100 years of Mourik, from generation to generation
Father Jan and son Toni den Hartog both grew up with Mourik from an early age. What is it like to work with family in a family business, and how are they shaping tomorrow for the next generations? This is the story of Jan and Toni.
Three generations of Den Hartog at Mourik
Our company naturally bears the name of the Mourik family, but within the company we have more families with multiple generations. Take father Jan and son Toni den Hartog. Jan is department head of Environment at Mourik Techniek, Toni works as head of Planning in the cleaning department at Mourik Industry. Both of them grew up with Mourik yellow from an early age. Jan was actually born right on the construction site in 1961. His father Anton was involved in preparing the current Heineken site in ’s-Hertogenbosch for construction. That’s why the family temporarily lived in a mobile home at the worksite. “Later we moved to Groot-Ammers, still only three doors away from the site where it all began. I really grew up at Mourik,” says Jan. As a little boy, Toni also liked to tag along with his father. “I found it absolutely fascinating, all those machines.” At fifteen, he started his first vacation job at Mourik. “In a sand filter, really a lousy job. But after that, I gained their trust. When I was 18 and had obtained my truck driver’s license, I was allowed to go out with the tipper and low-loader on weekends and holidays.”
Special to work at the same company
At Mourik, you don’t get anything handed to you just because you’re ‘the son of’. According to Toni, that’s a good thing. “You’re judged by what you do, and you also get opportunities if you put in the effort.” Just look at Jan. He started his career at Mourik International and drove all over Europe for years, from Sicily to Sweden, with a suction unit and compressed air container. “At Mourik, we have quite a few managers who started out with a shovel in their hands. I’ve always worked extremely hard myself. The Mourik phone is still on my nightstand and I sometimes joke to my wife that I knew Kees Mourik before I knew her.” The men don’t work together directly. Still, they find it special to work at the same company as father and son. “We talk a lot about work and the things we experience,” says Toni. “We also share a passion for heavy equipment. If there’s a new truck, we always send each other pictures.” And when they get the chance, they get behind the wheel together. “As a kid, I thought that was amazing,” says Toni. “Now, every once in a while, we ride along with the asphalt crew on weekends, together in the driver’s seat.”
For future generations
When Mourik turns 100, Jan will be retired. Or will he…? “For me, the question isn’t how much longer I have to work, but how much longer I get to work.” Since he started in 1982, Mourik has of course changed. “It’s become much more professional, and that’s necessary. But I hope that in the future we’ll still be ‘just’ Mourik.” Toni sees potential for the new generation in the current direction. “The world is in transition. There’s much more focus on innovation and sustainability and Mourik is adapting well. It inspires confidence to work for a company that plans for the future.” As a manager, he sees a clear task for himself: “The foundations are solid; now it’s our job to make sure the story is clear to everyone on the work floor. The strategy provides frameworks, but we also need to keep using our common sense. Mourik is a company that takes action, seizes opportunities, and values people. That matches how I approach life and what my parents taught me.” His message is clear: “A lot is changing in the world and in our society, but the fact remains that we all need each other; younger employees and seasoned veterans, highly educated or practically trained. It’s important that we continue to find each other and achieve great results together.”