Erik van Velden

From student to head of technical services. Erik van Velden is proud of his development and the trust he receives from Beekenkamp Group.

Erik can rightly be called a textbook example when it comes to developing yourself in a company. Smiling, he steps into the office in the morning for the interview; he enjoys talking about his career, but it is somewhat out of his comfort zone. That Erik is a real Beekenkamper, they knew that in the Marketing department for a long time, but from the^age of 15, that promises to be a great story!

Erik tells how it all started: “When I was ¹⁵, I was looking for a part-time job. I could work for my grandfather in the pot and vegetable plants, but my uncle who worked at Deliflor Chrysanthemums was up on staff, so I went to work there. A fun and diverse job. From getting cuttings in and out of the cold store to supplying cask, every day was different.” Erik is currently in the final year of his VMBO education.

Erik is finishing up VMBO and after the summer vacations he will start his mbo education in Automation and Energy Technology. In his spare time, he is still active at Deliflor. At the Christmas party at Beekenkamp Group, the company of which Deliflor is a part, Erik came into contact with colleagues from Technical Services: “I was looking for an internship and they were looking for support with various activities, win-win! During my 8-week internship, the colleagues from Technical Services and I became so enthusiastic that I made the switch from a part-time job at Deliflor to Technical Services. The work was super diverse and educational for me, I looked for malfunctions, did maintenance on machines and was allowed to contribute ideas on how things could be done better and faster.”

Erik is finishing his secondary education and at Beekenkamp they didn’t want to let him go. “They wouldn’t let me leave,” he jokes. Erik likes this himself because he is having a blast. He starts work as a Mechanic and is immediately thrown in at the deep end because a colleague dropped out. He says: “Being thrown in at the deep end is always a challenge, but this was a very interesting one! It shows that the company had confidence in me and dared to express this in the form of this position.” Erik goes to work at the various Beekenkamp production sites and soon gets his own work bus, always a special moment in a mechanic’s career.

After working as a Mechanic for more than 10 years, Erik noticed he was ready for something different. “Basically, troubleshooting is always the same trick; just thinking logically and finding the right place to start. The challenge was running out,” Erik says. Besides being fanatical at work, he is perhaps even more fanatical on the soccer field. Unfortunately, this results in a nasty injury that keeps him at home for several weeks. Sitting still? That’s not lost on Erik. “With my laptop on my lap, I spent those weeks digitizing a lot of Technical Service documentation and after this, the Research and Development Center (RDC) project came my way. Beekenkamp had bought a piece of land and a state-of-the-art greenhouse had to be drawn in here.”

Through this work, Erik grows to become Project Manager of the RDC and, in addition to drawing in, deals with planning, contact with the consulting firm and construction meetings. In this position, he has to deal with many different people and parties. Erik explains enthusiastically, “Because I worked for years as a Mechanic in the field, it was a matter of applying my knowledge on the front end of the project. This is another great example of tackling a challenge, just doing it and, above all, thinking logically a lot.”

Erik feels like a fish out of water in the role of Project Manager and as soon as the RDC is completed, the next projects are already in the pipeline. A major renovation is taking place at Deliflor, the vegetable location in ‘s-Gravenzande is being expanded by 1.5 hectares, and a newly acquired location is to be completely rebuilt into a greenhouse for young plants. “In this job, ‘no’ is literally not an answer, we always have to think in solutions and that’s what makes it so super challenging,” Erik said.

At the time of writing, Erik has advanced to Head of Technical Services. Proudly, he says, “This position came my way this year, and you know what’s a fun fact? For every position I’ve had at Beekenkamp so far, I’ve never had to apply. Hard work and a positive attitude will get you there! And this is what I want to maintain in my new position, to be the spider in the web and above all to stay normal”.

Erik loves working for a family business like Beekenkamp. There is investment in job satisfaction and the personal approach makes you feel like you are really contributing to the company’s growth. “Another thing I can really appreciate about Beekenkamp Group is that they are engaged in innovation. We are almost always open to putting prototypes of machines and installations into use. Great examples are the Drygair, the clip machine and the press line for field vegetables,” Erik says.

Erik is also a regular face at staff association activities. Cooking, canoeing or the annual party, with great pleasure Erik attends. “The social aspect of these activities is really super fun, you meet colleagues from all over the company and it’s also nice not to have to talk about work sometimes.”