since 1985: entrepreneurship
Entrepreuneurship since 1985
Invited by a head-hunter to become Managing Director of the promising communication agency Prad/NPP BV, I decided to start my own company as an entrepreneur and to co-operate with Prad, not as an employee but based on a management-contract between two independent entities; TOPAZ, Management & Beheer bv (lateron- renamed: Core Developments Holding bv) was born. After working with Prad-clients such as ABN Bank, IBM, Mercedes Benz, Philips, I founded my second company in 1986:
TOPAZ, Marketingwise Communications bv.
with Parker Pen as launching customer. In the period since 1986 untill now TOPAZ has worked for more than 160 companies in more than 35 different branches, focussing on marketing wise resultancy & educational processes. TOPAZ created the fundamentals for sister company EdiMark bv in 1988, later-on renamed: Forest Returns bv. This enterprise is still focussing on reforestation processes in general and sustainable country estates in particular.
Core Developments Holding bv (CDH),
a holding company since 1985, focusing on launching companies with management, marketing and finance in mind. After starting in 1986 (the nowadays still active) TOPAZ, Marketingwise Communications bv, I co-founded EdiMark bv in 1988, bought all shares from my associates (2) in 1990 and renamed it Forest Returns bv. With my wife (since 1970) Joke Kloppenborg I still own 100 % of the shares of CDH. CDH owns 80 % of the shares of TOPAZ, Marketingwise Communications bv and 80 % of the shares of:
Forest Returns bv,
a pioneering reforestation & country estate company, registered since 1988, focusing from the beginning on reforestation processes in countries such as: The Netherlands, Costa Rica, Ghana, Brazil, Costa Rica, Panama, Turkey and Surinam. To create an attractive split risk portfolio in the interest of all stake holders, a brand-new multifunctional country estate concept has been developed: the so-called ‘Papatya Model’* with the seven clusters of related activities on all concerning country estates in mind. Besides the already mentioned 80 % of the shares, owned by CDH, the rest of the shares (20 %) belongs to LJB Management & Consultancy bv, the holding company of Cor’s associate (since 1998) Dr. Hans van der Holst.
Hacienda la Esperanza Sociedad Anónima
The 1.114 hectares (= 2.753 acres) country estate ‘Esperanza’ (= hope) is more than just a hotel or luxurious eco lodge resort. The ever green southern part of Peninsula de Nicoya is one of Costa Rica`s most cherished gems and became world-wide Blue Zone Number One (based upon a seven years study by Dan Buettner of National Geographic). From the hilly interior the mountains slope down to the ‘Oceáno Pacífico’, creating one of the most beautiful and peaceful Costa Rican beaches. All assets of ‘Esperanza’ (with myself as ‘presidente’ since 2005) are property of the Netherlands based Vereenigde Costaricaanse Compagnie bv (VCC).
Landgoed Groot Mariënbosch NV (LGM),
an 823 hectares (= 2.034 acres) country estate in Surinam between the Commewijne River, rich in dolphins and fish, and the by many see turtles populated Atlantic Ocean. The former planter’s building, since 1774, is labelled as patrimonial part of the country estate. All assets of the former plantations ‘Mariënbosch & Guadeloupe’ are property of the Surinam based NV with myself as Chief Executive Officer since 2008.
Landgut Grünes Brandenburg GmbH (LGB)
Based on my country estate experiences in other countries and with a future country estate in Germany of at least 1.000 hectares (≥ 2.500 acres) in mind, I decided -after two years of research in several ‘Bundesländer’ together with Dr. Hildebrand de Boer and other companions- to establish a German company with Forest Returns bv as 100 % share holder in Potsdam in 2010. Mr. Hans-Jürgen Thoma, former Managing Director of Mannesmann in Berlin, also became ‘Geschäftsführer’ in 2010.
*‘The Papatya Model’
This Forest Returns Country Estate Model is named after the so called Turkish friendship bread which looks like a daisy with a core and six petals. The `Papatya Model` symbolises seven different clusters of sustainable activities:
- Forestry: endemic and exotic tree (and eventually bamboo) species,
- Hospitality & Care: Eco-tourism, residential real estate, spa, sports & wellness,
- Education: Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, Events (MICE),
- Aquaculture & Fishery: endemic & exotic species,
- Animal husbandry (Cattle Breeding); cows, horses, pigs, chickens, bees, game,
- Agriculture: fruits, vegetables & medicinal plants,
- Carbon Credits & Renewable Energy: hydro, solar energy, biomass conversion.