Heijmans

Set up 1923 by the paviour Jan Heijmans and surviving the crisis years from 1928 and 1944, Heijmans experienced its first wave of growth during the years shortly after the Second World War The takeover of Koninklijke Van Drunen and the commencement of building activities in the housing sector made a significant contribution to this first wave of growth. Having completed a number of spectacular projects in Turkey and Persia, at the beginning of the sixties Heijmans decided to focus all of its efforts on the Dutch market, spreading the risk involved by engaging in activities in various different sectors within the building industry. It was at this stage that the company first introduced its strongly decentralized set-up, establishing district offices in numerous places. This diversification was formalized in the seventies when the company introduced the division model. During these years Heijmans experienced its second wave of growth, which led at the end of the eighties to the strategic decision to become one of the top companies in the Dutch building industry. For this to be possible, among other things, it was necessary for the turnover to top the one billion guilder threshold. This was realized in 1994, partly as a result of Heijmans' entry into the capital market which occurred when Heijmans applied for its shares to be listed on the Amsterdam Exchanges in September of 1993. Aided by access to the capital market gained when Heijmans applied for admission to the Official List of the Amsterdam Exchanges back in September 1993, in terms of turnover realized in the Netherlands, Heijmans is currently in third place after Koninklijke Volker Wessels Stevin and BAM.