This adaptability has proven crucial in maintaining continuity, with government contracts forming the backbone of their business. However, the company’s services to the community extend beyond public sector projects. “We work with private businesses as well. Even homeowners can come to us if they want to have their driveway paved,” Zwiers shares. “We don’t turn down any job. We always consider every job, however small or big it is.” This inclusive approach has paid dividends, particularly in recent months.“The last six months, we have been working a lot for private businesses making parking lots, driveways, stuff like that.” As part of the larger Janssen de Jong Caribbean organization, BWM benefits from a robust support network spanning multiple islands.This connection provides crucial advantages in terms of resources, expertise, and financial stability, while maintaining the agility of a local operation. The company’s presence in Bonaire represents a perfect balance between international backing and local market understanding, enabling them to deliver consistent quality across projects of varying scales and complexity. FROM DUTCH ROOTS TO CARIBBEAN GROWTH The story of Janssen de Jong Caribbean begins with a single ambitious project that would set the stage for decades of development. “The company in Holland is approximately 80 years old, and approximately 70 years ago, they were bidding on a project in Haiti for an airfield,” Zwiers recounts. “They got the job and that was their first presence in the Caribbean. The job in Haiti was quite successful. They wanted to expand more in the Caribbean, and they found the best way to do that is to base a company in Curaçao.” This initial success led to a systematic expansion across the Dutch Caribbean islands. BWM was founded in 1963, marking a significant milestone in the company’s regional growth. Today, Janssen de Jong Caribbean operates through a network of sister companies across six different islands, including Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire, and St. Martin, each specializing in construction, infrastructure, or production services. The organization’s growth strategy has been twopronged, combining organic expansion with strategic acquisitions. This approach has enabled them to build a comprehensive presence across the region while maintaining strong ties to their Dutch parent company, which focuses primarily on housing and commercial building construction in the Netherlands. 17 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 12, ISSUE 01 JANSSEN DE JONG CARIBBEAN
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTI5MjAx