15 years Havecon
Bleiswijk, November 9th 2006, On this day Havecon Kassenbouw was founded by Aad Voorwinden and Henk Verbakel. 15 years later and Havecon has grown into an international top player in the realization of Turn-key horticultural projects. We take you through a piece of history about the origin and the developments within our company and the interwovenness with the Voorwinden Group.
For many the name Havecon is still a question, where does it come from? The name Havecon originated from a combination of the H of Henk, the A of Aad, the V(e) of Voorwinden and Verbakel and finally the 'con' of construction. The goal was to grow, together with the strength of Voorwinden, into a leading builder that would produce, deliver and build greenhouses of unprecedented quality both nationally and internationally.
The early years
The first years were exciting and uncertain. The company had to win the trust of its customers and win over new ones quickly, in a market where competition had always been fierce. We therefore thank the customers of the first hour for the trust they placed in us. Because of them we have been able to build the company what it is today.
In 2009 the first lines were drawn to North America, an ambition both entrepreneurs cherished. A beautiful continent with a lot of growth potential and where we could operate very distinctively with our own Dutch 'Voorwinden' work. This resulted in 2010 in a first assignment for Intergrow in the state of New York.
The collaboration with Voorwinden was an important part of this. Because of the close cooperation with Voorwinden, it was always possible to switch easily between the execution, planning and the drawing board at the Havecon office. When Aad's sons, Maik and Kris Voorwinden, joined the company, the company was renamed Voorwinden Groep(VWG).
As the market established itself, the possibilities became bigger, the name Havecon was mentioned more often and got a more international character. More and more large-scale projects came along and Havecon became a reliable partner in realising high-tech state-of-the-art horticultural greenhouses. The market grew steadily along with it, and the demand for greenhouse projects increased as the economy set up in the years after 2013. Also, this was (this was 2017/20218) the time when (Medicinal) Cannabis cultivation was booming in Canada. Dutch knowledge was often brought in for this purpose.
In 2017 Aad stepped down as co-owner within Havecon and also within Voorwinden the daily management was taken over by the next generation, Maik and Kris. Aad is still closely involved within the organization and can also be found here daily.
The relocation
In 2018, the moment was there for a big move. We said goodbye to the Marconistraat and moved into the new building on the Lorenzstraat, a few blocks away. First a temporary accommodation in the factory, then at the end of 2019 the new office building was taken into use. With its own aluminum production and a new, more spacious office building, the move offered new opportunities with a view to scaling up and meeting market demand.
Besides the relocation in Bleiswijk, plans were also made to open an office in North America. To serve this market even better a good base was needed. However, this did not mean that the work close to home stopped. A good combination of projects close to home and overseas projects was always the aim.
International
On October 2, 2018, our office was officially opened in Niagara-on-the-lake, in the state of Ontario, Canada. A convenient location near Niagara Falls close to our clients in Canada and also close to the US border. A welcome addition to the increasingly international character that Havecon has acquired. Havecon North America makes a crucial contribution in the areas of Sales, Engineering and Site Management.
In Sarajevo-Bosnia we have a department to support our Research & Business Development department since 2017. The colleagues in Bosnia focus on the design and visualization of our projects. Among other things, they provide the 3D supports and visualizations in the projects and work closely with the office in the Netherlands.
In 2019, the Atrium Agri group was established in which Havecon has taken an important pioneering role, a collaboration between the different parties to keep lines shorter and to tackle (future) projects better together. With the shared knowledge from the different types of cooperation partners are shaping a more streamlined development in the sector. For example, there is cooperation in the areas of procurement, R&D and engineering.
Since its establishment in 2006, Havecon has experienced tremendous growth without forgetting where it came from. A flat organization with short lines and very dedicated employees who work hard every day to put the customer first and deliver projects as agreed.
A deal is a deal! Say what you do and do what you say, we do not make it much more complex.
Keep an eye on our channels this week to share in our celebration. We are celebrating the 15 years that have been and looking forward to the future with our locations in Canada and Bosnia.
