Who will be crowned Drents entrepreneur of 2019?
Translated by Charlotte Hardy
On Thursday evening, the winner will be revealed. It’s a challenging position to win, with the current ‘Drentse Onderneming’ being the innovative Vepa furniture factory, who combined the collection of waste with the creation of office and project furniture. The three finalists are listed below:
Avitec from New Buinen
Avitec, a company based in Nieuw-Buinen, is involved in multiple things. The company consists of: Avitec advice & technology, Avitec infrastructure & environment, Avitec service, Avitec construction and Avitec waste services, plus a few sister companies. Avitec’s key point of interest is that they want to contribute to a circular economy by helping those who have been out of the labour market for an extended period return to work.
As reported by the Dagblad van het Noorden, Ben Timmermans from Avitec has a clear vision for the future: ”We are involved in the development of the largest solar park in Drenthe. We are doing this together with the municipality, province and local residents, who should also benefit from it. This project, then, has 360 degree support; I’m so proud of that”.
Graaco from Coevorden
Graaco is also a finalist for the ‘Drentse Onderneming’. It offers logistics and packaging activities, and happens to be the only company in the Netherlands which is directly connected to both the Dutch and German rail networks. The company is based in Coevorden, where sustainable transport is highly important for the future.
With a number of ex-directors of the former transport group Van der Graaf, Ben Blog started again with Graaco in 2009, ”We have made a number of conscious choices; What do we do and not do? We want to think in terms of solutions for the customer. We offer solutions for transport, but also find ways to add value.”
SEM Productions from Meppel
If you regularly visit concerts in Europe, you have probably (without knowing) benefited from the activities of SEM Productions. The Meppel-based company are specialised in the technical production and realisation of events. SEM works on sound systems, light shows, exhibition stands and projection screens.
SEM is the youngest finalist ever in the Drenthe final. SEM is also soon to present new developments. ”We are all building the growth of the company. Every idea is welcome, we take everything seriously. If something doesn’t work, we’ll leave it. If it works, we’ll try to integrate it into our business process”.
Image: last year’s winners Vepa receiving their prize. Image via Ik Ben Drents Ondernemer
