December 2012. Marjolein Waals was just 19 years old when she found her way to Reek. The company has a mentality that fits perfectly with the values she learned as a child: don't whine, just get to work! She wants to work. Work hard and work smart. That's just what she has done ever since she started working for VAEX. She knows her way around the whole company. It's high time that we turned the spotlight on this highly valued all-rounder to find out more about her views.
Tell us more about how things went for you after you started working in Reek.
In my early years at VAEX, I took on as many different tasks as possible. Behind the reception desk and as executive assistant, working on internal projects or out on the road with colleagues or clients. All to gain knowledge and experience. In 2015, Pim asked me to help to put VAEX The Truck Traders on the map, with a particular focus on company structure. We started off with a group of three colleagues in a site hut, but it wasn't long before we grew into a company with more than 40 employees, various departments and our own workshop. There was plenty to do! I was also given room for initiative. Having that faith put in me has built my self-confidence. It means that I dare to try new things. 'Just get on with it, everything will be fine’. To be honest, that is usually true. Not always without trial and error, but you learn more this way than you would do by sitting still. 'Let's get on with it,' that's how we looked at BUFFL Customizers. Since 2019, this has been our own brand of truck interiors. I recently became a member of its management team. This brings new challenges and opportunities. You never stop learning!
What do you see as the most important developments made by VAEX during the past few years?
My first impression was that VAEX was a very strong company where everyone works hard. And where Dirk and Pim are definitive experts on piglets, pigs, trade and transport. But I soon noticed that there were substantial, underlying challenges in terms of company organisation. Pim and Dirk both carried a Nokia 3310, they always had hundreds of unread emails in their mailboxes and as for a website? A total waste of money! Pim had very definite views: 'That's how things work’. We regularly engaged in healthy discussions, which sometimes turned out to be fierce battles. To cut a long story short, VAEX eventually underwent big changes in the field of IT and we have invested in the right systems, departments, colleagues and business partners. I certainly didn't do it all alone, but I feel proud to say that everything about the company, from the front to the back office, now works. This balanced structure behind the scenes makes it is easier for everyone to make progress.
What is typical VAEX, in your eyes?
That's easy - the people who work there. VAEX is growing because its employees are growing. Individually and as a team. Getting opportunities and making the most of them, that's what it is all about. And at VAEX these two things often go together. A lot of attention is paid to team spirit. When I first came to work here, I was pleasantly surprised by the number of office parties, the Christmas present and the ski weekend. By the way, that felt more like a weekend away with friends rather than a work outing. But you can also feel a positive vibe on the work floor every day. We are colleagues who are always ready to help each other and we really see each other. And we are honest with each other. Pim once said to me: 'Tell me what you say about your work when you go home. Positive and negative’. This openness is a big plus point for VAEX.
And where will you and VAEX be in five years' time?
I hope and think that The Truck Traders and BUFFL will operate under a single roof. The plans for this move are already in the pipeline. This way, we can achieve a complete concept for a whole truck better and more efficiently. I also hope that we will continue to be a great company with a fine, highly motivated team. We will certainly undertake new challenges together. But which ones? That's difficult to tell. When I come back after a week's holiday I am often surprised to see how many projects have started during my absence. Let alone the coming five years. And as for me? I am not such a long-term thinker. At the moment, I am very satisfied with my working life and my home life. If the coming five years turn out just like the last five, I will be more than happy!
THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT MARJOLEIN
Favourite food? Everything! But especially Italian food.
Favourite animal? A BUFFL, of course.
Your best characteristic? Thinking in solutions.
Your worst characteristic? Always having the last word.
Greatest wish? Getting to work quicker. It takes me an hour now from Asten.
Favourite truck? A Scania, what else?
Biggest annoyance? Being stuck in the past. We should go forward.
