My growth path

As a student, I started dismantling and installing plants in horticultural materials. As a gardener's son, working with plants also started to itch more and more and I decided to work at Waterdrinker. Waterdrinker is a large export company with then a Cash and Carry in the Aalsmeer flower auction.x In 2014, I got a chance to start a job with more responsibility. I seized that opportunity and started at Meko-Hulsebosch in Hillegom. On the advice of a then interim Manager, I started an HBO Business Administration course. Matching the course, I started looking for my next challenge and ended up at Schenkeveld.

Since July 2017, I started working at Schenkeveld as a Team Leader. I started at the Schipluiden site to gain experience for the Schiphol site, which was still under construction at the time. In four months, I gained a lot of knowledge before moving to Schenkeveld Schiphol's first greenhouse. Greenhouse North was ready for use. Soon Bart also joined the team. I was able to train Bart as Team Leader for Greenhouse North. My goal is to train Team Leaders so that I can manage Labour for Schenkeveld Schiphol overall. Meanwhile, greenhouse East was also being built and, after a selection trip in Moldova/Latvia, the first plants were planted in greenhouse East. Aleks, one of the many flex workers from Latvia has a lot of ambition. He has been trained as a Team Leader for Greenhouse East.

So since then, I have been responsible for Schenkeveld Schiphol's 22 hectares of Labour and will start helping with the start-up with Greenhouse South which is now under construction at the end of this year. There, Cristi will start as Team Leader. Currently, like me, he is being trained at Schenkeveld Schipluiden.

In the short term, I would like to finish my thesis as well as possible and start working on the start-up of Greenhouse South. Schenkeveld is not done expanding after Greenhouse South, as there will also be a Greenhouse West. That will be the last phase to be built at our location. In two years' time, I would like to see four well-oiled teams that can learn from each other and challenge each other every year. Furthermore, I still cherish the dream of starting a nursery in the Aalsmeer area in pot and bedding plants together with my father. Who knows.

Schenkeveld is a fast-growing and leading organisation in the greenhouse vegetable sector where you will have the opportunities to make great strides in a short period of time. All the ingredients are present to achieve top performance together with your colleagues. We also call it the Champions League of the horticultural sector. It all has to be right for you to compete with the top of the world. Would you also like to play in our Champions League? Then apply for a suitable position for you!