. Try to approach the consumer as directly as possible!” Just how well BAS has understood this principle soon became obvious. The staggering investment in e-commerce, in particular, has propelled BAS into the ranks of the largest exporters of trucks; 73% is sold online, the majority of which direct. “We employ more programmers than sales people.” As savings are made on sales, negotiations, agents and auctions – the highly innovative system does all the work itself–BAS can invest in new business and applications. As examples, he mentioned modified dumper trucks for the mining industry in Mali and the roll out of online fleet management. His advice to the participants: “Learn your languages, go and see what is happening abroad, the Netherlands is too small!” And finally he had some sound business tips. “Have the courage to define and quantify goals; know your strong and weak
points and search out the right people; always be motivated to improve; enjoy what you do; work hard, lead by example; dare to seek cooperation.”
Follow your dreams
The Friday afternoon session was opened by Hennie van den Einde with a short presentation about Walkro and Walkro Maasmechelen in particular. This was followed by a coach trip to Maasmechelen where the person responsible for phase 1, Nico Troisfontaine, and his col- leagues gave the Young Ones a 90-minute tour of the Walkro site. The new production facility for Indoor 2 (9,000 tons of fresh compost per week) was especially impressive (see also MB 6/2014).
Back in Maastricht, John van Zweden, wallpa- pering king from The Hague and co-owner of Swansea City, recounted a fantastic story about his adventures with the football club. When Swansea City was facing bankruptcy it was bought by a group of fans and the loyal staff, players and trainers helped the club regain financial health and climb back up the league tables to the Premier League. Van Zweden enjoyed the symposium so much he joined the group for the ‘eat and drink your way round Maastricht’ outing. The fun continued until the early hours!!!
The final presentation was scheduled after breakfast on Saturday morning. Ronald Paarde- kooper, marketer at Voergroep Zuid explained the changing trends in the food market to the Young Ones, and how best to respond. Based on his own practical experiences, he demonstrated that everything is always in a state of flux, and that entrepreneurs have to keep on their toes and continue to develop and innovate. “Always follow your dreams and never give up!” was his final message.
Bas van Heertum, owner of BAS Group: ‘The Netherlands is too small!’
Walkro and the participants can look back on a successful and inspirational symposium.
MUSHROOM BUSINESS 41
The ‘young ones’ listen carefully to Van Heertum’s presentation.
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