Magazine website - Aartsen - 2023

FRESH SPECIAL
INTERVIEW
Jack Aartsen (58)
Chief Executive Officer Aartsen
(on the right with Jasper, Marcel and Menno)
THE GROWING
AMBITION
OF AARTSEN
Nonstopfresh
and future proof
fresh
special
2023 promises to be a remarkable and
busy year for Aartsen as the company
is experiencing turbulent growth. The
team knows the challenges ahead, and
everyone is willing to chip in to fulfil our
ambitions. We sat down with Jack Aartsen
and the newly board of directors and
discussed the company's future.
In this interview, Jack is as candid as he is business-minded. As
colleagues and business relations know, Jack does not dwell on prior
victories. "It's not my style. I prefer to devote my energy and time to
today's and tomorrow's challenges."
To fill our readers in on the latest developments within Aartsen: the
ERP computer system "Fresh" has been operational since November.
The construction plans for the new St. Katelijne-Waver site in Belgium
are ready to be implemented. With the appointment of Jasper van
der Sandt and Menno van Breemen, Aartsen's board of directors has
grown younger, and the entire team is energized for the future.
At the start of the conversation, Jack can't suppress his enthusiasm
when talking about "Fresh". "Five years ago, all the IT specialists
I consulted advised us to take a standard ERP package and build
our organization around it. Our implementation team decided to turn
it around. Over the past four years we have designed a new computer
system, meeting our requirements. This company has never invested
so much in a project in which I have been so little involved. It is a world
achievement for all colleagues who have put their heart, soul, time and
energy into it. I'm super proud of it, also because it says everything
about the atypical company we want to be in our sector. We're quirky,
sometimes stubborn, and in the end, distinctive. We make our own
choices, have our vision and never choose the easy way. Everybody
can take the easy route and most people ignore the difficult path. But
not with us. For more context: we are not quite there yet with Fresh.
The ERP system now scores a 6.5. That should be an eight this year,
not a seven or a 7.5 but an 8. The following applies to everything we
do in this company: we either do it well or don't."
How do you get every employee on board with your vision?
"There is a tremendous family-like connection. That's why we always
talk to each other in the we-form. I can't do anything here alone;
working closely together is ingrained in our culture. In principle,
people come first, not the position someone holds and the amount of
experience or training they may have had. Nothing will get me angrier
than seeing someone disrespected by another person."
"At Aartsen, we are all equally important and equally driven. Regardless
position or job title. Everyone makes an important contribution to our
organization. And vice versa, Aartsen ensures everyone working for
us is satisfied, and we have a small staff turnover. Our people are our
capital and our most significant treasures."
I've heard everyone works extremely hard here.
"Yeah, incredibly hard, and everyone has a winners mentality, and we've
been winning many "races". Sometimes you have to protect them from
themselves. We have been going through a tremendous growth spurt
in which turnover and the number of colleagues have doubled quickly.
Our development is fantastic, but I've been saying for years that we
can't keep up with our current growing organisation and shrinking office
buildings. Our commercial department doesn't see this as a problem;
as far as they are concerned, the express train should keep rolling.
This spirit says it all, and I agree [laughs]: if keeping up with our enormous
growth is our biggest problem, our problems are insignificant!"
Soon, the expansion and renovations will start.
"The new location in St. Katelijne-Waver will be ready in the first
quarter of 2024 and will have double the capacity, it will be our most
stunning location to date. The wonderful thing about this location
is that it will serve as an example for all future sites. This site is our
new office standard with a fully equipped gym and a restaurant full of
healthy options for our employees. In short, we will take even better
care of our people in these tailor-made construction projects than we
do now. It's one of those fun tasks I can keep busy with in the coming
years. We'll realize a new master plan for the Breda location in four or
five years as well."
Then this conversation brings you to the third significant step
already taken at Aartsen. What considerations were at the basis
of the expansion of the management board?
"We are switching from a three- to a four-person board to secure the
future of our company. We want to maintain the line we have followed
as an independent corporation, and at the same time, we are creating
space for a new generation of managers to whom that future belongs.
Such a decision is not a solitary one for me. It fits my philosophy
that you should always keep an open mind to young people's ideas.
Besides travelling, they are a great source of inspiration for me. You
will not hear any negative stories from me about the so-called youth
of today. I'm rigorously on their side."
"With Menno (CCO) and Jasper (COO), we've welcomed two very
talented and capable thirty-somethings to the board, who are welltrained
for their positions. They face an enormous responsibility and
will certainly have to learn something or two, but with my utmost
support. I am already grateful to them for wanting to grow into this
position over the past few years. They became co-shareholders
because I think that's best for the company, and everyone at Aartsen
knows the work they've put in to achieve these goals."
Aartsen has been a family business for over 116 years.
In that sense, their appointment is extraordinary.
"Certainly, it is the first time in our history that two people without our
last name have joined the management board and as co-shareholders
of Aartsen. And now I naturally expect the question that has been
asked me a hundred thousand times before: aren't your sons Gijs
and Freek already destined to succeed father? The answer is that their
seats are not automatically reserved in advanced for them here. I know
too many family businesses where that eventually went wrong. Who
knows, that succession will soon be reserved for them. As a father,
I would, of course, be very proud of that. But they must seriously want
it and have the ambition and the right personality. We will see. Their
involvement and interest are already great. Just as they are both very
enthusiastic about the appointment of Menno and Jasper."
Another expected question, then: what will change for you at
Aartsen with the new board of directors?
"Before I combined the positions of commercial and general manager.
Now, I will only focus on the last role. My main focus will be supervising
our three directors and our second management layer in the coming
years. What else? Now, I'm in a luxurious position where I can choose
to do the things within the company that I enjoy most—thinking about
the new locations for our offices, creating marketing campaigns and
aligning everyone's vision for tomorrow and the future. Hopefully,
I can spend more time with my precious wife, family, relatives and
friends. At 57, I want to find a better work-life balance. No one needs to
be afraid that I will wander through the halls as an old, grey man, getting
in everyone's way and asking unnecessary questions. I never want to
hold Aartsen back, everyone knows to send me home immediately
if this happens!"
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