Owner Kees van den Hoek (75) surprised for his birthday!
Druten – With Jelle de Vries, our new managing director, and the entire staff of the ICA Group in attendance, owner and CEO Kees van den Hoek received a surprise on his birthday. On Tuesday, 14 September, he was presented with a birthday present on behalf of the ICA team and many others. An unsuspecting Kees was called from a meeting to report at the entrance. On arrival, he was complimented and congratulated by Jelle for his commitment and the energy he still brings each day to his circle of friends and acquaintances as well as the ICA family business.
During the celebration, Jelle said, “If you look at where ICA has come from, I’m referring to the erstwhile sales rep business, we’ve since become a highly respected wholesaler of ceramic tiles and we should all be incredibly proud of that. The daily passion that you manage to convey to people, combined with the energy that you still have as a now 75-year-old, is absolutely fantastic!”
A few minutes later, the éminence grise van den Hoek revealed his own bust on a pedestal. The piece is the work of artist Lia Krol who has also created beautiful sculptures of Marcel Boekhoorn and Dr Schoemacher senior, among others. Lia and her partner admitted to being particularly satisfied with the result.
Kees addressed the attentive audience: “I am fully aware that I am entering my 76th year and I am not immortal. Notwithstanding, I would like to continue for another 10 years maximum, health permitting. Having said that, I am glad that I have lived to see this gift and can still truly enjoy it. I would like to thank the initiators and each and every person present. As you are all aware, I always say that you are the company’s real assets.”
Kees has since celebrated his 75th birthday in Amsterdam. If the government’s coronavirus measures are relaxed, a small celebration will take place in Druten to mark this milestone.
On behalf of the ‘bust committee’, we thank everyone who helped bring the artwork to fruition.
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