From a kitchen-table contract to a million square metres: Eddy Janssens’ twenty years at WDP
Over the past 20 years, Eddy Janssens has had a front-row seat to WDP’s transformation. With every new step WDP took, Eddy got the chance to grow right along with it. He started his WDP career renovating existing warehouses, later moved into new-build projects, and today focuses on maintenance and repair work. A look back on Eddy’s twenty-year career at WDP.
When I joined WDP 20 years ago
Twenty years ago, I took my first steps at WDP. What struck me immediately was how strongly the company felt like a family business: a warm atmosphere, short lines, and the feeling that everyone knew each other. You belonged from day one.
My start at WDP was actually very spontaneous. I saw an ad in Nota Bene and decided to call right away. That same day I was invited in for an interview. A few days later, Tony was at my house to sign the contract, right at our kitchen table. That moment still perfectly captures for me how personal and human WDP already was back then.
Looking back on it now, I mostly feel pride. What started at a kitchen table grew into a twenty-year journey within a company that’s evolved enormously over the years, while that warm, entrepreneurial culture still remains just as tangible.
Twenty years later, I’m still building WDP’s story, with just as much commitment and pride as ever.
How I see WDP in the future
In the coming years, I mostly hope that, together with our team, we keep our customers satisfied. That we keep maintaining our buildings with care, keep them in top condition, and keep offering a service people can rely on, day after day. Because in the end, it’s not just the buildings that make the difference, it’s the people behind them. If we keep working together with the same commitment, collegiality and pride, I’m convinced we can keep building on a strong, sustainable story in the years to come too. One where we all keep putting our shoulders behind it, together.
The project I’ll never forget
In my early years at WDP, the company was still fairly small-scale, with a portfolio of around 30 buildings. The focus then was mainly on renovation projects, which we carried out with our own team. We stripped buildings down completely, did masonry work, and made sure existing sites became future-ready again. It was hard work, but it was exactly that shared effort that made it special.
One project I’ll never forget is Templemars in France. There we handled a full renovation of the offices. We stayed on site, which made for a unique team experience. Working together, staying together, that builds a bond you don’t easily forget. You get to know each other in a different way, and you feel how strong a team can be when everyone’s working toward the same goal.
From 2010 onwards, WDP saw enormous growth, and the focus shifted more and more toward new-build projects. We were involved from the foundations right through to the final finishing touches. It was impressive to witness that evolution so closely: the scale grew, the projects became more complex, and yet that typical WDP feeling stayed the same, get stuck in, move forward, deliver quality.
An absolute highlight was the big celebration in Willebroek, marking the milestone of 1,000,000 m². That moment perfectly symbolised how far we’d come together, not just in numbers, but in what we’d built as a team. In recent years my role has evolved again, with more focus on maintenance and repairs. That’s an essential part of our work too: making sure our buildings stay in top condition, day in, day out. It might be less visible than a new building, but it’s every bit as important. Because the difference is often in the details: acting fast, fixing it right, and making sure clients can keep counting on us.