When Henk met Henk

The other day in Moordrecht, we had the honor of welcoming a very special guest: 93-year-old Henk Schop.

In 1948, Henk was 18 years old and already the proud owner of a driver's license. Initially hired to drive the delivery van, he was soon promoted by the De Klerk family to become their personal chauffeur. To say that Henk did a terrific job is an understatement; he stayed with the family and with the company for twenty-five years, until 1972.

Over the years, Henk drove generations of De Klerks to their numerous shops and business partners throughout The Netherlands and abroad. Although at 93 his memory is still crystal clear, Henk claims he does not recall any of the thousands of conversations that went on in the privacy of his car. We appreciate and admire his discretion.

When Henk recently visited our head offices, he was very interested in our special Anniversary Expo. There, he suddenly found himself face to face with his younger self. A picture of him, proudly posing in front of his company car, adorns the banner that is right at the beginning of the Expo. Standing next to the banner, everyone agreed that apart from a couple of grey hairs, Henk hasn't changed a bit.