Wallaard Groen from 6 to 16 million in two and a half years

ARTICLE

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Hein van Iersel, Wednesday 16 October 2024

210 sec

'The biggest challenge is managing growth'

On April 1, 2022 (not a joke), Robin Castelijn started as the new director at Wallaard Groen. Two and a half years and 250 percent growth later, CEO Castelijn explains how he approached this challenge.

Please do not call Robin Castelijn the CEO of Wallaard Groen

Castelijn opens the conversation with the remark: 'Please do not call me CEO. That does not suit me, nor does it fit the DNA of Wallaard. I may have set the direction, but we do this together.' Castelijn has invited me to one of the projects that Wallaard Groen is currently working on: the complete development of the green outdoor space at Yuverta Dordrecht. With this interview location, Castelijn aims to achieve two goals: to present a project the company is proud of and to highlight the importance of new talents for the future of the company.

Faster

Looking back, Castelijn believes that transitioning to Wallaard was a good decision. Previously, he worked at Krinkels. Castelijn: 'I worked there for about 13 years and learned the trade. But after those 13 years, I felt I had seen it all and no longer fully agreed with the choices and future direction. I had the impression that I could progress faster at Wallaard. Just when I was contemplating my role at Krinkels, Wallaard approached me for this position. And things moved quickly from there.'

'Please do not call me CEO, that does not suit me. I set the direction, but we do this together.'

Strategic business plan

Castelijn: 'When I started at Wallaard in 2022, the first thing I did was write a strategic business plan. Essentially, it focuses on four specializations: rail, green roofs, tree management, and landscaping & maintenance. We were already active in these areas to some extent, and in the past few years, we have been fortunate that all conditions allowed us to grow in each of these fields. Although, luck is not really the right word; we also made it happen.'

Stable

'When I joined Wallaard Groen, it was a stable, mid-sized green company with an annual revenue of around 6 million euros—the smaller sibling of the Wallaard contracting company, which had a steady turnover of 25-30 million per year. My task and challenge were to expand the green division further.'

Tree management

The area where that sensational growth has perhaps been the least successful, and therefore the smallest division with a turnover of around 2 million in 2024, is tree management. According to Castelijn, this is mainly due to the difficulty of finding in-house ETW-certified arborists; these professionals are almost always independent entrepreneurs. Additionally, there are a few municipal contracts. Castelijn: 'My goal is to execute at least 60 to 70 percent of work in every sector with our own staff. Unfortunately, that has not yet been achieved in any field, especially not in tree management.'

Rail

Work around the railway has long been a specialization of Wallaard Groen. This division was initially developed by the previous director of Wallaard Groen, Rutger de Graaf. Castelijn: 'Although De Graaf stepped down as director, he is still actively involved in acquisitions, calculations, and projects. I hear from colleagues that he enjoys his work more now, as he is relieved of the burdens that come with a directorial position. De Graaf has an excellent network in both the railway and green sectors, which benefits us greatly. Furthermore, as a rail specialist, we have an advantage due to ProRail's policy changes. Previously, we received work as subcontractors for major railway contractors like StruktonRail and VolkerRail. These companies focus on track maintenance and inspection paths under the so-called performance-based maintenance (PGO) contracts. However, ProRail is now heavily investing in ecology along the tracks through the *More Nature in the Verge* contracts. This means green projects are directly awarded to landscaping firms like Wallaard. For rail contractors like StruktonRail and VolkerRail, this market is not attractive, as they do not employ green specialists.' Castelijn estimates that the rail division has experienced the most growth. 'We now have an annual turnover of 6 million, making rail the largest specialization within the company.'

Green roofs

Another area of explosive growth for Wallaard has been green roofs. Castelijn: 'We are not talking about highly complex rooftop gardens—far from it. What we primarily do, for major builders across the Netherlands, is green the roofs of garden sheds. This process has been completely optimized. These are almost always roofs of just a few square meters. We have agreements with builders to install these roofs at a fixed price per meter. The challenge is not in the green work itself but in logistics. Another aspect of this work is constructing sloped roofs. For example, we have taken on a beautiful project in Zevenhuizen involving 65 homes. In this case, we use a technique where the green roof replaces traditional roof tiles. We are also responsible for waterproofing the roof. Using a new product naturally carries some risk, but risk-taking is part of entrepreneurship. I can confidently say we are leading in this field. Essentially, the technique involves a vapor-open system with green roof trays from Sempergreen, filled with 5 cm of substrate in which sedum grows. Additionally, we execute several intensive rooftop gardens and large extensive sedum roofs annually for fixed roofing and construction companies. Our annual revenue from green roofs is now about 4 million euros, up from less than 1 million in 2022.'

Managing growth

Castelijn: 'Winning contracts is not difficult. Finding the right people and executing them well is much harder. Diverse work is necessary to remain an attractive employer. That's why we have significantly grown our workforce. The core team managing all operations has grown from four to ten people, and the field team has expanded from 26 to 42 employees.' Castelijn is satisfied with the influx of new talent but still needs about 20 more employees. 'We have a solid office team, young and future-proof. We can continue with them for years.' According to Castelijn, the young, engaged, and enthusiastic team is the company's strength. 'These people genuinely care for each other and are action-oriented. A common phrase is: "If you're not in the mood, you can go home!" But when people enjoy what they do, even the less pleasant tasks get done. There is a lot of laughter, and the work atmosphere is excellent.'

Wallaard Groenvoorziening

Krinkels B.V.

Sempergreen BV

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