"A well-considered decision is a good decision"

Traveling back to when you were a student and living your life all over again may be difficult, but transferring your knowledge and experience to the next generation is definitely possible. At a special edition of the College Tour, Ab van Marrewijk and Jos van Mil from Greenco shared their expertise with a younger generation.

"How high was your sex, drugs and rock & roll quota in the past?" was of course the first question posed to van Marrewijk. At the April 4 event organized by the VNO-NCW Westland-Delfland organization in Tomatoworld, Greenco was the focus, but an effort was also made to bring entrepreneurs in contact with students. "I always had to fight hard, I was a mediocre student and I quickly started working as a horticulturist," says Ab, who deftly avoided the typical College Tour question.

Ab van Marrewijk interviewed by Jeroen Toet. Photo: Fotostudio G.J. Vlekke

Casino
Guided by questions from moderator Jeroen Toet and from the audience, attendees learned about the story of Greenco, how it grew from small tomato grower to large snack vegetable company. Excited by the questions, Ab regularly got laughs from the audience. In one anecdote, he revealed that the 10,000 guilders he won in 1996 with an entrepreneurial prize was used for a visit to a Japanese restaurant and the casino in Scheveningen. Ab: "The students who went along earned more than a week’s wages that night."

Jos van Mil also spoke. Photo: Fotostudio G.J. Vlekke

Stubborn
When asked if he and co-founder Jos van Mil had not been overly stubborn by starting a business together, Ab replied: "No, we just had self-confidence. Now we have help, but (laughing) that is not always better." At the end of the evening Ab had another tip for the students: "Do not be afraid to take risks, a well-considered decision is a good decision."

Afterwards drinks were served and there was ample opportunity for networking and making new connections.

Miranda van den Ende (Tomatoworld), Jos van Mil (Greenco) and Vincent Molleman (Molleman Sport Equipment)

Jos Bakker (De Hele Olifant) and Erik van Klaveren (Waalpartners)

Theo Duijvestijn (former alderman Westland) and Hans van der Ende (Hillenraad)

Ron Fransen (Levoplant) and David McLoughlin (NIBC Bank)

Wilko Wisse (Tomatenkweker Lans) offered Noa Olivieira and Sifia Meijers (Fibes NL) the opportunity to visit a tomato greenhouse.

Stefan van Marrewijk (Greenco) and ISW-student Kate Vermaat

Tom Prins, Jorben van der Lugt and Stefan de Bruijn (INHolland)

Aad Kester (Ruitenburg Accountants) assisted the photographer.

Armand Veenman (BVB) and Lianne Boekestijn (Kraanverhuur Boekestijn), Paul van Delft (VNO-NCW West)

Ab van Marrewijk and student Tom Prins